Richard Skorman, known in recent years as the downtown Christmas parking elf and a community rubbish rouser and previously for being in the Colorado Springs City Council limelight for 22 years, received recognition Tuesday for his contributions to the city he’s loved for decades and that loves him in return.

Mayor Yemi Mobolade presented Skorman with the “Spirit of Colorado Springs Lifetime Achievement Award” during his State of the City address at The Broadmoor.

“Richard is a dedicated public servant, successful small-business owner, author, environmentalist, community advocate, mentor and friend to so many, including me,” Mobolade said. “His sustained efforts and achievements helped shape our city.”

In accepting the award, Skorman, 72, said former Colorado Springs Mayor Mary Lou Makepeace, the city’s first and only woman mayor, told him he should run for City Council but he’d need to cut his ponytail. So he did and won a seat.

“You become an expert because of the people around you,” Skorman said, crediting his wife and business partner, Patricia Seator, for his success in business and politics.

Tuesday was the couple’s 30th wedding anniversary, Skorman noted.

“She’s had to put up with so much with me all these years, so many 10-hour days. She ran our business. Five hundred dollars a month (in salary) for City Council, yeah, it’s a lot of money, and she kept it all going,” he said.

Skorman became a small-business owner in 1975, when he was a senior at Colorado College and opened a bookstore a few blocks south of the campus on North Tejon Street.

Two years later, he added food to his “Feed & Read,” providing customers with a place to “browse, read and enjoy simple meals in a friendly, unhurried atmosphere,” according to archives from the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum.

The operation expanded and now includes a restaurant, toy store, book and gift shop and wine bar. The Poor Richard’s complex has become a downtown landmark and institution for customers of all ages and backgrounds of clientele.

Skorman also served four terms on City Council, starting in 1999 and ending in 2021, and having roles of vice mayor and council president. Throughout the years, he presented a progressive voice on the nonpartisan council.

“He’s always stood for what he believes in, even when it’s been unpopular,” Susan Edmondson, president and CEO of the Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs said in a video the city created.

He led an effort in 1997 that gained voter approval to funnel 1 penny of every $10 purchase to protect and preserve city trails, open spaces and parks.

The Trails, Open Space and Parks program generates $12 million annually to support conservation, wildlife habitat protection, maintenance, water quality and wildfire mitigation.

Skorman remains the backbone of the movement to shepherd the city’s natural resources, Matt Mayberry, director of the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum said in the video.

An entrepreneur, a popular elected official and a solo cheer squad for the community, Skorman also was defined by colleagues as tireless, bringing joy with every slice of pizza he serves at his restaurant, and a deep thinker.

John Suthers, who retired last year after eight years as mayor of Colorado Springs, said he and Skorman are “two political planets.”

“But when you have two people who love the same entity or organization — Colorado Springs — even if you’re coming at it from different opinions, you can find a way to get it done,” Suthers said.