Exactly a year ahead of Colorado Springs’ next mayoral election, Mayor Yemi Mobolade officially launched his campaign for a second term.

Mobolade, his wife Abbey and a group of boosters spoke in front of a crowd of roughly 200 people gathered at the COS City Hub on Monday evening to support his campaign. Mobolade said that he felt the city needed his leadership to deliver four more years of focused improvements.

Mobolade made history in 2023 as Colorado Springs’ first Independent mayor and its first elected Black mayor after he won a runoff election against Wayne Williams. That political independence was a major focus of his speech for his second term. Mobolade reiterated the city needed a shared path forward rather than a red or a blue approach.

“I promised you leadership free of the agendas of Washington, D.C. I promised a new way of doing politics that is non-partisan, bipartisan and people-centered. And I stand before you tonight with the same heart, the same hustle, the same humility and the same conviction,” Mobolade said.

Mobolede outlined his three major priorities if he is re-elected: new investment in public safety staff and technology, economic development to outgrow affordability challenges, and growth supported with infrastructure development.

Abbey Mobolade said her husband was one of the most objective and determined people she’d met, for better and worse, and that his commitment to his word was a great asset to the city.

Retired Col. David Hanson, the former base commander at Peterson Space Force Base, said that Mobolade had won his support when they met before he was elected and that he had proven his ability to benefit the city.

“He knows what Colorado Springs needs. His leadership produces results and we have seen that firsthand. He makes tough decisions and is a great communicator,” Hanson said.

Mobolade’s campaign team ended the event by asking the crowd to donate to the reelection campaign or text their friends a list of his accomplishments from the last three years.