Author: Richard Skorman
-
GUEST OPINION: Extending coal burning at Nixon is bad for residents’ breathing
Colorado lawmakers are currently deliberating Senate Bill 26-22, a proposal by Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) to give them permission to “extend the deadline to find an affordable and reliable replacement power supply” for its Ray Nixon coal-powered plant. CSU wants to extend the deadline to 2040, instead of retiring it by the end of 2029,…
-
GUEST COLUMN: Does integrity matter anymore to political groups?
There is a relatively new political group in town called Integrity Matters, that unfortunately seems to have a pretty big list serve and has been given a voice by our public media for April 4th’s local election. Many of us wonder if integrity really does matter to them. They put yard signs all over the…
-
GUEST COLUMN: A partisan prosecution that should be stopped
This is a guest column that I hope many from the Pikes Peak Region read, but particularly Michael Allen, the El Paso County district attorney. As you may know, D.A. Allen convened a secret grand jury, urging them to charge state Sen. Pete Lee with a felony for voting from the wrong residence. We now…
-
GUEST COLUMN: Governor led with a steady hand during pandemic
It seems like a blur to think back two years now to January 21, 2020, when the U.S. reported its first COVID case. Little did we know that by March anyone in elected office (including those of us at the Colorado Springs City Council) would have lots of sleepless nights trying to figure out how…
-
GUEST COLUMN: Colorado restaurants need support, not gimmicks
Restaurants across the state are still struggling to survive, with some experts projecting that the industry won’t return to pre-pandemic health for years. Understandably, many want to help, suggesting ways to get more revenue behind restaurants’ recovery. We value being able to visit a favorite neighborhood eatery or try a trendy new spot. Efforts to…
-
GUEST COLUMN: Prop. CC is a big step forward
Colorado’s economy ranks among the best in the country. But despite a very low unemployment rate, record corporate profits and tourism revenue, congestion is worsening, one in four roads are rated as being in poor condition and almost 500 bridges have been labeled “structurally deficient.” And we’re one of the worst states in K-12 and…
-
GUEST COLUMN: Time to stop scarring our mountain backdrop
After reading The Gazette editorial supporting the Transit Mix proposal to create another huge mining scar on our mountain backdrop at Hitch Rack Ranch, I can’t remain silent. As a former board member of the Mountain Reclamation Foundation, I and thousands of other volunteers in the community know all too well how difficult it is…
-
Point-counterpoint: Should Colorado voters approve Amendment 70, which would raise Colorado’s minimum wage?
Question: Should Colorado voters approve Amendment 70, which would raise Colorado’s minimum wage from $8.31 per hour to $12 per hour by 2020? Richard Skorman Opponents of Amendment 70 argue it would hurt small businesses and kill jobs in the state. As small-business owners at Poor Richard’s, Little Richard’s and Rico’s for over 40 years,…
-
CON: Two big problems with land swap deal
On the surface, as stated in The Gazette editorial on Sunday, Jan. 31, the Strawberry Fields land swap makes a lot of sense. City Parks gets more land at a higher appraised dollar value than it’s giving up. Parks is getting several important parcels and easements that the public already uses and has wanted for…
-
COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS: City’s solar panels (poll)
In a recent editorial, The Gazette stated that the council made a “foolhardy investment in solar at ratepayers’ expense,” complaining that Community Solar Garden program burdens ratepayers with a new “$22 million-dollar subsidy.” Here’s why that could be considered a “foolhardy” conclusion. The “$22 million” figure assumes that the cost to replace the energy generated…