As John Graham embarks on his second term as Manitou Springs mayor, he found some time to reflect on his first term and discuss goals for his second term.
Overall, he feels that City Council made advances in many areas in 2018-2020, but knows that much remains to be done. That wouldn’t be possible without the city staffers who work hard to implement City Council’s policies and directives, he said.
Graham pointed to the Manitou Incline’s reservation system as among his first term’s important accomplishments.
“The Incline had become a free-for-all, which led to swarms of people, severe demands for our limited parking and disturbing environmental damage to Barr Trail,” he said. “We have achieved a much more sustainable situation that has been largely welcomed by users and has reduced our parking and traffic problems.”
Traffic and parking have long been challenging in Manitou, of course, but Graham said the city is making progress on those issues.
In September 2019, Manitou was earning a little more than $1 million annually in paid parking, he explained. But 60 percent of that went to the parking contractor and the remainder to support the Incline.
“Financially, it was a wash at best and, arguably, a drain on other city resources,” Graham said.
Cutting loose the contractor and bringing parking operations in-house allows the city to “innovate while being responsive.”
Graham also cited capital improvements made around the city, thanks to solid planning and a realistic budget. Public Works personnel have created ongoing maintenance programs while still focusing on long-term improvements.
Another accomplishment he’s proud of: strengthening the city’s workforce. Last year, City Council set expectations through general guidelines for staffers, and a compensation study — and the resulting pay adjustments — should help the city retain the best people.
Manitou’s full-time human resources specialist, Kelly Padilla, keeps an eye on employee concerns and maintains performance standards. And administrators and department heads are leading by example, Graham said.
“I think morale has improved,” he added.
But much remains to be done, demanding resolution and hard work, before Graham’s term ends in early January 2024.
“In the next two years, council will get as much done as possible and leave a workable plan for our successors.”
City Council hopes to meet for a day-long strategic planning session on Saturday, Feb. 5, and Graham mentioned a few high-priority issues that could be on the agenda:
• Parking, transportation and mobility;
• Financial stewardship and capital improvements;
• Environmental concerns;
• Community policing; and
• Emergency preparedness.
Graham wants to see major progress on bringing the historic Carnegie Library building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act so the Pikes Peak Library District can resume operations there.
“For decades, the library was overlooked — if not outright ignored,” the Manitou native said.
“ADA concerns were voiced 25 years ago but never heeded. This is a sore point, because it demonstrates that we have a pitiful history of taking care of our assets.”
Graham said he hopes that rewriting the city’s zoning laws will boost development efforts in Manitou’s east and west ends. He also dreams that he’ll be able to drink locally bottled mineral water someday.
“Those are good things to work toward and might diversify our economic base so that we are not so dependent upon marijuana and tourism,” he said.
With just one new council member, Michelle Whetherhult, Graham doesn’t foresee much difference in how they approach issues and deliberations about them.
When council took office in 2020, the pandemic soon shut down in-person meetings, which made it difficult for the councilors to learn how to interact as a team, he said.
“By the second half of 2021, we met in person and were able to vote and make decisions more efficiently.”
The mayor also represents Manitou on several local entities, including the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments. That encompasses city and county governments in El Paso, Teller and Park counties, allowing leaders to address regional problems.
“In 2022, the major concerns will be transportation, growth, wildlands fire danger, administering funding sources from the federal infrastructure programs and environmental issues. All of this is critical for Manitou Springs,” Graham said.
He’s also the liaison for the PPACG’s Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, the source of “significant funding” for Manitou. And Graham serves on the Regional Building Department’s advisory board, which he said mostly requires routine oversight.
He spends about 30 hours per week on city business, most of which is preparing for or participating in meetings.
“In the first two years, I estimate that I spent about 15 percent of my time working on matters that really will make a long-term difference. I hope to change that in the new term.”