The Jan. 2 Manitou Springs City Council regular session saw the swearing-in of the city’s returning mayor and councilors.
John Graham was re-elected as mayor and will serve until January 2026. Councilors-at-Large Judith Chandler, John Shada and Julie Wolfe will serve until January 2028. City Clerk Elena Krebs administered the oath of office.
Council voted 4-3 to appoint Nancy Fortuin to the mayor pro tem seat. Chandler, Shada and Wolfe opposed, casting their votes for Wolfe. Graham thanked Fortuin for her service despite their leadership differences.
“Nancy and I don’t always see eye-to-eye (and) I think there’s some value in that. We have a diversity, some opinions and some discourse. (But) when we have the urgency of performance, when things have to be done and there’s an emergency, I think Nancy steps forward and acts with clarity and has a good rapport with city staff, so I ask council to consider those points,” Graham said.
Chandler praised Fortuin for her service, but believes council members should be rotated so that they may provide fresh ideas and service.
“I think Mayor Pro Tem Fortuin has done a phenomenal job. However, I believe in the spirit of rotation and feel perhaps it’s time to allow other council members to have a chance to step up to the plate and serve,” Chandler said.
Chandler then offered her support of Wolfe as mayor pro tem, emphasizing that residents seek her leadership.
“I also want to say that Councilor Wolfe garnered the most votes out of 10 at-large council candidates and that says a lot to me. It says the residents of our community, our voters, voted 811 times to re-elect her and I think we have to honor that.”
No additional comments were offered.
Graham said the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested that council establish an alternate mayor pro tem. Council unanimously approved appointing Councilor Natalie Johnson as alternate mayor pro tem.
“I think the arrangement we have recently had has worked well with Nancy as mayor pro tem and Natalie as our alternate,” Graham said.
The council member third in line must assume the duties of the mayor pro tem in the event neither the mayor nor the mayor pro tem can fulfill their duties.
City Charter 2.08.010 (election of officers) states that council members elected at general municipal elections must take office at the first regularly scheduled council meeting in January after their election. At that first meeting, a mayor pro tem and a council member third in line must be elected to serve the council.
If there are more than two candidates for an office and no individual receives such a majority vote, the candidate receiving the least number of votes on each ballot must withdraw until one candidate receives such a majority vote.
Resolution No. 0224
Also, council unanimously approved Resolution No. 0224, which appoints council members and staff as liaisons to Manitou’s boards, commissions, committees, agencies and organizations,
According to Chapter 2.06.040 of the city’s Municipal Code, the mayor and council are required to appoint liaison assignments at the first regular meeting in January.
Also, these groups require and/or invite representation of the city by its municipal officers. People selected for these appointments are expected to serve the remainder of this calendar year.
Nancy steps forward and acts with clarity – John Graham
The list of groups includes Manitou Arts, Culture, and Heritage, Historic Preservation Commission, Open Space Advisory Committee, Park and Recreation Advisory Board, Mobility and Parking Board, Planning Commission, Housing Advisory Board and the Firemen’s Pension Fund Board of Trustees.
Other city organizations are: Business Improvement District, Chamber of Commerce Board, CRANE (formerly the Manitou Springs Arts Council and Manitou Springs Creative Arts District), Metropolitan Parking District Board, Mineral Springs Foundation, Partners for Healthy Choices and the Urban Renewal Authority Board.
Regional and state agencies are the Incline Management Committee, Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Board of Directors and Advisory Committee.
“I had contacted each of you to see if you were willing to serve in the liaisons as are published in the resolution and I got affirmative answers from everyone. We also got some input from board chairs and commission chairs, and they seem to be happy with the arrangement,” Graham said.
City notice posting locations
Last, council unanimously approved Resolution No. 0124 to establish the locations for the posting of city notices.
According to the Open Meetings Act (C.R.S. 24-6-402(2)(c), municipalities are required to adopt a resolution at the first meeting of every year stating the posting location for its public meetings. Also, the act requires that the official location be posted on the government’s website, and allow additional locations if necessary.
This resolution continues designating the website and City Hall as official locations. Adopting the resolution keeps the city in compliance with open meetings laws and provides transparency to residents.
Council will convene for a special meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 9.
LIAISONS APPOINTED JAN. 2
City boards and commissions
Manitou Arts, Culture, and Heritage: Chandler
Historic Preservation Commission: Michelle Whetherhult,
councilor
Open Space Advisory Committee: Chandler
Park and Recreation Advisory Board: Johnson
Mobility and Parking Board: Johnson
Planning Commission: Wolfe
Housing Advisory Board: Fortuin
Firemen’s Pension Fund Board of Trustees: Chandler and Graham
(mayor and city administrator also serve on this board)
Other city organizations
Business Improvement District: Denise Howell, City Administrator
Visit Manitou Springs: Howell
Creative Alliance Manitou Springs: Howell
Metropolitan Parking District Board: Johnson
Partners for Healthy Choices: Manitou Springs Police Department
school resource officer or designate
Urban Renewal Authority Board: Fortuin
Mineral Springs Foundation: Roy Chaney, Deputy City Administrator
Regional and state agencies
Colorado Municipal League Policy Committee: Howell
Incline Management Committee: Dole Grebenik, city engineer, and
Gillian Rossi, Parks and Recreation director
Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Board of Directors:
Graham and Fortuin (alternate)
Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Transportation
Advisory Committee: Grebenik and Juan Alvarez (alternate)
Pikes Peak Regional Building Department Advisory Board:
Graham
Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority Board of Directors:
Graham and Fortuin (alternate)