The League of Women Voters hosted a forum for Manitou Springs candidates and ballot issues this week in advance of the Nov. 4 election.
Many of the positions in the Manitou Springs municipal and school board races are uncontested. Manitou Springs Mayor Pro Tem Natalie Johnson is running unopposed for mayor, and Kimberly De La Harpe and Kelley Parker are running unopposed for the Manitou Springs District 14 Board of Education. Nate Nassif, who serves on the Housing Advisory Board, and Carey Storm, a member of the Manitou Springs Planning Commission, are running unopposed for Manitou Springs City Council Wards 1 and 2, respectively.
Manitou Springs Ward 3 voters will get to choose between two candidates. Gloria Latimer, who has worked for El Paso County Public Health and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, where she managed public health contracts and grants, and served on the Planning Commission, touted her public policy experience. “I managed public health contracts and grants ranging from $10,000 to $26 million and directed the community health education program and the chronic disease branch,” she said. “I know what it’s like to build programs. I also know what it’s like to cut programs and to dismantle the things you have worked so hard to create. I have completed fiscal analysis for public health bills for the state legislature – not nearly as exciting as it sounds – and led state-level trainings on public policy, socioeconomic values, and diversity for local and state health departments in the United States under the auspices of the Centers for Disease Control. From my experience on the Planning Commission, I have a working understanding of our municipal code and our land use development code.”
Laura Breen, a longtime Manitou resident and former member of the volunteer fire department, highlighted the need for transparency and communication in local government. “My focus on my campaign is on communication, being responsive to questions, comments, and concerns, and being proactive with providing those responses,” she said. “I’d also like to maintain accessible and open spaces for generations to come. I’d like to see fiscal accountability and responsibility. I bring a vibrant, multi-generational, forward-looking perspective to the council, and I’m eager to collaborate with seasoned leaders to help shape our community’s future.”
Breen and Latimer differed in their support for Ballot Issue 2A, which would increase the City’s excise tax on ticket sales and admission fees from 5% to up to 14%. “I would much rather see an increase in the cost for our visitors than I would a decrease in services for the people who live here every day,” said Latimer, who supported the measure.
Mayor John Graham and Greg Wellens, owner of Adventures Out West and an organizer of the “No on 2A” campaign, debated the merits of the proposed tax increase.
“Why is a tax increase always the answer?” asked Wellens. “Why isn’t it a budget cut? Why isn’t looking at other things that can help reduce the budget for the town? You know this town has an awesome budget. I think it’s like $6,000 per resident is what is spent, on the town budget. It’s a lot more than a lot of other cities. I know it costs a lot to run these cities. The businesses that have been targeted in this, some say it was one business that’s been targeted in this as political retribution. It’s not just saying, ‘Hey, let’s tax the tourists,’ but there’s a lot of people that are being brought up in this. The tourists, these businesses that are here working hard providing — we pay taxes. We pay employment tax. We pay use tax, we pay tax all day long. This is just another one that’s gonna continue to push customers away and leave a bad taste in the mouths of the visitors to Manitou.”
Ballot Issue 2A is in response to an anticipated loss of revenue from recreational marijuana sales, which have been impacted as a result of Colorado Springs’ voters approval for recreational sales. “It’s not like we’re doing this to be mean,” said Graham. “We don’t have a whole heck of a lot of choices, okay? We raise the taxes on property – that hurts the residents, it hurts the small businesses. We raise a tax on sale – the businesses are going to be in competitive disadvantage. They’ll go to Old Colorado City or someplace else or they’ll close up. We don’t have a lot of choices.”
In addition to 2A, voters will also decide on a $37.6 million bond referendum for District 14, Ballot Issue 4C, which would add security upgrades to school buildings, including security cameras, entry security upgrades, and other safety and security improvements and address district-wide facilities needs, including replacing and repairing deteriorating roofs and mechanical, electrical and HVAC systems.
“The average age of our facility is 60 years,” said Connie Brachtenbach, a member of the District 14 Board of Education. “We are at an inflection point. Like with our homes, we can’t keep pushing these repairs off. This work needs to be done now if we want to continue to keep our local students here and continue to be a school of choice for students outside our district.”
Former District 14 Board of Education member Jack Sharon, who stated he wasn’t against 4c, but wanted voters to be informed, compared District 14 spending to nearby school districts. “[District] 14 taxpayers currently pay the second highest mill levy in the county, and will be the highest if this bond passes,” he said. “The enrollment has declined from 2018 from 1,495 down to around 1,100. That’s a 26% decrease — and an estimated 10% in the last two years. The [Colorado Department of Education] has stated that it costs $18,900 to educate a student in the district, which is 37% higher than Cheyenne Mountain and 53% higher than D20.”
Ballots are due by 7 p.m. on Nov. 4.
