Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade gave the annual State of the City address Tuesday morning at the Broadmoor, discussing the city’s economy, infrastructure and public safety accomplishments and goals.
“The theme of today’s State of the City address is our road to the future,” said Mobolade, before invoking conservative icon Ronald Reagan. “Like every successful trip, before you plan your routes and stops, you have to first know where you are going. So where are we going? The vision for Colorado Springs is to become a safe, economically prosperous, culturally rich, welcoming and vibrant, world-class American city on a hill that shines bright.”
Mobolade provided an update on staffing levels of the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), which has become a concern as residents experience longer wait times on emergency calls. According to February 2024 data, it takes CSPD officers 16 minutes and 46 seconds to respond to priority one calls, or calls that pose an immediate danger to the public. In 2022, the average response time for the same type of calls was 13 minutes and 34 seconds.
“By early next year, we expect to be at full, authorized rate of 819 police officers,” said Mobolade. “This will be the first time since 2019 that we are at full strength. We expect to have hired 130 officers this year alone. So why is that important and what does that mean for you? It means that we are inching closer to better service and better response times.”
Mobolade also discussed a new drone that CSPD is testing and celebrated the construction of Fire Station 24 in northern Colorado Springs, and the opening of Fire Station 25 in eastern Colorado Springs.
“We have filled over 73,000 potholes across the city so far this year, which is 8,000 more than we filled this time last year,” said Mobolade before touting the achievements of the 2C road improvement program. “This year alone, we have repaved 162 miles of roads, replaced 152,000 feet of concrete curbs and gutters, and installed 600 pedestrian ramps.”
Mobolade also lauded the city’s economic growth. “Last year, Colorado Springs saw our economy grow by 8.5%,” he said. “That’s almost $4 billion. And over the last five years, our economy has grown at almost 30%.”
Criticisms from the left and right
Not everyone was enthused by the Mayor’s updates on law enforcement funding and economic growth. Members of the Colorado Springs Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) held a “People’s State of the City” event that evening in Acacia Park.
“He said the Springs’ economy has grown by 30%, pulled up, all these numbers about 3,000 new jobs,” said Joe Mangels, a DSA co-chair. “But have our material conditions improved by 30%? No. That money is not being brought in equally. It’s going to the defense contractors, big tech companies, chip manufacturers, stuff like that. The money is going to them. It’s not going to the needs of our community.”
Jacki Othon, another DSA member, criticized the role the city’s economy – home to companies like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin – is playing in the ongoing war in Israel. “The City puts money into golf courses and developing business parks, then tells us they’re boosting the economy by bringing businesses to the city,” she said. “But who are they bringing? Weapons dealer surveillance threat companies. Military contractors who gobble up billions of dollars in federal funding and send bombs to genocidal apartheid states to murder children in Palestine.”
Irina Amouzou, an organizer with the prison abolitionist group Black and Pink, discussed the lack of affordable and attainable housing in Colorado Springs. “The fact that I couldn’t find a two-bedroom here for less than $2,000, at least, was horrifying,” they said. “I know many of us are not even close to being homeowners.”
Mobolade admitted the difficulties of the housing market. “Colorado Springs has a shortage of up to 27,000 housing units,” he said. “Beyond innovative solutions, we continue to leverage our federal funds to invest in the local housing projects. This year we allocated roughly $1.6 billion to a total of 1,194 units.”
Mobolade is looking to the invisible hand of the market to help those looking for housing in Colorado Springs. “Because your city government is not a housing provider, we depend on the village of partners and the work of many of you who have actively contributed to our community’s housing needs,” he said.
For Amouzou, the market is not enough. “On Sept. 3, 2024, the median home price was $490,000, which is a 2.1%. increase from the previous year,” they said. “Have you gotten at least a 2.1% raise on your check? If you have, you’re lucky. There are anti-homeless laws in Colorado Springs at the same time as they’re pressing us out of the houses.”
Mobolade addressed the city’s efforts to combat homelessness, a growing concern for downtown residents and business owners. “Our annual point in time count shows a 12% reduction in the number of people experiencing homelessness,” he said.
Othon disputed Mobolade’s claims. “We’ve asked for responses to homelessness that put people in housing,” she said. “The City poured money into police, who steal people’s belongings and lock them in cages, then call it progress when the numbers of people experiencing homelessness go down. Cruelty is not a consequence; it is the point.”
Mobolade’s detractors don’t just include the political left in Colorado Springs. Conservative Colorado Springs City Councilor Dave Donelson took to the Richard Randall show to critique the Mayor’s address. Both Donelson and the DSA agreed that the annual event put on the Colorado Springs Chamber and EDC, with tickets costing between $125 to $200, is not accessible for residents.
“It’s pretty expensive down there at the Broadmoor,” he said during his appearance Monday. “My problem with that – I recommend if you want it for citizens to be able to go to, don’t do it at 10 a.m. when everybody’s at work. Do it in the evening, like I do my town halls in the evening time and do it in a school gymnasium or somewhere where there’s a lot of seating.”
Donelson also critiqued the Mayor’s response to homelessness. “We need to stay laser focused on those things and not get distracted on the other things that other organizations are really designed to deal with,” he said. “The homeless, rather than dealing with mental health or making everybody happy by having parties in their neighborhoods, we need to deal with people who want to illegally camp in our city.”
Don Briggs, a member of the Colorado Springs Homeless Union, pushed back against the City’s current approach to homelessness and urban camping ban. “I’ve spoken to a cop who gave me a camping ticket,” he said. “I said, ‘Okay, well, where can I sleep?’ He said, ‘Well, nowhere.’ Well, that’s a problem. Sleeping is required for life. Obviously, we have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I’ll ignore the rest right now – I’d just be happy to have life. That means I need to breathe, I need to eat, and I need to sleep. I have to sleep somewhere.”