During its Oct. 14 regular meeting, the Colorado Springs City Council voted 5-4 to approve a resolution “honoring the U.S. Senate’s designation of October 14, 2025, as a national day of remembrance for Charlie Kirk, recognizing the importance of protecting free speech, encouraging open dialogue, and condemning political violence.”
Council President Lynette Crow-Iverson and Council President Pro Tem Brian Risley, as well as council members Tom Bailey, David Leinweber and Brandy Williams (who presented the resolution to council) voted to approve the resolution; Dave Donelson, Kimberly Gold, Nancy Henjum and Roland Rainey, Jr. voted “no.”
Kirk – a right-wing influencer, close ally of President Donald Trump, and Turning Point USA founder – would have celebrated his 32nd birthday on Oct. 14. Kirk was shot and killed while speaking to an audience on a college campus in Utah last month. Shortly after his killing, both branches of the U.S. Congress passed a resolution honoring Kirk’s life and legacy, and condemning political violence.
While Kirk’s alleged shooter is in custody, and reports in the media have indicated the alleged shooter was likely motivated to kill Kirk due to Kirk’s expression of his political beliefs, the case has not yet been adjudicated.
Also on Oct. 14, President Trump awarded Kirk a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, the government’s highest civilian honor, at a ceremony in Arizona.
In presenting the resolution to council, Williams noted Kirk was a member of U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors, “so he was relatively close to home for at least a sector of our community.”
According to the Board of Visitors’ website, the board “inquires into the morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods and other matters relating to the Academy which the Board decides to consider.” The website says Kirk was appointed by President Trump.
“I never thought something like this would happen in my lifetime,” Williams said of Kirk’s killing. “At my age, you get to hear about JFK. You get to hear about Martin Luther King. But to have it happen … in America, at least for me, was something I never expected.”
A short film celebrating Kirk was part of Williams’ presentation.
Public comment not allowed – until it was, but only way after the vote
In an ironic twist, the resolution honoring Kirk, widely hailed as a strong proponent of free speech, did not include an opportunity for public comment during the council meeting ahead of the vote.
Donelson was the first council member to express concern over the lack of opportunity for public comment.
“We’re not going to allow public comment today on this resolution, either here in this moment or at the end of the day when we allow public comment for anything not on the agenda,” he said. “That’s extremely unusual. I don’t know if we’ve ever done that for a resolution.”
“That’s not true,” Crow-Iverson replied. “The end-of public comment is open to any public comment.”
“Ok, well I think that’s different than what was explained yesterday,” Donelson said, adding that the end-of-day opportunity for public comment may already be at speaker capacity.
The agenda for the Oct. 14 meeting lists the public comment period at the end of the meeting as “One Hour of Citizen Discussion for Items not on Today’s Agenda per City Council Rules,” corroborating Donelson’s understanding that the Kirk resolution would not be commented on at that time, which would occur long after the the agenda item was put to a vote.
Crow-Iverson continued, “The public comment was only on the resolution because we don’t ever take public comment on resolutions, but public comment at the end of the meeting is always open to public comment of any public comment.”
But Henjum, who also raised concerns about the lack of opportunity for public comment, pointed out that a separate resolution earlier in that same meeting had allowed public comment.
The Bulletin reached out to Alex Ryden, senior public communications specialist for the Colorado Springs City Council, for clarification.
“President Crow-Iverson reversed her decision to not allow comment on this item at the end of the meeting,” Ryden said. “The directive staff was given up until that point [during the council meeting] was that public comment would not be accepted during the resolution or at the end of the meeting.”
“We have not traditionally stopped people from commenting on resolutions of recognitions. Most times it has been encouraged as Councilmember Henjum stated,” Ryden said.
Nick Raven, a resident of Colorado Springs who has contributed to the Bulletin in years past, said he would have attended the meeting and given public comment on the Kirk resolution, had he not heard that public comment would not be allowed.
“Before I found out they wouldn’t be taking public comment on the Charlie Kirk resolution, I’d actually spent a few days writing and refining my three-minute speech for citizens comment,” Raven said.
While council members who voted for the resolution expressed support for the ideals and vision espoused by Kirk, and saw the resolution as a way of affirming the peaceful exchange of ideas, council members who voted against the resolution cited Kirk’s polarizing political legacy, other recent acts of political violence that did not get a resolution, and the need to for council to remain nonpartisan.
For more on the council’s resolution discussion and vote, read the Colorado Times Recorder’s CO Springs Passes Resolution Honoring Charlie Kirk by Heidi Beedle, who also contributes regularly to the Bulletin.
