PLEASE NOTE: With Election Day approaching on Tuesday, Nov. 8, the Bulletin will limit letters and guest editorials from candidates to one of either in any four-week period. For instance, a candidate letter or editorial published in our Sept. 29 issue means that candidate or a staff member will not have another letter or guest editorial published until Oct. 27.
D14 parents should demand answers from BOE
To the editor:
I am writing in support of the Stand Up for Manitou parent group that cared enough to do a truly anonymous survey and ask former D14 staffers why they left. I have spoken to many former staff members and many stated the reason they left was due to district leadership.
I am a parent of students in D14 schools. I do fear harassment and retaliation from the current district administration, so I will remain anonymous to protect my children.
We have all heard the insinuations that the former administration didn’t report, as the law requires, the allegations of sexual assault.
The Manitou Springs Police Department should be able to easily answer this question: “Did the former D14 administration report the sexual assault cases to the MSPD?”
No details would be revealed by replying to that question. A simple yes or no would end all the speculations that are hanging over our community and, most importantly, our students.
My children and many of their Choice friends are affected by their favorite teachers and administrators leaving. Sadly, those Choice parents are too afraid to write a letter or speak out due to the fear of their child not being accepted as a Choice student for the next school year.
Let’s allow those of us who have children currently in the district to ask the questions and demand answers from our elected board of education members, “What is happening in our beloved district? Why do we have a culture of fear for our staff and even for some parents? What does the BOE plan to do about the information they received from the SUFM parent group?”
We want D14 to be the best small-town school district it can be and it’s going to take all of us together to make that happen.
Editor’s note: The Bulletin ensures anonymity for letter writers who fear retaliation, but we have to know who you are. That information goes no further than the editor.
Coloradans deserve action from their elected officials
To the editor:
On June 15, 2021, Gov. Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 21-258, concerning wildfire risk mitigation. This act provides for funds to be allocated for building an administrative structure to directly fund local and state wildfire mitigation programs, and address the risks involved in each community.
Very often, acts such as SB 21-258 talk a great game and make the citizens feel safer, but never actually provide action to the intended purpose. Much is focused on providing funds and building infrastructure that justifies those funds, but the action that makes the act a good idea is lacking.
As your representative, I understand the importance of ensuring acts such as SB 21-258, focused on Colorado wildfire mitigation, deliver the action advertised. I will not allow it to grow stagnant at the creation of funds, committees, staffing, program plans and promises.
All of those factors are necessary to deliver action, but the primary concern of the citizens is that real-world results are seen and felt in their communities. I am in touch with the citizens of Colorado, and I deeply respect their desire for great ideas and government action to provide safety to the communities they live in.
I will seek to ensure there is productive action and results delivered to the citizens of Colorado, from SB 21-258.
— Shana Black, candidate for Colorado House District 18
Public feedback needed regarding city code update
To the editor:
The Pikes Peak Bulletin has been great for Manitou Springs and it will be good to see how a nonprofit organization interacts in a transition. News quality is vital to a small town of residents who do not always attend City Council meetings.
Thanks to all those who have kept up the reporting and the excellent community content. RIP, Jack Elder.
The mayor’s recent pot tax-drought warning was a loud call and former Councilor Steve Bremner’s comments summarized the same. If the 50-year Cog rebate appropriation is to be analyzed in terms of benefits, more can be learned.
Recently, I’ve followed the Land Use & Development Code revision at City Hall. New regulations seem poised to govern private property to an extent not “governed” before without more consideration.
The city code update, rewriting the former Manitou Springs Consolidated Code and Land Use Ordinance, will likely affect most Manitou properties.
If you own property in Manitou Springs, you should attend the public comment session at City Hall on Thursday, Sept. 22. If you rent anything in Manitou, now might be your time to ask “WTF?” Higher costs and rents will result, with more reaching regulation on property owners.
If you attend City Hall on Thursday, you’ll hear about how these new state-sponsored local laws actually arrived on your neighborhood doorstep. They say to improve your health, safety, welfare and property is the need.
But, from experience, I would like to understand the legal-ese in a report from an attorney hired to detail these regulatory changes and understand why they’re needed.
Slam-dunk “public comment” has irritated Manitou people before. Apparently, December is the timeframe to look for what City Council will consider imposing over all land and property in Manitou Springs. It’s important to get reporting about what’s going on … and it could get interesting.
— Dale Latty