Steve Bach

Mayoral hopeful Richard Skorman really hit a nerve.

Skorman, who has been calling opponent Steve Bach a “developer” during debates and in his latest TV ad, is being criticized from various corners.

Today, former mayoral candidates Brian Bahr, Tom Gallagher and Buddy Gilmore — who weren’t planning to endorse either Bach or Skorman — broke their silence.

The three men issued a joint statement calling “Skorman’s recent attack on the real estate industry” divisive.

“Although both candidates in this runoff election have laid out their plans for the future of Colorado Springs, only one candidate remaining in this race has consistently presented a plan that upholds the conservative, limited government values we believe in,” according to the statement.

“That candidate is Steve Bach.”

In a telephone interview, Gilmore said he was “disappointed” in Skorman’s TV ad.

“He was really attacking a whole industry,” Gilmore said.

“You can sit there and demonize developers, but they’ve done a lot of good for the city, too.”

The statement from Bahr, Gallagher and Gilmore was sent via email by Sarah Jack, who works for the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs.

Here’s the full text of the statement:

During the last three weeks since the April 5th election the three of us have worked to get our lives back to some sort of sense of normalcy – re-establishing ourselves in the private sector, and more importantly, re-establishing our lives with our families. During this time, we have spoken with many of our friends and supporters. Many of them urged each of us to stay involved, and to publically endorse a candidate. We have resisted the urge to do so – until now.

Mr. Skorman’s recent attack on the real estate industry that provides tens of thousands of jobs in our community, an industry he has eagerly accepted contributions from in the past and from which he actively sought endorsements during this campaign, was divisive and caught our attention.

We believe that the best days for Colorado Springs are ahead of us.  To achieve the city’s full potential will require all of us to unite behind common values and goals.

Our concern in this election is two-fold: First, the next mayor must have a solid plan for the future success of Colorado Springs.  Second, that candidate’s plan must be one that reflects the conservative values that support a limited government focused on providing quality, essential services.

Although both candidates in this runoff election have laid out their plans for the future of Colorado Springs, only one candidate remaining in this race has consistently presented a plan that upholds the conservative, limited government values we believe in. That candidate is Steve Bach.

This election is certainly one of the most important ever for Colorado Springs. We collectively encourage our friends and supporters to join us in upholding the conservative, limited government principles that have made Colorado Springs a great place to live. These principles will be essential to the future success of this city we love.