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VIDEO: Bach hopes council reconsiders pay raise proposal

January 23rd, 2013, 1:20 pm by

Mayor Steve Bach said Wednesday he hopes the City Council will reverse its decision Tuesday to refer to the April ballot a proposed charter change to increase council compensation.

The council voted 5-4 to refer the measure to the ballot.

But the proposal, which calls for increasing council pay from $6,250 a year to $48,000, effective in 2015, still requires a second reading at the Feb. 12 council meeting.

“I cannot support” the ballot proposal, Bach said during his monthly press conference.

“It’s simply because I think that’s a piecemeal approach to, frankly, reinventing our City Council. I do think we should have a serious discussion about council compensation. They do work very hard. I think they should be compensated fairly, and I’m not sure that’s the case right now. But I think that needs to be tied to council’s long-term role and responsibilities,” he said.

Bach reiterated his pledge to work with council on an expedited charter review “and hopefully come to a consensus on those matters which we should ask the voters to consider.”

Click here to listen to the mayor’s comments.

 

Posted in: City Administration • City Council • Elections • Politics • • • | 7 Comments »

Candidate urges council to shelve pay raise proposal

January 17th, 2013, 11:13 am by

Deborah Hendrix

District 4 City Council candidate Deborah Hendrix says it’s premature for a pay raise for council when its roles and responsibilities are in flux.

“A change in the governance of (Colorado Springs Utilities) and other measures may decrease the amount of day-to-day operations that the council handles,” Hendrix said Wednesday night in an email to council.

“Also, consider the effect of council moving from a group of citizen politicians to a group of professional politicians. That will change the dynamics of who runs for council and could lead to a situation where the salary becomes more important than serving the community,” she said.

Hendrix also questions whether the city can afford a bump in pay for council members, who are currently paid $6,250 a year.

“If we can find $437,000, why not utilize those funds for firefighters, police officers, or improved transportation?  I know that with these things the citizens would be well pleased,” she said.

Hendrix said she will personally vote against a pay increase if council puts the question on the ballot in April.

The council will decide Tuesday whether to refer that proposal and four others to the ballot in April.

Here is the full, unedited text of Hendrix’s email to council:

Good Morning Councilors:

First, I want to thank you for your service to the City of Colorado Springs.  I appreciate the work you have done and certainly look forward to working with those of you that will remain on Council after the election in April.

My name is Deborah Hendrix and I have been a resident in this City for the past 21 years and currently I am running for District 4 – City Council seat.

My purpose for writing to each of you is in regard to one of the upcoming amendments you will decide to put on the ballot on next Tuesday at the City Council meeting.  I by no means have all the answers and know all the discussions and dialogues that have occurred regarding this issue, so I offer my humble opinion and hope that you will take that into consideration as you make your final decision.

I realize many of the changes over the last two years with the executive/legislative structure have certainly caused some issues regarding who has authority and responsibility over a number of measures that might have been very clear under the past form of government.  So I applaud the work you have done to try and be clear and concise in your voting of policies, laws and procedures.

The one ballot issue, ie. Council Compensation.

Council Compensation – While paying City Council members a wage which is commensurate with the work that currently engages them seems very appropriate, with the new roles and responsibilities of City Council in flux, the increase in pay may be premature.  A change in the governance of CSU and other measures may decrease the amount of day-to-day operations that the Council handles.

Also, consider the effect of Council moving from a group of citizen politicians to a group of professional politicians.  That will change the dynamics of who runs for council and could lead to a situation where the salary becomes more important than serving the community.

Also, can the City at this time afford to allocate $437K within the already tight budget?  If we can find $437K, why not utilize those funds for firefighters, police officers, or improved transportation?  I know that with these things the citizens would be well pleased.

If this measure makes it to the ballot, I as a citizen would not support it and would be highly disappointed that the Council did not consider the short-term (financial/roles) and long-term (change in type of citizens for council) effects of such a major shift.

Thank you for taking the time to read my email.  I would welcome an opportunity to discuss this issue.  Thank you again for your service.

Deborah…

 

Posted in: Budget • City Council • Elections • Meetings • Utilities • • • | 8 Comments »

HBA asked candidates whether they would decommission Martin Drake Power Plant

January 16th, 2013, 9:35 am by

As part of its endorsement process, the Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs posed a long list of questions to City Council candidates, ranging from whether the downtown power plant should be decommissioned to how they would assess Mayor Steve Bach’s first two years in office.

Here is the questionnaire:

Please write a short paragraph about why you are running and your philosophical agenda for the City of Colorado Springs:

Please provide a summary of your professional background your qualifications for serving on the Colorado Springs City Council and as a member of the Board of Directors of Colorado Springs Utilities.

Please answer the following series of questions.  Please submit electronically with the questionnaire.  The questionnaire will be distributed to the members of our PAC interview committee prior to your interview.

Do you favor the current form of government as approved by the voters in 2010 to have a strong mayor form of government?  Explain your position.

Will you support any charter amendments to change the form of government by rolling back or adding to the powers of the Mayor or Council? Please explain.

Does the Mayor have too much or too little power under the new form of government?

How would you change the balance of power between the Mayor and City Council.

What is your assessment of the first two years of the term of Mayor Bach?

Do you support changes in the employee pension plans?

– For police and fire

– For civilian employees

If there are not sufficient revenues to meet the expenses of the City, what is your approach:

– Increase revenue?  How?

– Decrease expenses?  How?

At what level should the City maintain its unrestricted reserve fund balance?

It is estimated that the backlog of storm water drainage improvements is around $500 million?

– As a member of Council, what would be your proposal to deal with this?

Did you support or oppose the extension of PPRTA?  Explain your position.

Are the funds received from PPRTA adequate to meet the needs of the City?

– If not, how would you fund the deficiencies?

What are your views on public transportation, including our bus system, FREX, light rail and a downtown trolley?

– Explain your proposal for funding those items you support.

As a member of Council, you will also be a member of the Board of Directors for Colorado Springs Utilities.

– Do you favor a change in the governance of Utilities, and if so to what?

What are your views about the following Utility issues:

– Implementation of the Neumann technology at the Martin Drake or Nixon power plants.

– Should Martin Drake be decommissioned?  Explain your position.

– Do you favor selling or leasing any of the four utilities?  Explain your position.

If you favor selling or leasing, how would you use the proceeds from the sale or lease.

Do you support Southern Delivery System?  Explain your answer.

Should Utilities sell water to the City at a reduced rate for watering of public parks?

Is the City getting its fair share of funds from CDOT?

– If not, what is your proposal to make sure the City gets its fair share?

Did you support or oppose the lease of Memorial Hospital to University of Colorado Health System?

– Would you have preferred the sale or lease to an entity composed of the leadership of the hospital?

– Explain your positions.

Please provide a closing statement with any additional information you would like to provide to our interview committee.

Please include a copy of your professional resume with this questionnaire. 

 

Posted in: Boards and Commissions • City Council • Elections • Utilities • • • • • • • | 6 Comments »

Czelatdko criticizes Bach, colleagues in private email

January 15th, 2013, 10:01 am by

In a private email to supporters, City Councilwoman Lisa Czelatdko criticizes Mayor Steve Bach for what she calls the “promotion, support, and abuse of authoritarian leadership.”

“As an elected official, I have seen how this has hurt the performance of the current sitting leadership,” Czelatdko said in the email, which was obtained by The Gazette from a source.

Czelatdko also criticizes some of her colleagues, though she doesn’t list them by name.

“Certain Council Members have shown complacency, inconsistency, stagnation, and selfishness. I apologize that we have not done a better job in serving you,” she wrote.

In an interview, Czelatdko expressed surprise that the email had been leaked. She said she sent the email to supporters who she personally identifies as leaders.

“To tell you the truth, with who I sent it to, I did not think for a second it would get to the press,” she said.

However, Czelatdko said she stood by what she wrote and knows that anything she sends on email can get out.

Czelatdko requested that the email be published in its entirety if it was published at all.

Request granted.

Here is the full, unedited text of the email:

With the upcoming City Council elections, please use your influence and money choosing leaders that are willing to work with others, teach others, and be committed to the common goal of improving the City and the region. Do not allow favoritism or familiarity to overshadow fairness and those wanting to serve with political integrity.

Steve bach did not attend events our State’s Governor came down for. He did Not attend the Southern Economic forum. He did Not attend the UCCS Lane academic center groundbreaking. He did Not attend the UCCS sequestration discussions. He did Not attend the State of the region discussions. He has cancelled regional mayor meetings. He does not attend Council or CSU meetings. Colorado Springs is seeing the promotion, support, and abuse of authoritarian leadership. As an elected official, I have seen how this has hurt  the performance of the current sitting leadership.

Certain Council Members have shown complacency, inconsistency, stagnation, and selfishness. I apologize that we have not done a better job in serving you.

Despite the livability and low property taxes bringing people to Colorado Springs, the challenges for local government continue to grow. Its more important than ever to build coalitions among City, County, and State leadership, private businesses, and neighboring municipalities to come up with strategies to solve problems, get citizens involved, stopping the overlapping or duplication of services, and provide the best services to all citizens.  Thats our job as your elected representatives.

Lastly, please remember that City Council is meant to be a deliberative Republic body.  The people voted a Council Mayor form of government to have a separation and a limit of powers.  What is being achieved is short term aims like benchmarking, outsourcing, and reducing waste. Long term, we are seeing the spoiling of collective partnerships, a division of leadership, groups and PACs exchanging support to dissuade, and citizens losing confidence in their elected officials.

Your support for Council is critical for change. Real, lasting, satisfying change. For the last 21 months, its been a privilege being your elected official, thank you very much.

Respectfully,

Lisa L. Czelatdko (sa-lot-ko)

 

Posted in: City Administration • City Council • Elections • Politics • • • | 20 Comments »

Councilman: ‘I regret that my mic was on’

January 9th, 2013, 5:50 pm by

City Councilman Bernie Herpin, who is running for re-election in April, said he “meant no disrespect” when he suggested that a citizen stop going to City Hall to address the City Council.

During Tuesday’s formal council meeting, Herpin was recorded on a live mic saying, “When are we going to tell her to stop coming here?”

He made the remark when Elizabeth Reed was called up to speak during citizen discussion.

Reed has been going to City Hall for months and speaking during the citizen discussion portion of formal council meetings, raising concerns about smoking in low-income housing for seniors.

“What I was referring to was there is nothing we can do to help her.  Just as she berated the mayor yesterday, we have no control over the Housing Authority. The mayor appoints the housing board, not council. Our council staff and some individual council members have done what we can, which is only asking the Housing Authority to help. It is entirely in their hands,” Herpin said in an email.

“I meant no disrespect and have been one of the most accessible and responsive council members to citizens throughout the city, not just in my district.”

In a telephone interview Wednesday evening, Herpin said he gets frustrated when he can’t help people solve their issues and they keep coming “back and back and back.”

“There was no disrespect intended. Please make note of that,” he said. “It’s frustrating to us when we cannot help people.”

But Herpin said the publicity around his slip-up could help Reed.

“Maybe the media can apply pressure that we can’t,” he said.

“I regret that my mic was on,” Herpin added.

Excuse me?

Do you regret that your mic was on or that you made the remark, Councilman Herpin?

“Both, really,” he said. “But not for the reasons you might think. It’s more out frustration of not being able to help somebody. When they come to council, we want to help.”

 

 

 

Posted in: City Council • Meetings • People • • | 36 Comments »

Live mic picks up councilman’s private comment

January 9th, 2013, 2:40 pm by

For months, Elizabeth Reed has showed up at City Hall to address City Council members during the citizen discussion portion of their formal meetings.

Time and time again, Reed expresses concerns about smoking in subsidized housing for seniors.

Reed’s mother lives at Senior Heritage Plaza, a low-income housing apartment complex for the elderly, and is apparently surrounded by neighbors who smoke.

Reed wants a smoke-free building for her mother.

“It’s assault and battery to stick them in a building with profuse second-hand smoke,” Reed told the council recently, referring to people with respiratory problems.

The city has looked into her concerns.

Council Administrator Aimee Cox has spent countless hours, between phone calls and emails, trying to rectify the situation.

Even Mayor Steve Bach’s chief of staff, Laura Neumann, got involved at one point.

Reed has been told that it’s a matter under the purview of the Housing Authority, which has tried to appease Reed, officials say.

But Reed isn’t satisfied and continues to show up at City Hall.

Reed went before council again Tuesday.

“Happy New Year to you all,” Reed said. “I”m here talking about the same thing. I’m sorry that I came back. I know that you didn’t want to see me.”

If only you knew, Ms. Reed.

When council President Scott Hente called Reed up to speak, Councilman Bernie Herpin made a remark under his breath.

A live microphone recorded what he said.

“When are we going to tell her to stop coming here?” Herpin remarked.

To listen for yourself, click here. Reed starts talking at about minute 48.

Herpin did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

 

Posted in: City Council • Civic Participation • Meetings • People • • | 9 Comments »

Forte to Bach: Hold your questions for study

January 7th, 2013, 11:50 am by

Jerry Forte

Colorado Springs Utilities CEO Jerry Forte wants Mayor Steve Bach to reserve any more questions about the Martin Drake Power Plant for a decommissioning study.

“From both a limited staff perspective and to best honor the study initiative, it would be best if any further questions were vetted as part of the study,” Forte said Saturday in an email to the mayor.

“Adding your voice to the scope and depth of the study would be very helpful in reaching a decision that is best for and can be supported by the community at large, both today and into the future,” Forte said.

The email included answers to a long list of questions that Bach had posed to Forte about the Drake power plant and other Utilities power facilities on Dec. 17.

Bach gave Forte a Christmas Eve deadline to answer the questions. Forte told the mayor he needed more time and delivered his responses to Bach via email on Saturday.

Utilities posted the answers on its website “so that our customers can see the information and stay up to date on energy issues that are affecting the community,” spokesman Dave Grossman said Monday.

Forte told the mayor that answering his questions required “certain assumptions” for current and potential environmental regulations and risk mitigation/generation ownership practices, among others.

“As you know, the utility business is very complex. There are many variables to consider in developing a balanced portfolio that meets the values and rate expectations of Colorado Springs Utilities customers. City Councils/Utilities Boards over the years have consistently directed Colorado Springs Utilities to focus on competitive rates while complying with all regulations and customer expectations. Boards have also valued local control of assets as the best means for self determining our community’s future,” Forte said.
“Colorado Springs Utilities’ competitive rates, national benchmark reliability and customer satisfaction, are the highest indicators of the resultant benefits our community has realized. An excellent track record of performance has also assisted in keeping and attracting large electric users, which directly translates to local jobs.”

Posted in: Boards and Commissions • City Administration • City Council • City employees • Utilities • • • • • | 13 Comments »

Inventor accuses city attorney of ‘extreme prejudice’

January 6th, 2013, 9:40 pm by

City Attorney Chris Melcher

David Neumann, who invented the scrubber technology that is being installed at the Martin Drake Power Plant downtown, is accusing City Attorney Chris Melcher of “extreme prejudice” toward his company and Colorado Springs Utilities.

In a strongly worded email sent Sunday night to Melcher and some City Council members, Neumann also says Melcher may be trying to stonewall an ethics complaint that Neumann filed against City Councilman Tim Leigh.

The Gazette received a copy of Neumann’s email late Sunday. About 9 p.m., the newspaper sent an email to Melcher seeking comment. Chief Communications Officer Cindy Aubrey was cc’d in the email.

This blog post will be updated as soon as Melcher responds.

A private meeting in Mayor Steve Bach’s office Friday apparently prompted Neumann’s email to Melcher.

But the meeting wasn’t about Neumann’s scrubbers.

The meeting was about the work of the Stormwater Task Force.

Jason Hann, a task force member who was not in the meeting but heard about what happened afterward from someone who was there, described the meeting like this:

“Melcher stated that NO regional cooperation would take place and if there were collaborative efforts for projects the City would be at the helm. Bach commanded that he knew there were several agendas at the table and that he was going to tell us what our agenda is. Bach stated there will be NO tax recommendation and that while his administration existed, CSU was going to be responsible for paying for stormwater. That CSU needed to “scrub” their budget again (despite the City not being able to execute a zero-based budget themselves). That the Neumann cleaner technology should be removed and that would provide millions right away and for years to come,” Hann said Sunday morning on Facebook.

Robin Roberts, who was in the room, corroborated Hann’s account.

“I was on this committee and in this meeting on Friday,” Roberts said on a Facebook thread. “The way Jason is reporting it is accurate, although I do remember that the suggestion of Utilities taking over the storm water function was just a suggestion, an option thrown out there.”

Roberts said she will never volunteer for the city.

“It will be a cold day in hell before I volunteer my time on a committee for this city again,” she said.

Here is the full text of the email that Neumann sent to Melcher:

Mr. Melcher:

You are being quoted by a number of sources as expressing extreme prejudice toward our company and CSU as part of a Storm Water meeting last Friday which was presided over by the Mayor and held in the Mayor’s office.

Additionally, we are in receipt of a letter from you to two council members which instead of providing them with legal guidance on how to determine conflict of interest you single out the employees of our company and employees of CSU as being the definition of a conflict of interest.

Further evidence of your extreme bias toward our company and CSU is shown in your negotiating a deal with the Sierra Club that involved damaging our company and a CSU project approved and budgeted for by the CSU Board. You attempted to cut a deal with a radical environmental group that could have resulted in a $400 million loss in ratepayer assets and a 30-50% increase in electric rates and may have prevented the Drake plant from receiving required emissions controls.

Additionally, we expect that any meeting discussing the merits of our contract or our company’s past, present or future relationship with CSU will be discussed openly with an opportunity for public comment.  Furthermore, we demand that you release to the public the records of past private meetings dealing with our contract with CSU so that the public may determine whether your conduct is appropriate to your position.

Finally, based on information from two separate Council Members, your alignment with Councilmember Leigh has become clear and it appears that you are attempting to stonewall or deflect the Ethics investigation of Councilmember Leigh.

We can only wonder why you have not taken action directly against Councilmember Leigh when you have explicit examples of his providing false information to the public and the Board. It is obvious that you have examined our contract with CSU in detail. Therefore, when Councilmember Leigh says the contract title says it is for “Experimental” equipment you know that is false. When he says the CEO did not sign it you know that is false.  When he says there are no specs, you know there are over ten pages of specifications. We are prepared to present over twenty separate counts of ethical and legal violations by Councilmember Leigh should we be given the chance.

Request that you explain to the public how your actions above and other related actions you have done as required by the Mayor are consistent with the appropriate conduct of the City Attorney. Perhaps you can also explain the responsibilities any lawyer has to avoid conflicts of interest. How is it possible for you to do the will of your boss the Mayor under threat of termination, while simultaneously representing the best interests of the City, the Council and Colorado Springs Utilities when their interests are in conflict?

David K. Neumann

 

Posted in: City Council • City employees • Meetings • People • Politics • Transparency • Utilities • • • • • • • | 16 Comments »

Former state Sen. Keith King mulls City Council run

January 4th, 2013, 2:06 pm by

Former state Sen. Keith King is considering running for City Council District 3.

“I picked up the papers, but I haven’t made a final decision,” King, 64, said Friday.

“I’ll be making a decision shortly.”

King is well known in Colorado Springs, especially in political circles.

King, who moved to Colorado Springs in 1977 and started a waterbed furniture store chain with 18 stores in six states, served on the Cheyenne Mountain School District Board. He served as a state representative for eight years and as a state senator for four.

“I would have run one more time, but the district got gerrymandered, and I didn’t want to run against Bill Cadman so I walked away,” he said.

King has started four charter schools and is currently the administrator of Colorado Springs Early Colleges.

King said he’s interested in running for council primarily to help the council transition to the strong-mayor form of government.

King said the council should focus more on things like developing policy and strategic planning and less on the operations of the city.

“I think the citizens of the city spoke and said they want a strong mayor to run the city much like a CEO or much like the governor of the state of Colorado,” he said.

“I bring a unique opportunity, I think, for Colorado Springs to step forward and really embrace the strong mayor form of government and have a way for council to collaborate and cooperate with the mayor and not be so confrontational that we don’t get good things done,” he said.

“I’m just looking to bring my legislative expertise and how the legislature functions and bring that to the operation of City Council to make it something that would be beneficial for good, effective governance of the city along with the strong-mayor concept,” he said.

If King decides to run, he would face at least two other candidates. Former county Commissioner Jim Bensberg announced his candidacy last year, and City Councilwoman Brandy Williams is expected to make a formal announcement next week.

 

 

 

 

Posted in: City Council • Elections • • • • • | 7 Comments »

Council president outraged by Flakes’ candidacy

January 4th, 2013, 10:15 am by

Andy Westbay and Scott Hawrysiak

Some people say Gary Flakes deserves a second chance.

When he was 16 years old, Flakes and his friend gunned down two teen-age boys who were walking home at night on Valentine’s Day 1997.

The victims — Andy Westbay, 13, and Scott Hawrysiak, 15 — were shot with a 12-guage shotgun.

Flakes was tried as an adult and served more than 12 years in prison. His co-conspirator, Jeron Grant, then 17, also served time behind bars.

But neither was convicted of pulling the trigger. Instead, they were convicted in separate trials as accessories to murder.

Though authorities alleged, based on confessions and witness testimony, that Grant was the trigger man, neither Grant nor Flakes has owned up to it.

Now, Flakes, who says he’s a reformed man, is running for City Council District 4.

His candidacy has opened old wounds for the victims’ families and outraged people in the community.

Among them is City Council President Scott Hente.

“I listened (Wednesday) to a former state representative’s beliefs that this guy should be given a second chance,” Hente said, referring to former state Rep. Dennis Apuan.

“He didn’t give those two kids a second chance back in 1997, did he?”

 

Posted in: City Council • People • • • • • | 11 Comments »

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