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Archive for the 'Vice Mayor Larry Small' Tag

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Domino’s, MacKenzie’s Chop House and car wash show up in Bach administration’s expense reports

January 19th, 2012, 12:20 pm by

 

Mayor Steve Bach has submitted more than $3,000 in expense reports since taking office in June.

Nearly all the mayor’s costs are travel-related.

They include $835.10 for the Hilton Baltimore in June and $726.72 at the Liaison Capitol Hill in October.

The information was obtained under an open-records request submitted by The Gazette.

Click on this link to see the report: 2011 expense report.

The city released the information to all the news media.

It’s the second time the city’s Communications Office has disseminated information to all Colorado Springs media following an open-records request submitted by The Gazette.

The Communications Office is run by Cindy Aubrey, a former news director at one of the local TV stations.

When open-records requests are filed, the city’s Communications Office said it “reserves the right to post the information on its Web site and to disseminate the information to area media outlets and to interested citizens through other channels.”

The Gazette had requested the expense and mileage reports of the mayor and several high-level employees, including City Attorney Chris Melcher and Steve Cox, the mayor’s former chief of staff who is now working as his chief of economic vitality and innovation, a new position created by the mayor.

The city didn’t release the actual expense reports but a spreadsheet outlining the general details of the reports.

Melcher hasn’t submitted any expense reports to date.

Cox has submitted about $782 in expense reports since June.

They include a $54.75 lunch with Dan Slack, CEO of the Fire & Police Pension Association of Colorado,  and a $39.19 lunch with former Vice Mayor Larry Small, both in October. Cox also charged taxpayers $14.95 for a car wash in December.

Aviation Director Mark Earle submitted $3,561 in expense reports, including $49.18 at MacKenzie’s Chop House in August and a $518 stay at the Renaissance Hotel in Cleveland in June.

Cemetery Manager/Operations Supervisor William Deboer charged taxpayers $28.53 for Domino’s Pizza in June.

Here is the rest of the information provided by the city:

Mayor Steve Bach – $3048.90

Chief of Staff and Chief of Operations Laura Neumann – $0

City Attorney Chris Melcher -$0

Fire Chief Rich Brown -$458.30

Police Chief Pete Carey – $672.90

Economic Vitality Chief Steve Cox – $782.37

Economic Vitality Specialist Donna Nelson – $75.00

City Clerk Cindy Conway – $0

Municipal Judges -$0

Chief Financial Officer – NA

Deputy Chief of Staff Nancy Johnson – $2131.21

Human Resources Director Ann Crossey – $560.49

Human Resources Manager Lori Smith – $980.98

Chief Communications Officer Cindy Aubrey – $0

Aviation Director Mark Earle – $3561.73

Cemetery Manager / Operations Supervisor William Deboer – $28.53

Parking Manager Greg Warnke -$0

Information Technology Jesse James – $732.33

Innovation and Sustainability Manager Nick Kittle -$883.28

Senior Analyst Bob Cope -$35.00

 

 

Posted in: City Administration • Colorado Open Records Act • • • • • | 17 Comments »

City-owned bus to transport city officials, Utilities employees to party

August 18th, 2011, 2:01 pm by

(not the actual bus)

Call it the SDS Express.

A city-owned bus is transporting former Mayor Lionel Rivera, City Council President Scott Hente, Colorado Springs Utilities CEO Jerry Forte and other city officials and Utilities employees Friday to the Pueblo Dam for a celebration commemorating the start of major construction on the 62-mile Southern Delivery System water pipeline.

“This is a more efficient way to transport the group than individual cars,” SDS spokeswoman Janet Rummel said in an email. “Those riding the bus will participate in a tour of construction at the dam prior to the event.”

Mayor Steve Bach is scheduled to attend Friday’s event, but he’s not going by bus, according the passenger list.

Rummel said such bus transportation “has been done for similar events that many Council members have attended in the past.”

Colorado Springs ratepayers will apparently foot the bill.

“I have been told that the bus gets 6 miles per gallon and the cost of the fuel per gallon is $2.56,” she wrote. “For the roundtrip, we estimate the cost of fuel to be just under $40. The City also has designated a City employee to drive the bus that morning instead of their normal dispatch duties.”

The bus is fueled from a city fuel station, Rummel said.

“Our understanding is that the driver was already scheduled to work that morning. We will work with the City to reimburse them for their costs,” she said.

Here’s the passenger list:

Council members riding the bus:
Scott Hente
Merv Bennett and his wife
Brandy Williams
Val Snider
Jan Martin
Tim Leigh (tentative)

Staff riding the bus:
Steve Cox
Jerry Forte
Gary Bostrom
John Fredell
Ken Burgess
Sherri Newell
Dave Padgett
Bill Cherrier
Bruce McCormick
Janet Rummel

In addition, former Mayor Lionel Rivera and Vice Mayor Larry Small will be riding the bus.

Posted in: City Council • City employees • Transit • Utilities • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • | 13 Comments »

Mayor rejects request to issue proclamation for PrideFest

June 29th, 2011, 11:28 am by

Before he was elected, Mayor Steve Bach made it clear he wouldn’t issue a proclamation for PrideFest, an annual celebration in Colorado Springs for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and its supporters.

But the Colorado Springs Pride Center asked the mayor anyway.

On June 23, Bach rejected the request, drawing sharp criticism over his decision.

“He says in quotes that you see all over the Internet and I believe in his speech that day when he was inaugurated, he said, ‘We’re going to work together, and we’re going to fix this city together,’” Charles Irwin, the center’s executive director, said Wednesday.

“Together means, to me, everybody,” Irwin said. “He has already set the precedent that he’s excluding a large portion of the community.”

During his swearing-in ceremony June 7, Bach said he wanted to be inclusive, although he didn’t specifically mention the GLBT community.

“I truly hope we’ll have a more diverse community leadership involving more, younger people, more women and more people of color,” he said at the time. “I’ve already begun working on finding ways to do that, and that will be a priority in my administration.”

Before the run-off, Bach said in a Focus on the Family election questionnaire that he wouldn’t issue a proclamation in support of the annual gay pride parade.

“The Mayor must be focused on the issues affecting city government and the advancement of Colorado Springs. The Mayor should be focused on the day-to-day operations of the City, allowing private entities to engage in, and support, their own private initiatives,” Bach wrote in the questionnaire.

During a mayoral debate with opponent Richard Skorman, a gay rights supporter, Bach reiterated his position but stressed he didn’t tolerate any form of discrimination.

“I don’t think we should have a parade for people 6-feet-5,” Bach, who stands that tall, said during the debate.

Skorman pounced on Bach over his comments.

“Steve, I think that’s bad for business, what you just said,” Skorman said during the debate. “People that happen to be gay and lesbian live in this community, they pay taxes, they create jobs. If you’re really interested in jobs, why shut the door?”

Irwin said the center isn’t trying to create controversy.

“What we’re trying to do is to obtain equality for the GLBT community, nothing more, nothing less, just equal,” he said.

In a letter to Irwin, Bach said he was focused on the business of the city.

“My priorities are to transform our city government so that it works for everyone again and lead the charge to facilitate job creation for our citizens,” the mayor wrote.

“Therefore, I will not be signing proclamations such as you requested. I am committed to working diligently to create an environment that encourages economic opportunities for everyone in our community.”

In previous years, former Mayor Lionel Rivera refused to issue a proclamation for PrideFest because of his opposition to gay marriage, so former Vice Mayor Larry Small would write a letter of support.

This year, Irwin also said the center plans to ask the City Council to issue a proclamation.

When asked if there was enough support on council, Irwin said: “From what I understand, yes.”

PrideFest, which is celebrating its 21st year, is downtown July 16-17. The event draws thousands of people annually.

Posted in: City Administration • Etc. • • • • • • | 51 Comments »

Quote of the Day

April 12th, 2011, 3:59 pm by

Councilman Tom Gallagher

“You’re the only member of council to use the word ‘testicles’ in a public meeting.”

– Councilman Sean Paige, eulogizing Councilman Tom Gallagher’s time on the City Council.

Runner-up

“He’s not dead. He’s in West Virginia,” Gallagher said about Vice Mayor Larry Small.

Both Small and Gallagher, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor, are term-limited and will no longer serve on the City Council.

Posted in: City Council • • • • | 4 Comments »

Quote of the Day

December 22nd, 2010, 2:14 pm by

“If you force me to bet you a beer right now, I would bet that when all is said and done, nobody on the current council is going to run. Listen, there could be an action this afternoon that proves me wrong. But you know, I talk to all those people, and that’s just kind of the sense that I’m getting right now.”

— Councilman Scott Hente said today when asked whether he would endorse any current council members if they ran for mayor.

Council members who had or have been — or said to have been — considering mayoral bids include Vice Mayor Larry Small and council members Jan Martin, Tom Gallagher, Sean Paige and Randy Purvis.

Posted in: City Council • Elections • • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Quote of the Day

December 17th, 2010, 5:39 pm by

“Is it infused?”

– Vice Mayor Larry Small asked after Councilman Sean Paige gave him a chocolate Santa Claus. Paige, who spearheaded a medical marijuana task force, is considered a friend of the industry and has admitted smoking pot in the past.

Posted in: City Council • Etc. • • • • | Post a Comment »

Small and Martin up for award from Gay and Lesbian Community Center

December 10th, 2010, 12:10 pm by

Vice Mayor Larry Small and Councilwoman Jan Martin are going head to head for the title of Government Official of the Year from the Pikes Peak Gay and Lesbian Community Center.

“I think both of them have been phenomenally supportive of the GLBT community in many, many ways,” said Charlie Irwin, the center’s marketing and development director.

Other categories for the GLBTA Community Awards include Ally of the Year and Print Publication of the Year, which is open both to an individual reporter or a publication. Gazette columnist Barry Noreen has been nominated for that award.

The awards will be announced at a Masquerade Ball at the Antlers Hilton on Feb. 19.

So far, Small and Martin are the only nominees for Government Official of the Year. But they may have competition because the deadline for nominations is Dec. 31.

Could Mayor Lionel Rivera be nominated?

“It would be surprising if he was nominated, but it’s certainly an option,” Irwin said.

Please, do elaborate, Mr. Irwin.

“I think that there are so many opportunities for government officials to support and back up their claims of inclusiveness and being a representative of all the people, and Mr. Rivera has not proven that over the past few years,” he said.

Some examples: In 2003, Rivera campaigned on a promise to get rid of same-sex health care benefits. And Rivera has refused to sign a proclamation in support of PrideFest, an annual event that draws thousands of people to Colorado Springs.

Because of Rivera’s refusal, Small has issued a letter of personal support for PrideFest since 2009.

“Mr. Small was sure to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and families in his recognition, making him the first Colorado Springs government official to be fully inclusive when addressing our community,” according to his nomination.

Martin was nominated for the GLBTA award for working to reestablish a Human Relations Commission, which Small also supported.

“Through her hard work and dedication, the Colorado Springs Human Relations Commission Ordinance was formally passed in June of 2010,” her nomination states.

Irwin said both Martin and Small were anonymously nominated.

Voting for all categories will begin Jan. 4 and end at 5 p.m. Jan. 11. Anyone can vote.

“It’s all going to be done online,” Irwin said, although people without access to a computer can pick up a form at the center, 2508 E. Bijou St.

“We’re going to do some tracking on IP addresses so (people) can’t sit there and vote a hundred billion times. It’s not ‘Dancing with the Stars,’” he said, laughing.

Posted in: City Council • Civic Participation • Etc. • • • • | Post a Comment »

Planning Commission ignored legal advice on hearing public testimony

November 24th, 2010, 2:54 pm by

The Planning Commission was told several times it could take public testimony on medical marijuana zoning regulations after postponing the contentious issue two months earlier, but the panel ignored the advice, according to an e-mail obtained by The Gazette.

On Sept. 16, the commission took about three to four hours of public testimony on the proposed land-use regulations, which affect dozens of medical marijuana businesses.

At that meeting, the commission requested several changes from city planners and postponed a final decision until Nov. 18.

During last week’s meeting, the commission denied public testimony.

“I think it’s a better use of time for not only those of us up here but those in the audience,” commission Chairman Kevin Butcher said last week.

Vice Mayor Larry Small called the decision to deny public input “inappropriate.” Small wants to send the proposal back to the commission “for due process.”

When Mayor Lionel Rivera learned that the commission had prevented public testimony, he asked City Attorney Patricia Kelly to find out what happened.

Deputy City Attorney Wynetta Massey, who attended last week’s commission meeting, provided an e-mailed explanation to Kelly, who forwarded it to the City Council.

“Planning Commission was advised multiple times by this Office and Land Use Review staff that, when the matter went back at the November 18 meeting, though the Commission was technically “at the table,” they could reopen the public input portion of the hearing regarding the requested changes during the November meeting,” Massey wrote in the e-mail to Kelly.

“At the November hearing, from my recollection (confirmed by the video recording of the meeting), the Planning Commission chair opened the topic of public input to the rest of the Commission,” she wrote. “The Commission discussed the topic and voted against additional public input, reasoning that they had already received public input at the September meeting and the public comments had been incorporated into their requested changes to the ordinance.”

Here’s the full text of Massey’s e-mail to Kelly:

Pat –

The Planning Commission took roughly 3 to 4 hours of public input on the proposed ordinance during the September 16 meeting.  Following the public input portion of the meeting, the Planning Commission brought the item to the table and offered suggestions (incorporating the public input) to Land Use Review staff for changes they wanted to see in the ordinance.  They postponed a final decision on the ordinance until they could review the requested changes at the November 18 meeting.

At the time of the postponement in September, the Planning Commission was already at the table and beyond the public input portion of the hearing.  Through postponement, I believe it was Planning Commission’s intent to give staff adequate time to draft the requested changes instead of merely redlining the document during the hearing and sending it directly to City Council.

Planning Commission was advised multiple times by this Office and Land Use Review staff that, when the matter went back at the November 18 meeting, though the Commission was technically “at the table”, they could reopen the public input portion of the hearing regarding the requested changes during the November meeting.  At the November hearing, from my recollection (confirmed by the video recording of the meeting), the Planning Commission chair opened the topic of public input to the rest of the Commission.  The Commission discussed the topic and voted against additional public input, reasoning that they had already received public input at the September meeting and the public comments had been incorporated into their requested changes to the ordinance.  At least one Planning Commission member commented on the record that public input had been received and considered by the Commission (which, again, prompted the requested changes to the ordinance), and that there would be another opportunity for the public to comment at City Council.

Please let me know if you would like for me to put this in a memo format for further distribution.

Wynetta Massey

Posted in: Boards and Commissions • City Council • Meetings • • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Gilmore: Taxpayers deserve better than vice mayor’s tone

November 1st, 2010, 9:45 am by

Mayoral candidate Buddy Gilmore is taking a swipe at Vice Mayor Larry Small, saying taxpayers deserve better than the way Small reacted Friday to a proposal by El Paso County to move their head honchos into the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department.

Small, chairman of the commission that oversees the regional building department, called the county’s efforts “devious” and “underhanded.”

“It seems to me you’re trying to push something through in somewhat of an underhanded fashion to avoid a public discourse on this,” Small told county officials.

Gilmore said he was “saddened and disappointed” by the tone of Friday’s meeting.

“Instead of embracing efforts to save taxpayer money and create efficiencies of government, it appears the meeting degenerated into name calling amid allegations of deceit,” Gilmore said in a letter to the editor, which he shared with the City Desk blog.

“I think the city and county’s taxpayers deserve, and demand, better than this,” Gilmore wrote. “Let’s work for a little less animosity, and a lot more cooperation.”

There is a big unanswered question here: Why would county officials spend millions of dollars to buy some of the Intel buildings on Garden of the Gods Road, which they called a smart purchase, and then want to move to the regional building department?

Gilmore, by the way, may be duking it out with Small in the April municipal election because Small is considering running for mayor.

Here’s the full text of Gilmore’s letter:

I am saddened and disappointed at the tone of last Friday’s Regional Building Department meeting. In fact, the county’s plan to relocate top county offices has been public knowledge for weeks. Instead of embracing efforts to save taxpayer money and create efficiencies of government, it appears the meeting degenerated into name calling amid allegations of deceit. This is not the first time city officials have rebuked efforts to work with the county to create a more streamlined, cost-efficient, regional perspective on governing. However, I think the city and county’s taxpayers deserve, and demand, better than this. Let’s work for a little less animosity, and a lot more cooperation.
Buddy Gilmore
Candidate, Colorado Springs Mayor

Posted in: Elections • Etc. • • • | 1 Comment »

Quote of the Day

September 22nd, 2010, 2:18 pm by

“How much water do we own? Don’t give me this ‘unconstrained hydrologic yield’ crap.”

– Vice Mayor Larry Small, during a discussion about water rights valuation during today’s Utilities Board meeting.

Runner-up:

“Water is the driest subject in the West, and I’m pretty sure that unconstrained hydrologic yield is a new alternative rock band,” Gazette columnist Barry Noreen.

Posted in: Boards and Commissions • Etc. • • • | Post a Comment »

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