Four new faces run for Colorado Springs City Council District 1

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Springs voters will have the chance to pick city council members in the upcoming General Municipal Election on April 6. There are four new faces running for District 1.

Each active registered voter will receive a ballot to vote for the City Council District seat in which their residential address is located.  

District lines are assessed every four years to make sure each of the city’s six districts consists of similar population sizes. Colorado Springs released the final City Council Redistricting Plan for the six City Council Districts in November 2020.

Residents can type in their address to find out their district on the city's website.

Jim Mason

Jim Mason will show up first on the ballot in City Council District 1. Mason retired from the Army as a colonel in 2005 and moved to Colorado Springs.

“We decided to move to Colorado Springs because we had lived here in the early 90’s when I was stationed at Fort Carson as a major,” said Mason.

He was elected to the District 11 School Board in 2013 and re-elected in 2017. Mason said he volunteers on other boards for the city and believes his experience working with city leaders qualifies him for the position.

“We need the best minds, the best energy, and someone who is competent and qualified to help us get to the next point in Colorado Springs’ history and longevity,” said Mason.

If elected, Mason said he would prioritize public transportation, infrastructure, and job opportunities for Colorado Springs’ young business people.

Michael Seeger

Michael Seeger is a paramedic and a Colorado Springs native who graduated from Rampart High School and attended the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. Seeger is the youngest candidate running in District 1. The 30-year-old views his youth as an asset.

“I felt like it would be an ideal time for me to run because I feel like our community wants fresh ideas and wants that younger perspective in addition to the wise perspective of many of the other candidates that are running and the current council members,” said Seeger.

Seeger said population growth and infrastructure improvements are also on his mind.

“A lot of the western areas of the city are not able to handle the traffic that we have and the population that we have,” Seeger said. “So this especially affects us in District 1.”

Glenn Carlson

Glenn Carlson is a Colorado Springs native who graduated from Mesa Ridge High School and attended Colorado College. Carlson is also hoping to bring new innovation to City Council District 1. The 37-year-old entrepreneur owns a massage therapy business with his wife.

“I believe I represent a different generation than what we currently see on council,” said Carlson.

Carlson believes being a business owner makes him stand out among his opponents.

“I really want to focus on getting things re-opened and helping businesses kind of recover from this and move forward,” Carlson said. “And encourage new entrepreneurs to take the place of ones that unfortunately had to close.”

Dave Donelson

Dave Donelson retired from the Army in 2010. The military brought Donelson’s family to Fort Carson 30 years ago and they decided to lay down roots.

“It was my first assignment in the Army,” said Donelson. “So we drove 1,500 miles with our two-week-old daughter."

Donelson held medical positions in and out of the Army. Most recently, Donelson said he worked as a director for a men’s health clinic. The veteran said his visit to France on the 75th anniversary of D-Day changed his perspective.

“I realized I’m still a young guy and I want to give back to my community and my country even more,” Donelson said. “You really think about the young men who died on that beach and they have everything at a young age.”

Donelson has four priorities laid out on his website, as well as endorsements from local elected leaders.

KRDO will be reaching out to all city council candidates ahead of the April 6 election.