Pueblo’s newest city councilman explains goals

He didn’t get the job by traditional means but John Cordova makes no apologies for being appointed to replace a retiring city councilwoman.

“With my experience I can hit the ground running,” he said Tuesday.

Cordova will be sworn in Friday to succeed Sandy Daff, who retired in the face of a possible recall. Cordova previously served as a Pueblo County Commissioner for five years.

Cordova received a small amount of public criticism for not attending Monday’s regular council meeting.

“I had minor surgery and I wanted to take some time to recover before starting the job,” he said.

Cordova said his top priority as a councilman is to oversee the cleanup of the Eilers neighborhood in his district, which is a federal Superfund site.

“Interestingly enough, I used to work for Superfund — the Colorado Department of Environment, the Superfund section — years ago,” he said. “So I’m familiar with the process that’s going to be happening here.”

Cordova also wants to focus on creating jobs and improving education, especially early childhood education.

Cordova could become a key vote in the council’s decision on whether to allow retail marijuana sales within the city. The council has twice since last spring, extended a moratorium on such sales.

“As a commissioner, I voted to legalize medical marijuana,” he said. “I’m not exactly that enthused about recreational marijuana, but it’s something we have to act on soon. I’m leaning toward saying yes, but I don’t have all the information yet.”

Cordova will finish the final year of Daff’s term. He said he hasn’t decided whether to run for a full term next fall.