Catching Up With Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers

Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers is the face of what some might argue, the most desirable of the nation. You would think that makes his job just a little easier, but despite what he does at some public events, it’s much more than Chamber of Commerce luncheons and ribbon cuttings.

Since, Mayor Suthers just announced that he wants a second term, we started wondering what a day in the life of Mayor Suthers looks like?

Wednesday morning starts with meetings, both one-on-one and between Mayor Suthers and his department heads.

Colorado Springs Police Chief Pete Carey, Fire Chief Ted Collas, and other Executive Staff members present bullet-point reports of key developments.

Soon, he’s on to one of his many public appearances. He’ll make five of them on this day alone.

“What’s your name?” asks Mayor Suthers.

He’s attending the Coffee with Cops event at Roost in NE Colorado Springs off of Powers Blvd. More than two dozen law officers from CSPD and El Paso County Sheriff’s Office welcomed a dozen or so visitors, exhibiting community policing instincts.

Suthers strikes up easy conversations with officers under the city’s employ, curious citizens and even out-of-town visitors.

“When I was born…” Suthers said, going on to explain how the Southern Colorado city has grown ten times as big as it was in his youth here. Growth isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. “Thanks for being concerned enough to come out and support the cops,” Mayor Suthers said.

From social stops like this coffee event to the more bottom-line business of a staff meeting, Suthers displays a dedication to community and the ability to keep up a brisk pace of activity. It’s a key component driving the city’s economic success.

Suthers understands it, saying, “The reality is people expect you to be at their events. As it is, I’m only going to about one of five events. The Mayor needs to be there for economic development purposes. People want the mayor to be there.”

Suthers was elected in 2015, becoming just the second mayor to be elected under a strong mayor system.

His approach seems to be working. As he told staff members, “Just the things that are in the pipeline is an amazing amount of economic development in Colorado Springs. That’s pretty exciting.”

As a former Colorado Attorney General, Suthers gauges the business pulse of the city by immersing himself during frequent site visits to places like the Harloff Company, a manufacturing plant specializing in medical carts located near the Colorado Springs Airport.

“How many employees do you have here?” he asked Harloff President John Sweetland. Harloff employs about 5 dozen workers, but Sweetland worries about a labor market that’s not trained for the type of work they do at the Harloff plant. Suthers takes note and discusses various workforce education options.

The plant tour culminates in a group photo, the kind of which Mayor Suthers will be asked to pose for multiple times over the course of the day. On this day, the 66-year-old will make five such public appearances and conduct several office meetings in his mayoral role.

Suthers has indicated he’s going to run for a second term in 2019. No opponents have yet announced a candidacy.