Manitou Springs facing changes; Mayor Ken Jaray not seeking re-election

Manitou Springs Mayor Ken Jaray announced he is not running for re-election after more than a year in office.

He says it’s in part because of health issues related to stress from the job.

“Serving in a governmental role was probably not the best place for me to be,” Jaray said. “For me, it was a really personal decision. I needed to figure out where I could spend my time effectively.”

One of Jaray’s main goals in office was to make himself more available and encourage people to be a part of the city’s decisions.

“It’s really important for me to bring people back into the conversation, but when you do that, everybody has an opinion, everybody has a strategy,” Jaray said.

Before being mayor, Jaray was city attorney and held other positions in Manitou Springs.

One of the biggest obstacles Manitou Springs faced last year was the announcement that the Cog Railway will not re-open until 2021.

“We’re delighted that they’re rebuilding but it was a difficult journey. We recognize not everyone feels the cog is an important component of our community. When you look at the numbers and taxes they bring in, it’s pretty important,” Jaray said.

The cog continues to cause controversy with it set to re-open in May 2021. Jaray says another challenge has been keeping up with growth while also aiming for economic stability.

“I think the biggest thing for us is making sure we have the infrastructure, so we can provide the services to our residents,” he said.

Jaray has served as mayor for nearly the past 18 months. So far no one has made a public announcement saying they intend to run.