Colorado Springs City Council Voter Guide: District 5
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Nancy Henjum, Cass R Melin, Christopher Burns, and Jim Miller are running for District 5 in Colorado Springs. KRDO13 asked candidates three questions about their platforms, and their answers are below.
NANCY HENJUM
How does your experience make you qualified to represent the people of the Colorado Springs District 5?
"As the incumbent running for re-election as Councilmember for District 5, I have a record I am proud to run on, supporting balanced growth, strong neighborhoods, and public safety (I am honored to be endorsed by both the Police Protective Association and Colorado Springs Firefighters Local 5). My first term proves that I am a practical problem-solver. I ask good questions, I want to hear all perspectives when tackling the issues, and I stay laser-focused on what directly impacts the daily lives of Springs residents: housing, infrastructure, parks, and safety. I have a well-earned reputation for being highly responsive to constituents, returning virtually every phone call and email that I receive personally. I've lived and raised a family in the same house in District 5 for nearly 35 years. When I think of good local government, the image that comes to mind is neighbors working together to find common ground and solve problems. That's been my vision for the past four years and will be for the next four."
What are your top priorities for change in Colorado Springs?
- "We must look at how we address our profoundly underfunded Parks system. Many District 5 parks have been neglected, Portal Park being just one such example. This neglect is not a matter of the Parks Department not wanting to build or maintain parks: they simply do not have the budget and have never recovered from the 2008 recession and massive cuts to the department. Tourists have a tremendous impact on our over-loved parks (and on other services, such as emergency response and transportation), and we need to explore increasing what tourists pay in taxes when renting a hotel or a car. Currently, we rank at the very bottom of the largest 150 cities in the country in terms of the amount of revenue we collect from tourists.
- We need to bring the profits that are currently going to AMR (a subsidiary of the out-of-state corporation which holds the emergency medical response contract for the City of Colorado Springs) and invest in services for the people of Colorado Springs. Our trusted and nationally-acclaimed CSFD (fire department) is very well-prepared to take on all emergency medical response into a City Enterprise and reinvest those dollars into their community health and public health division that supports programs such as aging in place, crisis/alternative response, and homeless outreach which provide effective use of resources and save taxpayer money.
- We need to work on local campaign finance reform that increases transparency and accountability, and decreases the ability for “dark money" to influence our City elections. The funders of such efforts are anonymous, can donate however much they want, and they cannot be held accountable for the truth of their claims in any meaningful way. They do not want voters to know who they are or what they give. Why not?"
Colorado Springs, like many cities, has seen an influx of growth. How do you plan to maintain responsible growth and balance resident concern?
"First, it's important to say I am accepting no campaign donations from developers, and I have a clear record of opposing risky flagpole annexations that threaten our water supply, compromise public safety, and stretch utilities and transportation resources too thin. At the same time, I have supported various sensible and sustainable projects that increase our housing options for our frontline workers, first responders, and those just entering the market. Current residents are right to be concerned about the effect of runaway development on their neighborhoods, and I have listened carefully to those concerns. For example, I facilitated townhalls early in my first term that led to stopping the extension of Constitution Avenue which would have jeopardized the quality of life of a series of neighborhoods in District 5. Finally, I am proud that, rather than relying on developer dollars and dark money to fund my campaign, I have contributions from 250 unique donors, which I believe is evidence of how I form genuine relationships, inspire trust, and encourage everyone's participation in making Colorado Springs the best city it can be."
CASS R MELIN
How does your experience make you qualified to represent the people of the Colorado Springs District 5?
"As a Contract Specialist for nearly a decade, I wrote government contracts for all kinds of government projects. Such as, repair government infrastructure, build employee housing, contract refuse services, and purchase supplies and equipment. This gives me a unique perspective of the inner workings of inherently governmental functions. In addition, as a student pursuing a double major in Philosophy and Political Science, I understand the importance of government as a service to the people, not as a regulator of the community. I think this experience and perspective are what is needed right now to ensure our city grows responsibly and efficiently for the people, with the people."
What are your top priorities for change in Colorado Springs?
"The top priorities for my district would be, first, public safety with improvements in the police force. Second, addressing the housing needs by balancing private property rights with community needs. Finally, addressing homelessness by using a data-driven approach, reviewing how similar cities have successfully mitigated the root causes of homelessness.
Public safety would benefit from investing in the recruitment and retention of our police force. Many people are abandoning their dreams of becoming a police officer because of the lack of support we provide for them. This could be addressed in a few ways. Updating the training facility and training programs to include crisis training and Homeless Outreach Team (H.O.T.) training for the entire police force. This would have many positive benefits. One, it would allow more options for police discretion when dealing with mental illness and homelessness rather than tickets and arrests, perpetuating the cycle of incarceration. This, in turn, would also improve public perception of our police force and foster further support from the community. This positive perception would lead to higher recruitment. Next, retention would improve by including body cameras on all of our police officers. Studies have shown that both police officers and citizens act more civil when they know they are being recorded, which increases the safety of both citizens and police officers. The technology has come so far that it is no longer financially out of reach, and the automatic activation triggers, things like dispatching, unholstering a weapon, or turning on sirens, mitigate any privacy concerns and camera abuse. Increasing the safety of our officers and civilians through this technology would lead to greater retention, as they wouldn't be concerned about wrongful accusations. Finally, by maintaining a consistent dialogue with our police force about their needs, we can act quickly to support them in keeping us all safe.
The housing shortage is the cause for most of the concerns that affect us here. There is currently a shortage of approximately 27,000 units in Colorado Springs. In order to keep up with our growth, a city has many tools to address housing shortages. Looking at the big picture, there are both infill efforts as well as annexations. In order to best address this issue, we need to foster an environment that encourages an increase in supply. This would have the effect of lowering housing and rental costs and reducing the cost of living overall. In order to do this, we should look to zoning reforms to boost missing middle housing, such as multi-family houses, townhouses, patio-style houses, live-work housing, and courtyard-style developments. These zoning reforms need to reflect neighborhood inputs to maintain neighborhood character. The housing shortage could also be addressed by implementing a streamlined permitting process for development requests that fall in line with the community-minded form-based code of small-scale infill developments. As a priority, these streamlined permits should be where infrastructure has been identified as already being able to support growth. In addition, any further developments should be required to ensure a certain percentage of housing for low and middle-income residents in this streamlined process. In order to accomplish this responsibly, it is important that all developments are held to the same standards of protecting our resources, such as water, police, first responders, and electricity. This includes any and all annexations the city considers.
While Colorado Springs has been doing a good job at reducing homelessness for individuals, according to HUD, homeless families have gone up 12% in Colorado. Homelessness is a problem for everyone involved. It can be a nuisance for businesses, residents, parkgoers, and, of course, the homeless themselves. Most homeless people do not choose to be homeless and would not be so with few interventions. A policy that would help with this issue is a multifaceted approach that includes training the entirety of the police force to handle the homeless population, including mental health and trauma training, creating mandatory connections to services for homeless individuals and families, shifting enforcement focus to reducing ticketing and focusing on housing-first initiatives. In addition to this, other cities have been successful in reducing repeat homelessness, some even eliminating homelessness in their cities altogether, by utilizing safe camping spaces with co-located mental health care and work programs coupled with housing-first initiatives. Studies show that this approach is more cost-effective to the taxpayers than our current approach, which focuses on ticketing and incarceration. These sites have also been shown to reduce crime in the areas where they have been implemented and have the added benefit of supplying the city with more contributing members to the economy."
Colorado Springs, like many cities, has seen an influx of growth. How do you plan to maintain responsible growth and balance resident concern?
"In order to do this, we should look to zoning reforms to boost missing middle housing, such as multi-family houses, townhouses, patio-style houses, live-work housing, and courtyard-style developments. These zoning reforms need to reflect neighborhood inputs to maintain neighborhood character. The balance between resident concern and responsible growth could also be addressed by implementing a streamlined permitting process for development requests that fall in line with the community-minded form-based code of small-scale infill developments. As a priority, these streamlined permits should be where infrastructure has been identified as already being able to support growth and fall in line with the 128% water buffer. In addition, any further developments should be required to ensure a certain percentage of housing for low and middle-income residents in this streamlined process. In order to accomplish this responsibly, it is important that all developments are held to the same standards of protecting our resources, such as water, police, first responders, and electricity. This includes any and all annexations the city considers."
CHRISTOPHER BURNS
How does your experience make you qualified to represent the people of the Colorado Springs District 5?
"I'm a retired Colorado Springs Police Officer and retired Colorado National Guard Lieutenant Colonel, running for City Council’s 5th District. My lifelong commitment to service through law enforcement, military, and volunteer work has prepared me to serve our community full-time.
I arrived in Colorado Springs in 1987 to train at the Olympic Training Center and decided to make this city my home. I earned a Business degree and an Army Commission through ROTC at UCCS. In 1998, I joined the CSPD, serving for 24 years in all areas of the city, including many K-12 schools as a School Resource Officer. Simultaneously, I served in the Colorado Army National Guard as a Blackhawk helicopter pilot, served in Iraq, and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2019.
My experience in public safety and emergency management has given me a firsthand understanding of our city’s public safety challenges. More than two years ago, after retirement from the CSPD, I began working with the City Council through the Law Enforcement Transparency and Advisory Committee (LETAC), where I realized the need for informed city leadership.
With my National Guard background, I have expertise in disaster response, essential for wildfire preparedness. As a father of three, I understand the struggles of rising housing costs.
With bachelor's and MBA degrees, I understand economic and financial matters. Colorado Springs needs pragmatic leadership, not political infighting. I ask for your support and your vote to make our city safer, stronger, and more prosperous."
What are your top priorities for change in Colorado Springs?
"Public Safety – I will champion proper staffing, training, and retention of police officers to help make Colorado Springs safe.
Reducing Housing Burdens – I will work on smart growth initiatives. I will advocate for homes for low and mid-range incomes to ensure we have adequate housing stock for all incomes.
Infrastructure – I will support infrastructure maintenance (i.e. roads) and development that maintains Colorado Springs as a great place to live."
Colorado Springs, like many cities, has seen an influx of growth. How do you plan to maintain responsible growth and balance resident concern?
"Colorado Springs is a growing city, both in population and land area. While many of us would like to “close the door” and leave it like it was when we came here or when we were young, this is not possible. We need to pragmatically balance our infill and annexation developments with quality of life and infrastructure development. By developing affordable housing (low and mid-range units) we can keep home ownership in reach of new workers, which will subsequently provide long term stability. Additionally, new developments should include quality of life designs (i.e. green spaces, parks and amenities) in order to be approved by City Council."
JIM MILLER
How does your experience make you qualified to represent the people of the Colorado Springs District 5?
"As a business owner, Marine and father, I bring my experience in budget management, leadership
and fiscal oversight to the table. My goal is simple, be the voice of reason and the representative of
the hard-working residents that are often forgotten about in the effort to appease the special interest
of Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs residents deserve to keep more of their hard-earned money
instead of giving it back to the city in taxes and fees. It is time that we establish our own Department
of Government Efficiency right here in Colorado Springs. The choice is simple VOTE OR GO BROKE!"
What are your top priorities for change in Colorado Springs?
1) Homelessness, the city must take an active role in reducing the impact of homelessness on Colorado Springs residents. Crime should be prosecuted, and charitable organizations receiving government funding to address the crisis should be audited and held accountable.
2) Utility Costs, Colorado Springs Utilities does not need to spend their customers hard earned money on advertising, it is not as though residents have a choice in providers. The entire organization should be audited and access fees should be eliminated. Exorbitant access fees do not reward customers who are intentional in conserving resources, oftentimes finding that they pay just as much for the right to access those utilities as they do use them.
3) Intelligent growth, The idea that a city should be evaluated by its growth rate, population, or available housing, is a fallacy that ignores the intangibles of the safety, comfort and quality of life of its existing citizens. Moreover, ignoring the economic impact on residents, rather favoring the income to the city. Colorado Springs has a long history of placing the cart before the horse. Sustainable growth is possible, but only when planning for growth and the pace of providing infrastructure outraces theapproval of new developments. We cannot put profits ahead of the citizens of Colorado Springs.
4) Reduce Crime, Improve Response Times. No citizen should be placed on hold during an emergency, it is downright unacceptable. No citizen should be told to just go file a report online when reporting a crime. Budget mismanagement, and ridiculous decision making has led to Colorado Springs being worse than 96% of other cities in America on crime. It is time to put cops back on the streets patrolling and responding to real crime, not monitoring parking meters.
5) Protecting our youth. Recreational marijuana is now here. It is game time when it comes to educating schools, parents and leaders on identifying marijuana in the schools and community possessed by youth. We need to ensure that recreational marijuana is kept at a safe distance away from campuses, just like we need to make sure pedophiles are not living near places where youth congregate. Our city council has refused the topic of passing an ordinance prohibiting a sex offender from living near schools, parks, etc.
Colorado Springs, like many cities, has seen an influx of growth. How do you plan to maintain responsible growth and balance resident concern?
"The idea that a city should be evaluated by its growth rate, population, or available housing, is a fallacy that ignores the intangibles of the safety, comfort and quality of life of its existing citizens. Moreover, ignoring the economic impact on residents, rather favoring the income to the city. Colorado Springs has a long history of placing the cart before the horse. Sustainable growth is possible, but only when planning for growth and the pace of providing infrastructure outraces the approval of new developments. We cannot put profits ahead of the citizens of Colorado Springs. While the benefits of successful growth, may be far reaching, bringing jobs and new opportunities into the city, many residents are simply asking “At what cost?”"
