Councilman Tom Bailey resigns instead of facing a recall election

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Colorado Springs City Councilman Tom Bailey announced his resignation from office at a City Council Meeting on March 10. This announcement comes after the City Clerk found a recall petition against the councilman sufficient.

On March 6, the Colorado Springs City Clerk declared a recall petition for Councilman Bailey as sufficient, meaning that the petition had enough valid signatures under the City Charter.

Below is the city's petition statement of sufficiency.

After this declaration, Councilman Bailey had five days to order a recall election or to resign. The city confirmed with KRDO13 that a recall election would have cost the city an estimated $225,000.

In a statement, Councilman Bailey said the following about the recall:

Colorado Springs residents deserve a city government that treats elections and public service with dignity and respect. Since being elected by the voters of District 2, I have remained committed to making decisions that are in the best interest of the people in our district and the city. Reasonable people will sometimes disagree on matters of public policy, and elections exist so that citizens can choose who they trust to make those decisions on their behalf. The voters entrusted me with that responsibility last April, and I have worked every day since to honor it.

Unfortunately, small groups of individuals are now seeking to override the results of that election by misusing the recall process. This effort does not stem from new concerns or sudden revelations – their grievances predate last year’s election. Yet the organizers chose to circumvent the democratic process and did not participate in that election. They did not field a candidate who represented their views, and some even encouraged voters to disengage entirely by claiming the vote was unimportant since I was “unopposed.”

Now, only a year after the voters chose their representative, these same groups are asking taxpayers to fund a quarter‑million‑dollar special election because they opted out of the one the city already held. I think they understand that their anti‑growth agenda does not reflect the views of most Colorado Springs residents. But rather than make their case to voters in an open election, they are attempting to rally a small but vocal minority in hopes of achieving, through a low‑turnout recall, what they could not achieve by participating in the normal electoral process.

This campaign has relied on misinformation and characterizations that erode trust in our local institutions for the sake of political convenience. This kind of divisiveness undermines the rules‑based system of government that has long served our community and our nation.

Today’s announcement was disappointing but not surprising. Regardless, the work of the city continues. As with every matter brought before City Council, I will take time to evaluate the implications of this, gather public and expert input, and determine the best path forward for the people and City of Colorado Springs.

KRDO13 spoke to the councilman after the meeting who says he was doomed from the beginning.

"Somebody stood right about here at the end of May, about six weeks into my term as a council member, and pointed at me and said, we're going to recall. I hadn't really done anything. I didn't think at that point. The justification that they use, the points that they used as a reason to recall me were all things that happened before I came into office," says the former councilman.

The group behind the recall petition, Integrity Matters, says it stemmed from Bailey's inability to represent the people.

"I think he's forgotten what democracy is. Democracy is government by the consent of the governed," says Integrity Matters representative, Katherine Gayle. The group also cited Bailey's endorsement of the Ford Amphitheater, among other issues.

However, Bailey argued that his investments created no bias and that his duty as a councilman took priority.

"I don't have to share my portfolio with you, but I'm an investor in a whole lot of things. Does that mean that I'm somehow going to behave differently? No, no, the responsibility of being a representative of the people in a city like this means that I can put my own personal interests aside," says Bailey.

We spoke to a representative for the city council who believes this is the first time that a Colorado Springs city councilor has been effectively recalled. Now, the city says 30 days from today, a new council member will be appointed, after applications are considered. 

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