Colorado Springs City Councilman Wayne Williams running for mayor
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- Current City Councilman Wayne Williams announced he is running for Mayor of Colorado Springs. Williams says he will file the official paperwork near the end of April or the beginning of May.
The current Colorado Springs Mayor, John Suthers, who took office in 2015 is term-limited in the next mayoral election.
Williams is the second person to announce candidacy for the mayoral seat, former councilman Darryl Glenn revealed his intentions about two weeks ago.
"Darryl and I have worked together on a number of things over the years, and so I also know several other people who are considering running for mayor," Willams told KRDO.
Like Glenn, Williams is both a lawyer and a Republican. He's been on the Colorado Springs City Council since 2019.
Previously, he was elected Secretary of State and served from 2015-2019. Before that, he was the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder and an El Paso County Commissioner.
"Working to get things done to accomplish things, is what sets me apart from other candidates," Williams said. "I have a history of doing just that. Some of them were simple, like putting the county budget online, and others were more complex, like adding 1000 acres of parks and open space, which between the county and the city that I've been able to help work to get done. So it's a question, not just of 'have you been in an office?', but have you done things?"
Williams has closely aligned himself with Suthers.
"We're not exactly identical, but we've worked very closely together," Williams said of Suthers. "His daughter actually worked on my first campaign."
As far as his platform, Williams wants city employees, including police and firemen, to know they are appreciated.
"I've continued to work on making sure that from a utility standpoint, that folks know how important it is to have reliable power, gas, water, wastewater. Those are some of the things that we provide at Colorado Springs Utilities. From a city standpoint, we're trying to provide every possible argument and every possible reason for it."
When asked about recent pushes for ballot initiatives to legalize recreational marijuana inside city limits, particularly for tax reasons, Williams told KRDO he was against it.
"I think Colorado Springs did extraordinarily well in contrast to some other places that have legalized recreational marijuana. I look at our downtown compared with downtown Denver. There's no question which one I'd rather be, which one I feel safer in, and which one I think is more welcoming," he explained. "But certainly, if the people were to adopt it through an initiative process, as Mayor, it would be my obligation to ensure that it flows smoothly and that the proper procedures are implemented."
Williams says he's also working on a plan to bring more affordable housing to the area.
"One of the things that I, and some other of my colleagues, are working on is exempting affordable housing projects from sales tax, which provides an incentive to build something that is a little more easily affordable in our community," he continued. "There has to be a place to live. And so addressing housing needs is absolutely critical.
Williams wants people to look at his past political experience, where he says he has continued to work to keep the United States Space Command in Colorado Springs, as well as his work as a member of the Colorado Springs Utilities board when making their decision.
He believes he has a background in making a difference.
"I think one of the things that sets me apart from other candidates in the field is a record of accomplishment. When our community faced significant transportation issues both locally and with state issues, I stepped in and helped get the funding for six laneing I-25, but also worked to address our local needs and the establishment of the Pikes Peak RTA."
