Colorado Springs Mayor Mobolade sits down for exclusive interview about first term in office
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - After being elected Mayor of Colorado Springs, Yemi Moboloade was sworn into office in 2023. His term as the 42nd mayor has been filled with breaking glass ceilings as the first independent and Black man elected to the office. As the mayor's first term comes to a close in the next eight months, KRDO13 had the exclusive opportunity to sit down one-on-one with the mayor, who is making his case for four more years.
We asked the mayor some of the biggest questions facing his administration, from his use of city resources for personal reasons to a massive severance payout and his relationship with a lobbying firm seeking to keep a lucrative city contract. He also had the opportunity to share what he believes were his biggest successes.
Watch both unedited videos below:
Mayor responds to city auditor investigations
KRDO13 has reported in-depth on reports from the city auditor that involve an elected official.
KRDO13 Investigates learned that those reports surrounded the mayor's use of city resources for personal reasons.
KRDO13 Investigates first reported on a review done by the city auditor based on a tip from the anonymous fraud, waste and abuse hotline. It found that the Mayor of Colorado Springs did not violate any guidelines, but that there were also no guidelines in place. The audit committee strongly recommended that a policy be put in place. The Mayor announced a policy in May.
Here is part of what the Mayor had to say on those reports during KRDO13's exclusive interview.
"People can weaponize the city auditor's report, and they keep doing it, and you all just take the bait because it's exciting news," said Mayor Yemi Mobolade.
"People can weaponize the city auditor's report, and they keep doing it, and you all just take the bait because it's exciting news,"
Mayor Yemi Mobolade.
"In fairness, we report on these things because it's public information. Right. And I mean, if people are raising those concerns, I think it's also our duty to put that out in the public eye," replied Mackenzie Stafford.
"I understand, but I also understand that it's more juicy when it's the mayor," said Mobolade.
The most recent report from the city auditor's office showed that some city staff felt obligated to watch the mayor's children while on the clock. Interviews with seven staff members, conducted between April 15 and June 11, revealed that all but one had supervised the mayor's children during city events or within the City Administration Building during business hours, according to the city auditor.
"What happened there?" questioned KRDO13.
"I don't know. I think that's a question for the city auditor. I have expressed concern about the perfect avenue for people to weaponize. It has never been reported to human resources. So think about that. Ever since I announced reelection, I've been in this role for three years. Nothing was an issue, all of it, until just the last two or three months," replied the Mayor.
In the investigation, the City Auditor examined telematics data, mileage reporting, calendar entries, City policies, and staff interviews. Their review found instances of personal use of a City-owned vehicle and use of staff for non-official child supervision. Overall, the auditor says it identified weaknesses in the internal controls governing personal use of City resources. They recommend strengthening these controls.
"I think it's also important to consider if someone is your subordinate in the office, that they might feel scared or intimidated to bring that up because it could represent poorly," noted KRDO13.
The mayor said that's easy because things have been reported before. He also notes that he has created a welcoming environment for employees to share their thoughts and concerns.
Mayor Mobolade continued, "My wife and kids are part of this. And so I think this is it's a nothing a nothing burger if my political enemies want to keep going at me personally, by all means. What they're trying to say is all these petty things that don't matter."
"The city auditor's office tells us it has to investigate all fraud, waste, and abuse tips. Do you think they shouldn't be investigating them if they appear to be politically motivated?" asked Stafford.
"No, not at all. I believe that no one is above the law," replied Mobolade.
The mayor also pushed back on a city auditor's report regarding his use of a city-owned vehicle during a vacation to the Western Slope. The audit found personal use had not been fully documented under a policy created during his administration. We asked why put a policy in place if you weren't following your own guardrails.
"We have a policy of quarterly reporting. My admin hasn't even received that request yet. I actually sent a letter to the city auditor. I haven't heard back," said the Mayor.
"You previously told us everything would be paid back to the city. Has that happened?" KRDO13 asked.
"I'm working on it. I'll be paying everything back to the city," replied Mobolade.
Explaining a $131,000 severance payment
KRDO13 also asked about the departure of his former chief of staff, Jamie Fabos, who left office early this year.
"I made that decision with the advice of many leaders. Executive severance agreements aren't uncommon. That was the right decision, and I stand by it," said the Mayor.
KRDO13 Investigates obtained her resignation letter and separation agreement, which showed that the city agreed to pay $131,574 for her to leave. On top of that, the city also agreed to continue her healthcare for six months.
She also wrote the following in her resignation letter:
"As discussed, this resignation is being submitted in connection with the City’s decision to
separate my employment, and as a condition of the severance package offered. I appreciate my long history with and employment by the city, and I wish the best to all of its directors," wrote Jamie Fabos.
But it was not required, and the payment came as the city faced significant budget challenges. We asked the mayor why he agreed to that payout when it was not necessarily required.
"I would say, look at my deliverables, what we've accomplished with a hard budget year, the work we have done to save the city money and to still move the needle while increasing our reserves," replied Mayor Mobolade.
He said he followed guidance from many professionals to make the decision and stands by it. KRDO13 reached out to Fabos for comment and did not receive a response.
Addressing concerns over lobbying and campaign ties
KRDO13 Investigates received photos of Mayor Yemi Mobolade at a campaign event before he announced his re-election bid. The event was put on by the lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.
It's the same firm that has lobbied for the city of Colorado Springs for the last decade under a separate one-million-dollar contract. The contract cost Colorado Springs taxpayers $1,137,000 from Jan. 1, 2021, to June 30, 2026. It's a contract that is now up for renewal and in Mobolade's hands.
KRDO13 asked the mayor, "To some people, that could look like a favor. Does that relationship play into your decision at all?"
"Those two things are very separate. City contracts and campaign contributions have different rules and transparency laws. This is not pay-to-play. I'm not even going to be involved in the panel making that decision," said Mobolade.
This is not pay-to-play. I'm not even going to be involved in the panel making that decision,"
Mayor Yemi Mobolade.
The mayor noted that an independent panel will be a cross-section of different departments that determine who makes it through the bidding process.
"I think my finance person is going to be there, and at least one person from the mayor's office will be there because they are the closest to the work I have to do on the D.C. and state level. A council member. I think maybe 1 or 2 council members will be a part of it. Historically, that has been done. So this is my first experience with the practice that we've been doing for years in the city. But I do know it would be a cross-section of folks from across various departments," said Mobolade.
Colorado Springs pays $227,400 a year on lobbying. For context, that is more than Denver and Aurora pay combined. A spokesperson for the city of Denver tells KRDO13 it pays the firm Policy Matters $110,000, with payment coming from multiple agencies, including the airport. The city of Aurora spends $77,000 per year on lobbying services at the state capitol.
Neither Denver nor Aurora specified if lobbying funds were used for services in Washington, D.C.
"I cannot speak to what Denver or Aurora is doing, and I cannot speak to what the city government is doing. I don't know how present they are on the federal level. But it is really important for me to be present on a federal level to advocate, even for our military. Every time I'm in D.C., I'm at the Pentagon meeting with the leaders of, Air Force, Space Force advocating for military families. So Colorado Springs, it's, we are different kind of city," explained Mobolade.
Mobolade also noted how early on in his term, he was looking to change the lobbying firm due to relations with the former mayor John Suthers. He says that while that was an initial move he had planned on making, a staffer actually spoke up and recommended he wait.
"I'm glad he spoke up to say, ' Hey, you can still make that decision. But first of all, you got to meet them and give them a chance to see what they're what they're capable of," explained Mobolade.
Since then, he says the firm has proved itself. We also asked the mayor about Suthers's relationship with the firm, and he said you'd have to ask him.
Suthers ignored our request for comment.
He did, however, secure a shareholder role at the Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck firm while he was still in office as the Colorado Springs Mayor.
"Because that felt to me at the time, like a conflict of interest. So you're hitting the nail on that level of suspicion that I had. And it's not a knock against him or his accomplishment or his desire to move to Brownstein. It's not uncommon for former elected officials to become lobbyists because they do know how to open doors. But you can see how suspicious that made me. Like my, my predecessor is now working, and thankfully, they're working for two different arms right, of the organization," explained Mobolade.
Mayor points to accomplishments ahead of reelection
Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade says he hopes voters will ultimately judge him by his record come this spring when he'll run for re-election. We asked the mayor what he believes defines his first three years in office and why he's asking voters for four more years.
“I am proud to say the city is safer than when I took office. Bottom line, you see it from the strength of our police department to the strength of our 911 call center being fully staffed for the first time since 2018. You see it in our response time: over 90%, 96% of calls are answered in 20 seconds or less. Priority response calls have increased from 24 minutes to 11 minutes," explained Mayor Mobolade.
He says those results aren’t just about adding more officers. They’re about changing how the city responds to crime.
“We’re leveraging technology in a way that has never been done before, and other cities are now asking us to teach them how we’ve done it. Technology is leading to officer safety. It’s leading to community safety. The data is still in double digits in almost every category, whether it’s murder, robbery, or vehicle theft, where you see the constant and steady decline.”
Public safety may top his list, but it’s not the only area where Mobolade believes the city has made progress.
“We talked about being the first mayor in 30 years not increasing taxes. We’ve still been able to go after these economic development opportunities. Sixteen economic development agreements in the last three years since I’ve been in office, the most in our city’s history. Those agreements translate into 3,000 new jobs, and they’re higher-paying jobs," explained the Mayor.
Mobolade noted how proud he was of his team and the work they had done to fix potholes.
"It's one thing to set a vision and tell a team this needs to be done, but it's another thing to have a team that can execute, as recently seen with a pothole surge, the pothole blitz. You know, we were doing about 450 potholes a day in the last five weeks. We're doing 750, 800 now. We're on record now to have the largest amount of pothole repairs in our city's history. That's big. That team made that happen. Make no mistake about it. We have a great team of public servants, and I'm really proud of them," shared Mayor Mobolade.
He also points to investments in affordable housing, the whole blood program, and bringing diverse voices to the table. But says his record is only part of the story.
“I want our residents to know you still have the same leader, grounded, with the same courage, empathy and humility..."
Mayor Yemi Mobolade.
“I want our residents to know you still have the same leader, grounded, with the same courage, empathy and humility. The biggest thing I’ve changed is my role. I understand with politics comes political baggage, but you still have the same nonpartisan, bipartisan, outside-the-box, independent leader,” stated Mobolade.
Throughout our conversation, the mayor maintained that voters should judge him on his record.
So far, the only person to officially announce running against the mayor is former county commissioner Stan Vanderwerf. The city shared with KRDO13 that Seth Palmer Harris and John ‘TIG’ Tiegen have also filed to open a candidate registration for mayor. The election is set for April 6, 2027.
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