PRIORITIES
Sensible Growth & Infrastructure Needs
Colorado Springs is one of the most desirable cities to live in America today, due to the quality of life, strong job market, and natural beauty. It is indeed not surprising that we continue to attract new businesses and residents.
Sensible growth must include strategic planning to ensure that new development does not overtax the city’s current resources and infrastructure. It is also important that we are able to preserve the identity and fabric of established neighborhoods and open spaces.
When engaging with my community friends, the common sentiment I hear is that current neighborhood infrastructure needs, to include fixing roads, should be first prioritized and adequately met while considering future growth.
Sensible, sustainable, and sequential growth should be centered around affordable and attainable housing, access to utilities and transportation infrastructure, and maintaining the economic vitality of our whole community with minimal impact on the pocketbook of existing families.
Public Safety
Ensuring our neighborhoods and communities are safe for our families is the primary responsibility of the city government. That can only be achieved by recruiting, retaining, and supporting our police officers and firefighters so their response time to emergencies is swift and timely.
It is also necessary to ensure that our local Emergency Management Systems is prepared and responsive to wildfire hazards and weather emergencies with clear mitigation and evacuation plans.
Serving on the school board, I fully understand the urgency to solve the growing drug and human-trafficking problem in our region so as to keep our children and schools protected. Our community’s homelessness crisis should be prioritized with definitive but compassionate solutions including the treatment of substance addictions and mental health issues.
I believe we can accomplish the above objectives by ensuring the city’s budget is lean and is prioritized in areas that have a direct impact on the safety and well-being of our families while eliminating bureaucratic inefficiencies.
Economic Vitality & Affordability
As cost of living continues to soar, Colorado Springs residents are understandably worried about “kitchen table” issues – excellent job opportunities, paying their monthly bills, attaining an affordable home, and enjoying a healthy quality of life. As Colorado Springs continues to attract larger national companies, it is my priority to put local businesses first.
As a capitalist and a proponent of limited government, I will advocate against costly regulatory burdens and governmental overreach that delay projects and create unnecessary barriers.
As City Council also has oversight of Colorado Springs Utilities, it is vital to ensure our energy and water demands are strategically addressed by securing resources at favorable pricing and eliminating internal inefficiencies so as to pass on the savings to customers.
By promoting a business-friendly culture and environment, we can ensure Colorado Springs is economically vibrant, affordable, and has safe, welcoming environments for hard-working residents to live, work, and raise a family.