Why me?

I'll never forget my first impression of Colorado Springs. It was early autumn 1984 as I rolled into the city on a bus with 27 other Air Force musicians. The physical beauty of the city in the shadow of Pikes Peak was amazing! During that evening and the next day I met a number of "locals" who filled up Arnold Hall for our Tops in Blue show. The next morning, I walked out of my room, barefoot, to a point behind the AF Academy Officer's Club. As I sat on that point I could hear the echo of the golf balls being struck on the golf courses below. Mule deer strolled past as I reflected on the sights of the city and the people I had met. I thought "Man - I don't know what Heaven looks like but this has got to be pretty close!" I vowed to find my way back.

Fast forward to the spring of 1987, and I have orders for Falcon AFB! Each day building up to the move was filled with excitement as I tried to describe the city to my familiy, but pictures and words just didn't seem to capture all that I had seen and remembered. Then one evening we were watching TV, and there was a lady singing "America The Beautiful". I looked over at my 5 year old daughter and said "That's where we are moving to - America The Beautiful!"

Those were special times for Colorado Springs. I embraced the spirit of Rugged Individualism - a phenomenom of personal responsibility that was stronger here than any other place I had lived. It was also the era of Mayor Bob - a guy who knew how to get things done. People trusted Mayor Bob because regardless of what he might do or say, he always had the best interests of the people of this city close in his heart.

However, our city has changed. As Phil Collins sang "something happened on the way to Heaven." A spirit of mistrust of government permeates our community. Part of that is a trickle down effect from the national and state level, but there have certainly been missteps here at the local level that have manifested into an anger in our community - an anger I have not seen before. I truly believe we at the crossroads. Someday our children will look back to this period and think: did we fragment, fight, and become self destructive when we were challenged, or did we come together, pick up the gauntlet and move forward decisively? Friends, I for one am not ready to give up on this city - the city I know and love. I am ready to pick up that gauntlet, and as the next mayor of Colorado Springs I will lead the charge, not only in these times of economic challenge, but in our recovery as we reclaim the mantle of "America The Beautiful".

Why me? First of all let me tell you who I'm not. I'm no politician- I've never run for any office before. I am not attached to any special interests that might do business with our city. I also have no interest in running for other offices down the road.

Who I am is a retired Air Force member who has called Colorado Springs my home for 23 years. I'm a guy who likes taking on hard problems and developing concensus to find solutions to those problems. I'm an entepreneur who understands it takes hard work to achieve visions, and someone who deals with budget and organizational issues on a near daily basis. Finally, I'm not a manager - I'm a do-er. Someone who has sat through many "good-dea" meetings with various groups within this communty that wrap up with the question: "who will lead?" Today I give you my answer.

I look forward to the next year - meeting new people, sharing ideas, and working to pull our community back together. Our local government must continually evolve into a value-added, forward-thinking, leading body. Our destiny is in front of us, and the best is yet to come. Together, we will work to gain our place again as "Colorado Springs - America The Beautiful".