Who is running for City Council in Your District?
As part of our mission, the Trails and Open Space Coalition (TOSC) advocates for our parks, trails, and open spaces. We regularly engage with Colorado Springs City Council on critical items such as land-use, parks funding, growth, construction, and maintenance, and more.
This year, there are 20 candidates vying for six city council district seats. We asked them each three questions and their answers will be posted here as we receive them.
1. COS is getting ready to embark on the next iteration of our parks master plan. This master plan will serve as the guiding document for the next decade or more of our parks, trails, and open space ecosystem.
What do you envision for the future of our parks, trails, and open spaces?
· Dave Donelson: Our city was founded at the base of Pikes Peak due to the exceptional beauty of the Pikes Peak Region. Our city founders recognized the importance of parks for the health and enjoyment of our citizens. It is our duty as City Council, working with the Parks Department and various stakeholders, such as the Trails and Open Spaces Coalition (TOSC), to carry on that tradition.
Before entering the Army in 1990 I was a trail crewman and Wilderness Guard in the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana. After joining the Army my wife Holly and I were stationed here in Colorado Springs in 1991 and I became a bicycle commuter and used our urban trail system to commute to Fort Carson. We often took our daughter and son to one city park or another. I run the Santa Fe trail frequently and have run the Pikes Peak Ascent and Garden of the Gods 10-miler. All these activities have made me a strong proponent of our parks, trails, and open spaces.
I am running for reelection, but during my first two years I served as one of the liaisons to the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Board. Over the last four years I have learned that while I may bring an enthusiasm for our parks, trails and open spaces, I need to listen to Parks staff, especially the Director, and the various stakeholders such as you. You focus on this continuously, while Council is the “jack of all trades, master of none!”
-Lee Lehmkuhl: First and foremost is ensuring that our parkland is protected for generations to come. Our parks, trails, and open spaces are jewels that improve the quality of life for our families while making our city a beautiful place. We need to identify plans to catch up on deferred maintenance and ensure our parks are protected for future generations to enjoy.
Secondly, I’d like to see more development of our city’s pocket parks in the next draft of the park’s master plan. There are many neighborhood parks around our city that could be turned into neighborhood treasures with a bit of care and improvement. I envision a Colorado Springs where every resident lives within a 10 minute walk of a well kept park.
I also want to see the next plan continue to plot out ways to create more connectivity between our parks, formulate broader partnerships with regional neighbors to fully support our outdoor spaces, and continue to find creative opportunities to better fund our parks.
No candidates from District 2 have responded thus far.
· Greg Thornton: I envision even better connectivity throughout the City. Right now, the westside is pretty well set up for cycling, but the trails become sparse with fewer choices on the North, South, and East sides of town. As a Council member, I would continue, as I have on Parks Board, to advocate for land purchases when they become available for parks and open spaces. The really large acreage lots are becoming rarer, but we can still add parks when needed.
· Brandy Williams: My goal for Colorado Springs is connectivity. I envision our parks, trails and open spaces as ways to connect throughout the community. Multimodal transportation has been a theme throughout this campaign, and as a community it would behoove us to start in our most walkable neighborhoods and complete our missing trail connections.
-Kimberly Gold: Our parks, trails, and open spaces are the heart of Colorado Springs. The new master plan should focus on protecting and expanding these spaces, especially in underserved areas like Southeast COS. Everyone deserves access to safe, beautiful parks. Investing in new amenities, upgrading infrastructure, and creating more inclusive outdoor spaces will ensure future generations can enjoy them too.
-Cass Melin: I think one of the key characteristics of a small town feel are well placed and well maintained parks. I think any new development, expansion, or annexation should require a park and/or open space. I envision a park in every neighborhood, more expansive parks/open spaces that resemble Philip S Miller Park in Castle Rock, another Fox Run type park in a new region of the city, and another splash pad or two.
-Christopher Burns: I would like to see the inclusion of parks, trails and open space as a part of all new developments and the maintenance of existing trail systems maintained. The inclusion of a healthy park system throughout the city not only is a benefit to the citizens, but planned green space reduces the heat absorption of the city area, helping maintain a cooler climate in the city.
-Nancy Henjum: I am deeply committed to ensuring that the City of Colorado Springs continues to be a leader in parks, trails and open space development. The upcoming master plan is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our outdoor spaces, and I fully support its vision in the areas of sustainability, accessibility, and community engagement. I envision a future where every resident has access to well maintained parks and interconnected trails that promote recreation, health, and environmental stewardship. Expanding and improving urban trail connectivity – such as the Rock Island, Legacy Loop, and Sand Creek trails – is essential for a seamless network that supports both basic transportation and recreation. Additionally, I support projects like the reclamation of Black Canyon quarry, which reflect our commitment to preserving natural beauty while also meeting community needs. Accessibility must remain a high priority. Every resident, regardless of ability or location, should enjoy equitable access to our parks and trails. I also strongly advocate for sustainable practices such as native landscaping (thank you Alex Crochet!), water conservation, and renewable energy integration into parks facilities. Finally, robust public engagement is critical. I will champion transparency and collaboration with all of our partners (such as TOSC, Palmer Land Conservancy etc.). Together, we can create a vibrant parks system that continues the vision of General Palmer, enhancing quality of life and preserves our natural heritage for generations to come.
-Parth Melpakam: Parks, trails, and open space are a major reason that makes Colorado Springs a desirable place to live. They add to our quality of life and provide opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts such as my family to enjoy the breathtaking beauty that surrounds us. I supported the TOPS tax extension in 2023 to maintain our current parks/trails and acquire new open spaces. I believe that it is also necessary to ensure that there is responsible stewardship of city budget, with the primary focus being that the taxpayer dollars are spent on providing core municipal services including roads, infrastructure, public safety, utilities and parks. I would be in support of eliminating inefficiencies in our current city budget and directing part of the funding towards the maintenance of our parks and trails.
-Aaron Schick: Since I am 100% for the citizens and against builders tearing up what made our town great. I am entirely for supporting growth in this area by every means possible. If you can create a monster so big as Banning Lewis Ranch – We ought to be able to create protected space just as big. I am all for keeping what made COS great – TOPS.
2. Do you believe our park system is adequately funded?
· Dave Donelson: Our parks system isn’t adequately funded and that is why we have such a backlog of maintenance and development of parks and trails. Funding was cut in the past and has never been restored. We should examine ways of increasing funding to include designating a specific portion of our LART tax revenue specifically for Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services (PRCS). I have advocated for this in the past.
PLDO and TOPS should also be periodically reevaluated to see if there is support for increasing these funding mechanisms. Parks, trails and open spaces are very popular with our citizens and with the correct presentation I believe there is support for increasing funding for them.
It is worth restating that City Council representatives are not necessarily the ones with the best ideas in these areas, but should be willing to work with stakeholders and be advocates for increased funding.
-Lee Lehmkuhl: While I was glad to see TOPS extended a few years ago, I was disappointed to see that we couldn’t pursue an increase in funding. One of the benefits to TOPS is that it’s a sales tax, meaning the tourists who visit our city to take advantage of our natural spaces also pay for their use of our parks, trails, and open spaces.
I believe LART could be a good option for creating more dollars for our park system. The beauty of tapping into LART is that it’s a funding mechanism that doesn’t impact the taxes of Colorado Springs residents and largely comes from dollars spent in town by tourists. It’s a model that ensures visitors are paying their fair share for using our resources.
In addition to LART, I want to see the city continue to look for grant opportunities from the state/federal government while exploring ways to more deeply engage philanthropy in protecting our outdoors and natural spaces.
No candidates from District 2 have responded thus far.
· Greg Thornton: Obviously, with $250 million in unfunded maintenance, the parks department is underfunded. Especially, when compared to other cities along the Front Range, we need to get more money for the entire Parks Department. I do believe we can increase the TOPS sales tax and pay 2 cents per $10 spent over the current one penny. Also, LART can be increased from 2% to at least 10% as tourists should pay more for the free trails, parks, and open spaces we offer.
· Brandy Williams: The feedback that I have received on the campaign trail is that as a region we are doing a good job at acquiring park land. The flip side of the coin is that we need to maintain our parks, trails and open spaces to ensure maximum public enjoyment. I look forward to collaboration with TOSC on the best options for maintenance now and into the future.
-Kimberly Gold: Two things can be true — we can acknowledge the good work being done while recognizing the need for further investment. While many parks are well-maintained, there are areas, like my own neighborhood park, that remain undeveloped. Increasing LART would bring us in line with similarly sized cities and ensure visitors contribute more to the maintenance and enhancement of our parks. Evaluating all funding mechanisms, including expanding TOPS and revisiting PLDO, can provide sustainable resources for our growing community.
-Cass Melin: I do not. Our parks tax is very low compared to other cities in the state that have a parks system that I aspire Colorado Springs to have. Even if we didn’t raise our taxes for this, we could also look at other cities’ budgets who don’t have parks taxes at all, but rather get it from the general fund. I think we could get creative in finding more funding for our very underfunded parks.
-Christopher Burns: I am still studying this issue. In discerning this issue, I will evaluate if our park system is functioning efficiently and does the city have a plan for the acquisition of more open space, both in expansion and infill. I am open to evaluating other revenue sources to maintain funding to our city park systems.
-Nancy Henjum: No. We haven’t been adequately funded since the slashing of the budget in 2008 due to the recession. We are currently looking at a possible LART (a tax paid for primarily by visitors to COS – not residents) increase in the 2026 general election. One key element of this conversation is the recognition that additional LART funds can and should be going to address the needs in our tourist loved parks such as Garden of the Gods and Cheyenne Canyon. LART funds can also support a strategic development of our outdoor recreation ecosystem creating a mutually beneficial relationship with public and private enjoyment of the outdoors. I am also very open to exploring park impact fees (much like public safety impact fees) to help address the backlog of parks that have been promised, but not yet built. The PLDO calculation was changed in 2021 and reduces the amount of land dedicated. This is putting us further in the hole, not bringing us out of it.
-Parth Melpakam: I am open to analyzing the current city budget to identify inefficiencies and direct money to take care of the priority needs of our residents, including adequate funding to maintain our current parks and trails. I am supportive of the current funding mechanisms such as TOPS, PLDO, and LART. Before changes to the current funding sources are proposed, it is essential to be accountable to the citizens by establishing clear guardrails for the expenditure of current tax dollars.
Since LART is lower in Colorado Springs than other comparable regions, I would be open to considering an initiative to increase LART so long as a clear spending plan is communicated transparently to the citizens. An option would be to consider levying the increased tax only on tourists (non-residents) visiting the city and exempting the current residents of the city from additional LART taxes. The automobile portion of the LART dollars could also be directed at fixing roads and infrastructure (to include parks and trails) in and around high tourist destinations in the city.
-Aaron Schick: As your elected representative, I will work to get Colorado Springs back on track and take back power from the corrupt builders who have been exploiting our city’s natural beauty for their own profit. One significant proposal I would consider is increasing the Local Area Regional Transit (LART) tax to 10 or 15% – a measure that would align with the interests of our citizens, including providing our lowest paid municipal police force with a competitive wage. As a major tourist destination, we can fund this critical investment in public safety by tapping into the resources of the many non-residents who visit iconic sites like the Garden of the Gods, the #1 tourist attraction in Colorado.
3. With the city of COS continuing to grow, how should the city work with nearby entities such as El Paso County parks, Teller County, and the state of Colorado?
· Dave Donelson: It only makes sense to coordinate with El Paso County, Teller County, and the State. Operating in silos is inefficient and we need to learn from each other. I remember doing this with Douglas County when we were trying to get information and cost estimates of automated gates for Blodgett Open Space parking lots.
As I have written above, City Council is the “Jack of all trades, master of none.” We need the ideas and assistance of organizations such as TOSC who are focused on these issues as their primary concern. Council needs to have a willingness, and humility, to listen to groups that focus on these issues as their top concern.
-Lee Lehmkuhl: There is plenty of opportunity to work together with the county, Teller County, and the state of Colorado.
One massive opportunity I see is continuing the work to build more connectivity between our regions, trails, open spaces, and parks. Each of these government organizations has their own masterplans and visions for the natural spaces they maintain. Creating more synergy between these plans to identify overlap and opportunities for collaboration will enhance the quality of these assets for families across the region.
City Council should actively rely on our local NGOs as subject matter experts and as partners in work. They are often the experts on issues related to our natural spaces and should have a voice in the conversation.
No candidates from District 2 have responded thus far.
· Greg Thornton: I think we work well with groups like Med Wheel, RMFI, and other organizations on trail building and maintenance. We need to coordinate with the NFS, the state, and county on projects like Fishers Canyon and Ring The Peak to have regional trail systems. I would get all entities together to have them coalesce with one vision.
· Brandy Williams: El Paso County parks will play a vital role in connectivity, as they own and maintain parks within the city limits. Specifically for District 3, I would welcome conversations with the state of Colorado to maximize the awareness of Cheyenne Mountain State Park, and I would be very open to talking to Teller County about potential partnerships. Non-profits play a huge role and Colorado Springs, and more than one ‘Friends of’ organization has played a pivotal role in park maintenance for decades, I would advocate for these relationships to continue.
-Kimberly Gold: Collaboration is key. Strengthening partnerships can create seamless trails, improve access, and expand inclusive programming. El Paso County’s Trailability Program is a great example of how partnerships can enhance accessibility for everyone. City Council should actively collaborate with non-profits to support grants, community projects, and volunteer programs. Groups like Upadowna, Blackpackers, Palmer Land Trust, Outdoor Recreation Alliance, Orophile Outdoor Adventures, and Visit COS are doing incredible work to ensure more people can enjoy the outdoors. City council should collaborate with these organizations to support inclusive programming, volunteer initiatives, and conservation efforts. Strong public-private partnerships will only strengthen our parks system and community as a whole.
-Cass Melin: I think the non-governmental organizations are going to provide the greatest value here by providing expertise in cost and design. I think its important for our city council to advocate to the state and other nearby entities what our citizens desire for our future growth, and look for grants and other types of funding to meet these needs. Bottom line, no one on city council is going to be an expert on these things and getting that information is going to be important to make a well informed plan and decision.
-Christopher Burns: I view all of these entities as having similar goals. I will seek to work collaboratively with all of them to achieve the best result. I will also advocate for the inclusion non-governmental organizations, as this is one of the best ways to include citizens in the policy making and decision process.
-Nancy Henjum: As COS continues to grow, collaboration with El Paso County Parks, Teller County and the State is essential for sustainable development and improved quality of life. By fostering partnerships, the city can address shared challenges such as infrastructure, recreation and environmental preservation. Building on successful IGAs such as annexations, traffic signalization with El Paso County, COS should pursue similar agreements to streamline infrastructure planning and service delivery. We should be aligning City and County master plans for parks and trails to create a more cohesive regional network that will improve user experience, efficiency, and infrastructure management. PPORA and Mayor Yemi’s proactive engagement with State and Federal Leaders underscores the importance of securing resources for local priorities. City Council can ensure we have good representation on PPACG and PPRTA to ensure funding for outdoor related projects is considered. And we must continue to partner with our non-profits. Public/private partnerships are key to a robust and healthy system.
-Parth Melpakam: Colorado Springs is at a crossroads with pivotal decisions surrounding growth, public safety, infrastructure, parks, and economic development in the near horizon that will determine the future trajectory of our city. I will bring proven leadership skills with a commitment to common-sense solutions to the challenges facing our city.
Serving for 6 years on the Colorado Springs District 11 School Board (4 years as the Board President), I have a proven track record of engaging with non-profits and philanthropic groups to generate funding for the greater good. The D11 Promise is the result of such a partnership and provides students with free scholarship for 2 years to attend Pikes Peak State College. I will bring the same approach to the City Council by listening respectfully to diverse perspectives, collaborating thoughtfully with stakeholders, and making informed, balanced decisions while engaging with our regional partners. It is the vision of building a safe, vibrant, sustainable, and economically thriving city that will be home for current families and future generations that is driving me to run for City Council.
-Aaron Schick: I would first be a student and learn about how much integration we have so far and then get to work making sure our growth in this area is at least equal to current growth rates. This means that if corrupt builders are granted rights to develop massive, multi-billion dollar projects like the Banning Lewis Ranch, the citizens of Colorado Springs who have purchased homes from these builders must demand that their rights be observed. The builders have a moral obligation to serve these customers. Additionally, we should advocate for the creation of parks as large as Palmer Park when needed and desired, which will require greater integration with nearby county and state park groups. These parks should remain free for all to use, while users pay their fair share for police and fire services when renting hotel accommodations.