A long-time progressive voice in city politics, Colorado Springs Councilman Richard Skorman, will leave his seat at the end of the year, cutting short his latest four-year term to focus on his downtown businesses. 

Skorman was reelected in April to represent the southwest sector of the city by nearly 60% of the vote, a ringing endorsement of his two stints on council. A community leader since the early 1990s, Skorman has fought for open space, parks funding, wildfire mitigation, homeless services and affordable housing, among other issues that were all part of his campaign earlier this year.

He ran in April assuming the pressures of COVID-19 on local business would ease with the introduction of vaccines, but that has not been the case and he needs to step back to focus on reshaping his businesses, including a bookstore, toy store, cafe and restaurant on Tejon Street, he said. The restaurant will be reopening on Nov. 15 following a remodel. 

“We just have to remake ourselves,” he said. For example, customers will soon be able to order Poor Richard’s menu ahead of time for pickup via phone applications and he expects to offer more vegan options to appeal to that growing market, he said. 

The restaurant is also opening a large outdoor space behind the building to host events such as birthday parties and baby showers.

In addition to pandemic-driven problems, the business is  facing new competition with the arrival of Tattered Cover expected to open on Tejon Street next year.

A short time line of Richard Skorman’s political career

1975 – Richard Skorman opened his first restaurant in Colorado Springs.

1977 – Poor Richard’s Read and Feed opened on Tejon Street.

1982 to 1992 – Skorman worked as the local film critic for the Colorado Springs Sun and  Fort Collins Coloradoan and operated Poor Richard’s Cinema.

1990 – Skorman’s book “Off-Hollywood Movies: A Film Lover’s Guide” was published.

1991-92 – Skorman served as the founder and program director for the U.S. Environmental Film Festivals.

1992 – Amendment 2, a constitutional amendment prohibiting cities from passing anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBTQ residents was approved by Colorado voters, helping to prompt Skorman to get involved in local advocacy.

1997 – Skorman helped lead the successful campaign for a trails, open space and parks sales tax.

1999 – Skorman was elected to a Colorado Springs City Council at-large seat.

2005 – Skorman lead a Hurricane Katrina relief effort to house evacuees.

2017- Skorman was reelected to Colorado Springs City Council representing District 3, the southwest sector of town.

Compiled from the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Richardskorman.com and a personal interview

Skorman, 69, doesn’t expect to depart completely from public life and plans to stay involved in issues such as housing and open space. For example, he is a board member for the Fountain Creek Watershed District, a group he founded.

However, he could leave a void of experience on council after serving for 12.5 years, including a stint from 1999 to 2006.

The balance between more progressive and more conservative voices could also shift in his absence because the seat will be filled by appointment. Skorman was one of four often more progressive candidates on the board of nine.

“I really hope that they appoint somebody that is more in the middle like me,” he said. 

He expects to spend his final months on the council polishing up the 2022 budget and working with his replacement, although he cannot be involved in selecting the new council member.

He does not want to see the board become largely ideology driven and believes in the last five years the board has been balanced and has come to reasonable compromises. 

Skorman entered local politics about 30 years ago when Colorado Springs played a key role in passing a statewide ballot amendment that prevented municipalities from enacting laws to protect gay, lesbian or bisexual people. He came out as a spokesman for equality as a founder with the Citizens Project, a nonprofit still focused on civic engagement.  

Later in the decade, he worked with his wife, Patricia Seator, on the trails, open space and parks sales tax and fundraising for Stratton Open Space, the first purchase of the dedicated funds. 

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He also spent 20 years working for the closure of the downtown Martin Drake Power Plant. The city celebrated the plant’s last day of burning coal this year and will shutter it completely no later than 2023.

Some of Skorman’s battles from his first stint on council would be unthinkable today, such as fighting for city employees to have benefit coverage for their same-sex partners. During that time, he also pushed for a local DNA lab to help address the high rate of sexual assaults in town.  

In the coming years, he expects local politics will continue to shift to the center as younger residents move in and the city will continue to make progress on the most pressing issues, such as the housing crunch. 

“There is more interest in affordable housing than I have ever seen. People are finally realizing it’s a crisis,” he said.