El Paso County Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez announced Wednesday he is getting into the race to replace Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers. 

The commissioner is the third candidate to announce his interest in the April 2023 election for the mayor’s seat. Suthers is term limited and cannot run again. 

Gonzalez said he would bring experience as a former Air Force lieutenant colonel, businessman, school teacher and county leader to the job and represent all residents. 

“I think I have a strong history of leadership in the region,” he said. 

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During the pandemic, he advocated for the county’s fair share of vaccines and supplies from the state, played an active role in submitting variances for venues and businesses to reopen and advocated for small business grants to help get people back to work, he said. 

“People could see I was an effective leader locally that was working successfully getting things done,” Gonzalez said. 

As mayor, he would prioritize funding for roads, public safety and parks without asking voters to raise taxes. He would rely on an additional $30 million to $35 million in annual funding the city will be able to retain because voters reset the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights limit in November to boost support for those priorities. 

When it comes to improving recruitment and retention in the police department, he would like to evaluate salaries to ensure they are competitive and work on building trust between the department and the community. 

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To help fund parks, he would look to dedicate an additional $3 million to $5 million from the expected additional general funds to help improve maintenance of those community spaces, he said. The new funding could help eliminate the need for a potential ballot question that would ask voters to raise funds for parks through an increase to the lodgers and automobile rental tax, he said. 

“I believe I have demonstrated a history of being able to get things done locally on an efficient and tight budget,” he said. 

The city could help address high housing costs by evaluating its planning process and ensure that building is not onerous, while still smartly planning the city, he said. The city should focus on keeping its costs for permitting and fees as minimal as possible so that they are not passed along to homebuyers. Addressing high housing costs could help the city to continue to thrive economically.

If elected mayor he would also help promote economic growth by working collaboratively with the Pikes Peak Workforce Center and nonprofits that are addressing the workforce shortage. 

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In the fight for Space Command, a major economic driver, Gonzalez said he would bring all the players together, including the state’s congressional delegation, to advocate for the command to stay in town. His experience in the military working with defense contractors would make him an “ideal” proponent for keeping the installation. 

When it comes to standing out in what could be a crowded field, Gonzalez said he would bring a breadth of experience and skills to the work such as teaching, running a property management company and combating the cartels in Latin America in the military. 

Former City Councilmen and County Commissioners Wayne Williams and Darryl Glenn are also in the race for mayor. Several other local politicians are also weighing getting into the race.