Yemi Mobolade, who will be sworn in as Colorado Springs’ 42nd mayor next week, unveiled to city and El Paso County leaders Wednesday morning a “blueprint” that will guide his first hundred days in office.

Informed by discussions he’s had with outgoing Mayor John Suthers, city department heads and residents he spoke to on the campaign trail, Mobolade’s plan outlines three top priorities for his first months as mayor. They include building support with other government officials, engaging the community and building public confidence, and addressing pressing issues like public safety, infrastructure, the housing crisis and the city’s economic well-being.

“My commitment is to ensuring that city government is transparent, proactive and accessible,” Mobolade said.

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To build support with other government leaders, Mobolade wants to establish a culture in city leadership that prioritizes service to residents; pursue a strong working relationship with the City Council; and build support with county, state and federal officials, he said.

To build trust with the community, the mayor-elect will engage neighborhoods, community leaders, partners, interest groups and community organizations; introduce programs that will improve direct communication between the mayor’s office and residents; and establish good working relationships with local media, he said.

The public plan is available on Mobolade’s campaign website and will be posted to the city website after he takes the oath of office on Tuesday, he said.

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Mobolade also promised to provide an update on his progress when he gives his first annual State of the City address Sept. 14 – which will be his 100th day in office.

“Every good leader knows you want to maximize the energy of the new job, the energy of the win and get things done,” Mobolade told reporters after his announcement. “… I’m being entrusted with the opportunity to get a lot of things done in a very short amount of time.”

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City councilmembers said Wednesday they were excited to work with the incoming mayor.

While Suthers “played a big role” with the City Council, his Chief of Staff Jeff Greene oversaw a lot of the collaboration with the nine-member body, said Councilman David Leinweber, who was elected April 4 to an at-large position on the dais.

“Yemi told me he isn’t looking to that kind of model. He wants to be the one that is working directly with us,” Leinweber said. “… I’m just excited about the future. I think Yemi has a lot of enthusiasm and passion and he’s a great community engager.”

Councilwoman Nancy Henjum, who represents District 5, the central portion of the city, said she appreciated Mobolade’s commitment to include residents in his leadership. 

“He’s already demonstrating himself to be very interested in hearing from people, and people who haven’t been heard before or who at least feel like they haven’t been heard before,” she said. “And he’s not even sworn in yet. That’s pretty impressive.”

Mobolade’s blueprint details goals for his first day, week and roughly first three months in office.

On Tuesday, Mobolade will convene his Cabinet to set his administration’s vision and goals, and establish a culture of transparency, accessibility and a proactive government, the document states. He will also meet with other regional elected officials to establish a culture of collaboration.

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During his first week in office, the mayor-elect will focus on onboarding; establish communication protocols with the city leadership team, community and media; and host an inaugural bi-weekly Friday briefing as part of efforts to establish regular and direct contact between the mayor’s office and residents.

He will also meet one-on-one with other members of his Cabinet and review a mayoral transition report to better understand each department’s urgent priorities; and will establish a community engagement adviser for community affairs, religious affairs and special projects, the document states.

Over the first three months of his tenure, Mobolade plans to focus on short-term progress and building momentum for bigger initiatives, he said.

Strategic direction

Among other steps, Mobolade’s blueprint plan states he will launch a strategic plan process and develop a vision and goals with community priorities in mind. He will engage resident feedback by hosting town halls in collaboration with councilmembers in each of the city’s six districts, pursue a joint mayor-City Council retreat to establish priorities and focus on greater collaboration, and bring together a diverse solutions team “to provide forward-looking actionable solutions around each key initiative,” the document states.

Public safety

To address public safety, Mobolade will establish a Public Safety Summit to tackle challenges with police recruitment and retention. He will work with the City Council to refer a Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights ballot question to voters to fund a new police training academy, will launch a “Mental Health COS” campaign that his wife Abbey Mobolade will oversee, and will develop a five-year plan to improve response times and add public safety resources to the growing community, according to the blueprint plan.

The biggest opportunity he has to address homelessness is to focus on mental health, Mobolade told reporters. He plans to launch a Homelessness & Mental Health Summit that will bring mental health practitioners and community leaders together to foster connections with resource partners and explore new opportunities, his plan states.

He also wants to add more officers to the city’s Homeless Outreach Team to cut down on illegal camping and create more permanent, supportive housing. Mobolade told reporters he supports existing efforts to provide homeless residents permanent housing and access to resources, such as The Commons supportive housing community located near The Citadel mall on the city’s southeast side.

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Housing and infrastructure

Mobolade plans to appoint a chief housing officer who will facilitate public-private partnerships in housing, advocacy and research to advance local housing priorities; explore establishing a “missing middle housing fund” that will support housing innovations for residents making $50,000-$100,000 a year; host an affordable housing roundtable with leaders in the faith community; and determine the feasibility of a 3-D manufactured home pilot project.

He will also partner closely with the Colorado Springs Utilities CEO and board – which is also the City Council – as well as water experts to guide regional conversations and planning regarding local water resources, he said.

Economic vitality

An entrepreneur with previous experience as the city’s Small Business Development administrator, Mobolade said he will take several steps to ensure a business-friendly Colorado Springs. 

As outlined in the plan, Mobolade intends to partner with local chambers of commerce to attract and retain new companies and businesses; promote the city’s “Permit Partner” program that helps entrepreneurs and event organizers determine which permits, fees and licenses their businesses or special events are subject to; revise and streamline business license codes and city sales tax rules; and continue efforts to retain U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs.

He also plans to appoint a workforce administrator who will address citywide worker shortages and partner with leaders in education, workforce development organizations and businesses; will reach out to school district superintendents on career training programs; and will meet with higher education institutions to explore career-training programs that will prepare students to join the workforce.

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