Author: Rachel Riley, The Gazette
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Conservative Christian leader Will Perkins, known as a leading voice for Amendment 2, dies at 91
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Will Perkins, a prominent local businessman who helped cement Colorado Springs’ reputation as an epicenter for evangelical Christianity, died Saturday at the age of 91. Perkins, who ran Perkins Motors dealership for nearly three decades, was a renowned leader in the city’s religious community, working for and alongside Christian ministries such as Focus on the…
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Sales tax for Front Range passenger rail gets initial thumbs up, Colorado survey shows
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Colorado voters rejected a proposed sales tax to bankroll transportation improvements last year, but a new survey suggests that taxpayers might be willing to pony up for a Front Range passenger rail. 61% of the 600 Colorado residents surveyed said they would support a sales tax increase to fund a line stretching from Pueblo to…
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Manitou mayoral candidates: Colorado Springs an Incline bully
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The former owner of a now-defunct local newspaper and the chairman of the Manitou Springs Planning Commission are vying to become the city’s next mayor. Manitou voters will this fall choose between Alan Delwiche, who has served on municipal boards and committees including the Planning Commission, and John Graham, who published the weekly Pikes Peak…
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Denver to get its first female sheriff (at least for a little while)
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A former deputy chief of the Commerce City Police Department will act as Denver’s sheriff on an interim basis when the agency’s top official steps down next month. Fran Gomez, now the sheriff’s department director of professional standards, is slated to temporarily replace Sheriff Patrick Firman on Oct. 14, Denver Public Safety Department Executive Director…
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Denver City Council to delay vote on ‘pollution tax’ under new agreement
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The Denver City Council will delay a vote on a controversial “pollution tax” on Denver businesses’ energy use under an agreement that the bill’s seven sponsors have reached with Mayor Michael Hancock. The council was set on Monday night to have a public hearing on the bill, which would have put a question on the…
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Denver is behind on its climate change goals, council members warn
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UPDATE 8/26: Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and seven members of the City Council have reached an agreement on climate-change steps that takes a “pollution tax” proposal off the agenda of tonight’s council meeting. Check back with ColoradoPolitics.com for more later. As Denver considers asking for a “pollution tax” on businesses, City Council members are concerned…
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Is the end near for plastic grocery bags in Denver?
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Several Denver City Council members are calling for a crackdown on flimsy plastic grocery bags that are fated for landfills. City Councilwoman Kendra Black said she’s working with Councilwomen Debbie Ortega and Stacie Gilmore to draft a bill to ban single-use plastic bags. The details of the proposal have yet to be worked out, Black…
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Another Colorado city joins opposition to Colorado national popular vote law
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Woodland Park has joined two other Colorado Springs-area communities in opposing a controversial new state law that would award Colorado’s nine Electoral College votes to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote nationwide. The Woodland Park City Council voted 5-0 on Aug. 15 to take a formal stance against the law, which will only…
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Denver’s ethics director asks for audit before upcoming retirement
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Outgoing Denver ethics director Michael Henry is leaving the city with a request: Assess the shortcomings of the program he’s run for nearly two decades. Henry, who is to retire early next month, has asked the Denver Auditor’s Office to complete a probe and make recommendations for improvements to the city’s ethics code, which he…
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Denver City Council member questions how much revenue ‘pollution tax’ would generate
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A proposed tax on Denver businesses’ energy use would only generate a fraction of the revenues that the measure’s sponsors have advertised, a Denver city councilwoman said Monday. Those who pitched the controversial measure have said it would generate about $35 million annually. But that number doesn’t take into account the tax breaks that would…
