Colorado Springs at-large council candidate questionnaire: Glenn Carlson

Position and imaginative and prescient

What’s your elevator pitch for why voters in Colorado Springs ought to select you as the following at-large council consultant?

As a COS native; I’ve lived, labored, volunteered, and performed right here my complete life. That is dwelling, merely put. Having expertise working in a worldwide management capability for Colorado’s largest firm and now operating our personal enterprise with our 35 workers, I see firsthand what issues and challenges folks face. I’ve a duty to make the most of my skillsets, power, and creativity to go away COS higher than I discovered it.

What do you see because the function and/or operate of metropolis authorities?

Our metropolis performs an enormous function in our lives right here. To summarize, our metropolis authorities has a duty to make sure we have now infrastructure, public security, outside areas, a thriving economic system, transportation, and our utility to call a couple of.

What’s the primary problem dealing with the following council of Colorado Springs, and the way would you handle it?

Our primary problem is discovering a strategy to hold our COS lifestyle and all of the issues we love about COS whereas acknowledging our inevitable development. It’s on the intersection of those two the place our best challenges lie, particularly as regards to power, water, future improvement, infill, and so on.

What’s your imaginative and prescient for Colorado Springs within the subsequent 25 years, and what reasonable insurance policies do you intend to get us there?

The beloved city I used to be born and raised in has become a metropolis. Whereas I yearn for the “olden days”, I additionally perceive it is a excellent place and other people wish to be right here. I imagine we have to guarantee we have now water to serve this development, firstly. Secondly, I wish to guarantee we develop responsibly whereas having respect for our metropolis’s most treasured areas and neighborhoods.

Regulation enforcement / Public Security

What’s the most urgent public security concern dealing with the town and how would you handle it?

As talked about above, COS is formally an enormous metropolis now and we now have large metropolis points. I imagine we have to proceed to give attention to public security, particularly as regards to the latest enhance in property crimes. We’ve seen progress with our public/non-public companions as regards to homelessness and must proceed to put money into these relationships as nicely.

What’s your response to the findings from the audit on how the Colorado Springs Police Division makes use of power? What, if any, adjustments have to be made to the best way CSPD operates?

I imagine the audit, together with LETAC, are nice first steps to grasp our use of power and the way we will enhance. With out going again and analyzing incidents, how can hope to enhance them? Lots of the officers have requested additional coaching on use of power and that is vital as nicely. In the end, I imagine transparency and a give attention to continuous enchancment is the perfect path ahead right here.

What do you suppose of the present relationship between the Colorado Springs Police Division and the general public? Is it acceptable or ought to extra be achieved, and in that case, what?

I’d characterize this relationship as evolving. Whereas I imagine we have now improved that relationship regionally, it is laborious to disregard the breakdowns on the nationwide stage. I imagine we must always ALWAYS give attention to enhancing this relationship, whatever the stage of rigidity all through the nation. Appointing well-rounded, clever leaders to steer these organizations can be a key operate I would wish to have a component in.

What do you consider the Regulation Enforcement Transparency and Advisory Fee (LETAC)? What would you do in a different way with this fee or its objective if given the possibility?

As talked about above, I imagine LETAC is an effective first step and I’d say, within the grand scheme of issues, we’re nonetheless studying how efficient a fee like LETAC might be. Be clear, be able to be taught, be prepared to regulate.

Emergency officers are implementing new notification software program and different measures within the case of a wildfire or different hazard, however some residents say that isn’t sufficient. How would you handle their issues?

Sadly, the jury remains to be out on the “finest” system to make use of for these hazards. I would wish to press for trial contracts on many of those options and take a look at them out. Let’s run exams with these merchandise like we might the rest and see what works finest.

Progress

How do you outline sustainable and accountable development, and is the town profitable in rising responsibly and sustainably?

I imagine development might be good when modest and logical. What we have now seen lately has been laborious for a lot of to regulate to because the economic system was placed on steroids popping out of the pandemic. Alongside constrained provide chains, we bought inflation. When we have now this explosive development I imagine it’s vital to guard neighborhoods, communities, and issues that give COS our id. Progress in any respect prices doesn’t equal top quality of life, which is what most individuals intention to maximise.

What completely different strategy would you’re taking, if any, to assist handle housing affordability?

The one largest lever to tug right here is rising rates of interest within the battle to struggle inflation. Nothing robs your buying energy quicker than inflation. As well as, although most individuals name is appreciation with regards to housing, it has merely been inflation. I imagine we have to hold rising rates of interest, which has already helped push dwelling costs down.

Infill is recognized within the PlanCOS grasp plan as a key technique for the town transferring ahead, and but, council is at present debating annexations. How do you outline infill and the way do you stability it with annexations?

Stability is the important thing right here! The infinite sprawl isn’t the reply, neither is infinite infill. A lot of metropolis council work is predicated on land-use. There are completely different standards with every mission they usually should all be studied completely.

What do you consider the latest water service extension ordinance handed by council and signed by the mayor geared toward limiting annexations primarily based on water provide? What would you will have achieved in a different way?

Although it could look like an arbitrary quantity, there’s math behind this. I spoke to the Mayor at size about this very concern lately. Our area, together with your complete southwest US, has used extra water than we anticipated AND grown quicker on the identical time. Therefore, why we see the most important points with the Colorado River Basin and catastrophically low water ranges in locations like Lake Mead and Lake Powell. Not solely are these vital water reservoirs, however the water flowing by way of them supplies energy for a lot of the SW. There may be actual worry of Federal curtailments upstream that, no matter water rights, would put is in a really unhealthy state of affairs at present situations, a lot much less if we annexed different communities. We have to rethink our long-term water planning, together with different main stakeholders. That is one thing I’ll push for and it wanted to start out yesterday.

How do you stability sustaining the character of Colorado Springs with the necessity for improvement? What’s the character of Colorado Springs?

Our character is fashioned by our neighborhoods and communities. Conserving the residents concerned and dealing collectively to construct our collective imaginative and prescient of our metropolis is one of the best ways to attain this.

Transportation / Infrastructure

What’s an important infrastructure mission wanted in Colorado Springs proper now, and the way would you handle it?

I’ll lump in our utility with infrastructure for the sake of this argument. I imagine we have to work on a long-term water plan, alongside your complete western US. I additionally imagine we will proceed to innovate and push for cleaner, extra inexpensive power.

How do you’re feeling concerning the transportation choices at present accessible in Colorado Springs? What plans, if any, do you must enhance choices for dependable public transportation?

I imagine public transportation is basically pushed by two components. a) We should present a stage of public transportation to people who depend on it. These with disabilities, unable to drive, or psychological sickness, for instance. b) The second issue that I imagine drives public transportation use is density thresholds. It’s nonetheless comparatively fast to get round city right here, straightforward to park, and other people merely favor the liberty to drive, if potential. That being mentioned, as our metropolis grows and areas grow to be denser, site visitors will worsen, parking more durable to do and costlier, and other people will then start to yearn for various transportation strategies. I imagine there are areas approaching this threshold, however not fairly but.

What are your ideas about increasing using lively transportation like bicycles or strolling? Ought to it’s a major focus and in that case, what ought to be achieved?

I do imagine we have to couple this need with the significance of extra parks and greenways. We do not have to be a concrete city. I’ll push for artistic considering in these departments and ask for extra artistic choices to fixing widespread points.

Parks & Open House, Economic system & Different

Common Palmer’s unique imaginative and prescient for the town of Colorado Springs was that of a deliberate group, constructed round its pure magnificence and setting. Do you agree with that imaginative and prescient, and in that case, how do you propose to remain true to it?

I agree with this 100%. Our views and outside areas are our best property. I’ve fought for them for years because the President of the Trails and Open House Coalition and can at all times struggle to create, protect, and defend them.

What do you see as the present state of financial variety, and the place does the town have the chance to develop?

I imagine we have now a chance to additional diversify our economic system. We’ve many nice “promoting” factors for employers wishing to broaden/find to COS and we have to be a enterprise pleasant metropolis so we will compete. Our economic system remains to be closely reliant on DoD and/or tourism and I imagine we have now extra to supply. With my background in tech, for instance, and the latest passage of the CHIPS act, we ought to be attacking alternatives for tech enlargement.

Is the town doing sufficient to handle the problem of individuals experiencing homelessness? What, if something, would you do in a different way?

In line with the most recent information, we have now made nice progress in homelessness lately. Our public/non-public partnerships have yielded optimistic outcomes and we should proceed this nice work alongside our group companions.

What’s your stance on if and when to ask voters to retain funds that exceed the cap imposed by the Taxpayers Invoice of Rights (TABOR)?

I imagine transparency is the perfect apply right here. If we have now a necessity for the additional funds, ask voters, be clear about it, and stay with the outcomes.

Who’re your high three marketing campaign donors?

So as and straightforward to grasp for ya, however there are actually two teams. Local weather Cupboard has donated $2500 to us for our help of climate-related points. The remainder of my donors are a mix of neighbors, mates, residents, and household with donations starting from $20 all the best way to $500.

Fast responses

Would you help metropolis councilors receiving a residing wage or wage versus the annual stipend of $6,250?

Sure.

Do you help the legalization of leisure marijuana in Colorado Springs?

Sure.

Would you help creating an unbiased board for Colorado Springs Utilities, relatively than having council function the board?

No.

Do you help Entrance Vary Rail?

Sure.

Do you help extending Structure Avenue?

No.

Is the town adequately addressing local weather change and adaptation?

No.

Do you help the poll measure that extends the TOPS gross sales tax?

Sure.