In-depth interview with City of Colorado Springs mayoral candidate Wayne Williams

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Play the video at the top of this article for an in-depth interview with the candidate.

CLICK HERE for the full list of candidates.

Name: Wayne Williams

Committee Name: Wayne Williams for Colorado

Mailing Address: 3472 Research Parkway, Ste. 104-200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

Phone Number: Campaign Manager: 719-299-1886 Alternate Phone Number: 719-439-1870

E-mail address: WayneWilliamsForMayor@Gmail.com(link sends e-mail)

Website: WinWithWayne.org

KKTV 11 News provided the candidate with the following questions for a bio. 11 News did not edit their response:

Hometown: Colorado Springs for the last 30+ years (originally, Front Royal, VA)

How long have you lived in Colorado Springs: 30+ years

Education: JD, University of Virginia (1989); BA, Brigham Young University (1986)

Profession: Attorney

Previously held and current elected positions: Colorado Springs City Council (2019-Current) and Chair, Colorado Springs Utilities (2021-Current); Colorado Secretary of State (2015-19); El Paso County Clerk and Recorder (2011-15); El Paso County Commissioner (2003-11)

Top priorities for Colorado Springs

In my over 30 years as a resident of Colorado Springs, I’ve worked to serve our community. My wife, Holly, and I raised our four amazing children here. My mission as mayor is to ensure that through community collaboration, Colorado Springs remains the very best city to live, work and raise your families. As mayor, I will continue to fight to ensure we have adequate transportation systems, water and other utilities, fire and police stations, and that we provide the other services needed for a growing city.

Public Safety. I am dedicated to providing Colorado Springs Police and Firefighters with the personnel, training, tools and resources necessary to keep our neighborhoods, businesses and schools safe. As a councilmember, we obtained voter approval to fund fire mitigation and adopted our city’s first fire evacuation ordinance. I will continue my work with state and local agencies to enhance wildfire preparedness and mitigation. Since joining the city council, we’ve added positions for 62 new police officers, 66 firefighters and funded 3 new fire stations, moved to a continuous police academy and established a public safety fee to make sure new development pays their fair share. As mayor, I will ensure our public safety needs are prioritized.

Infrastructure (Roads, Water, Parks). Time spent in traffic gridlock is time lost with friends and family. It also has an adverse impact on our economy. That’s why I’ve championed road and infrastructure projects, including the widening of I-25 and the creation of the Pikes Peak RTA. As Chair of Colorado Springs Utilities, I helped create a developer-paid $5,800 per home water resource fee that goes into a separate fund to acquire new water rights. And we’ve reached agreements in the Arkansas Valley to upgrade farmers’ irrigation systems and buy the water we save – 3,000 acre feet acquired and entered a framework for 15,000 acre feet (enough for 100,000 users). For the first time, we’ve adopted specific protections for Colorado Springs residents, ensuring a buffer exists so that we have the necessary water for our future. During my four years on City Council, we’ve added over a thousand acres of parks and open space. And we added more than a thousand acres for El Paso County when I served as a County Commissioner. I helped refer the TOPS extension to the voters and I support its passage.

Economic Vitality. I am committed to preserving a low tax burden for our residents while delivering economic growth to our city through business development and recruitment, as well as public/private partnerships and investments. I’m honored to be a past recipient of the Chamber’s Regional Leader of the Year Award and now serve on the Board of Directors for the Colorado Springs Chamber and Economic Development Corporation. Just like our families need to make important budget decisions to operate within their means, so does our city government. As mayor, we will continue to operate with a balanced budget and a healthy reserve that will allow us to withstand any future crisis.

Delivering Excellent Service. As the only candidate with elected executive experience, I have a track record of keeping costs low, delivering innovative and award-winning programs and providing excellent customer service. I will continue to do this as Colorado Springs’ next mayor.

Working Together. I’ve seen firsthand the importance of local leaders who work together. As mayor, I will lead a city government that works with our residents, stakeholders, agencies, organizations and businesses to accomplish a shared vision and goals.

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