Campaign finance records show where the money is flowing in upcoming Colorado Springs election

Feb. 16—Editor's Note: This article has been updated with additional information from recently updated campaign finance reports filed with the city of Colorado Springs as of Friday afternoon.

With seven weeks remaining before the April 4 Colorado Springs municipal election, several candidates have so far outraised their opponents by thousands of dollars, with the largest campaign donors betting on well-known names with lengthy resumes.

In the most recent round of campaign finance reports filed with the city on Wednesday, donations from local political action committees and large donors have been made, in most cases, to the top fundraising candidates. Those contributions came from the Colorado Springs Forward Political Action Committee, Tartan Partners, La Plata Communities, individual entrepreneurs and financial industry heads, among other donors.

This spring, the mayoral seat as well as four seats on the City Council are up for election, which has the potential to shift the balance of power on the nine-member council overseen by a strong mayor. The races have drawn 25 candidates.

Voters across the city will choose a new mayor, the first in eight years as Mayor John Suthers leaves office. He cannot run again because of term limits. Voters citywide will also select candidates to fill three at-large City Council positions, and voters in District 3 will also elect a new councilmember to serve the remaining two years of the seat's unexpired term. District 3 Councilwoman Stephannie Fortune was appointed by the council in January 2022 to fill a seat vacated by Richard Skorman and to serve through this April. She was diagnosed with leukemia in November and will not seek reelection.

Seats in Districts 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 are not up for election this year.

In a crowded mayor's race, businessman and political newcomer Andrew Dalby was leading with the most cash available as of Wednesday, according to the most recent city finance reports. There are just three more reporting periods ahead of the April 4 election.

In District 3, Scott Hiller was only slightly leading his opponent Michelle Talarico in fundraising, by $25. Brian Risley led the competition in the at-large City Council race.

The Colorado Springs Forward Political Action Committee is among the top donors in this election, giving $250,000 to a singular mayoral candidate. Ron Johnson, CEO of Colorado Springs-based banking and wealth management firm Central Bancorp, gave $12,500 to two mayoral candidates during the most recent campaign finance reporting period between Jan. 28 and Feb. 10; and Tartan Partners, a limited partnership located at the same address as Central Bancorp, donated $25,000 to its preferred mayoral candidate during that period.

Mayor's race

Many of the top fundraising candidates in the mayor's race are well-known names with lengthy resumes, the most recent campaign finance filings show.

Colorado Springs Councilman Wayne Williams, a former secretary of state, had about $185,888 on hand. He received the largest lump sum donation this reporting period — $250,000 from the Colorado Springs Forward Political Action Committee.

But Dalby was leading his competitors with about $399,000 available. Much of that money — $375,000 — is Dalby's own money he infused into his campaign, records show.

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Clark, a former Colorado Springs councilwoman and El Paso County commissioner, had about $200,000 available. Clark received $25,000 from limited partnership Tartan Partners, alongside generous donations of $10,000 each from developer La Plata Communities and Johnson of Central Bancorp. Johnson has donated $60,000 total to Clark's campaign during this election, records show.

Yemi Mobolade, a political newcomer and businessman, trailed closely behind Clark with a little over $194,000 on hand. Vance Brown, a local business executive and co-founder of the Thrivers Leadership Institute and business development company Exponential Impact, donated $10,000 to Mobolade. Brown has donated nearly $16,000 total to Mobolade's campaign so far, according to campaign finance documents. Businesswoman Susan Pattee, who co-founded Moss Parker Technologies that removes harmful "forever chemicals" from various water sources, donated $3,200 to Mobolade in the most recent campaign finance reporting period. In total, she has given more than $16,700 to his campaign.

Longinos Gonzalez Jr., an El Paso County commissioner, had approximately $143,600 on hand, also having received a donation from Johnson at Central Bancorp, for $2,500.

Competitors Tom Strand, City Council president, had about $1,295 on hand; Kallan Reece Rodebaugh, a stand-up comedian, about $500; former CIA security contractor John "Tig" Tiegen had just under $5,000; electrical engineering contractor Christopher Mitchell, about $55; former City Councilman and El Paso County Commissioner Darryl Glenn had about $4,500; and small business owner Jim Miller had no money available, according to campaign finance records.

Community advocate Lawrence Joseph Martinez has not filed any campaign finance reports.

City Council District 3, southwest Colorado Springs

Campaign fundraising amounts by Talarico and Hiller were within $25 of each other. Talarico had $2,250 on hand, and Hiller had $2,275, records show.

Talarico had received $1,000 from at-large City Council candidate Risley.

City Council at large

Business owner and entrepreneur Glenn Carlson had about $9,578 available, with $5,000 coming from Braeburn Investments. Carlson is the registered agent of Braeburn Investments, according to information on the Colorado secretary of state's website.

But Risley, an architect and chair of the El Paso County Planning Commission, had the most funds on hand, with just under $10,300, records show. David Leinweber, founder of the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance, had about $6,650 available; Professor Roland Rainey Jr. had just over $4,400; chaplain and former state Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt, nearly $2,000; businessman Jay Inman, about $1,543; political newcomer Katherine "Kat" Gayle, about $1,522; and entrepreneur Jane Northrup Glenn, who is married to mayoral candidate Darryl Glenn, had about $97 on hand.

Lynette Crow-Iverson, a businesswoman and chair of the civic nonprofit Colorado Springs Forward — a separate entity from the Colorado Springs Forward Political Action Committee that donated to Williams — had no cash on hand. Crow-Iverson's only donation so far during this election has been a self-donation of $6,000, which records show she spent on campaign consulting in January.

Entrepreneur Jaymen Johnson and public relations professional and community volunteer Chineta Davis had not filed any campaign finance reports at time of press, records show.

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