Colorado Springs city election: Mayor's race likely headed to a runoff between top 2 vote-getters

Apr. 4—Colorado Springs mayoral candidates Yemi Mobolade and Wayne Williams are the top two vote-getters, according to unofficial results posted at 10:40 p.m. Tuesday, likely heading to a runoff election after no one in the crowded 12-person race received more than 50% of the vote.

Unofficial general election results from the City Clerk's Office show Mobolade, a West African immigrant, entrepreneur and political newcomer, had about 28.9% of the vote, while Williams, a city councilman and former El Paso County commissioner and Colorado secretary of state, received about 20.1%.

If those results hold throughout the counting of ballots, they would move into a second round that will determine who will become the city's next top leader, a runoff election on May 16.

Mobolade addressed an energetic crowd of hundreds of supporters Tuesday night at the COS City Hub event venue, promising to lead with courage, justice and purity.

"My vision for our city is that we will become an inclusive, culturally rich, economically prosperous, safe and vibrant city that shines on a hill brightly for the world to see," he said. "They said, 'There's no way he has a chance,' that Colorado Springs would never vote for a Black immigrant with big dreams of unifying this city. But they were wrong, and you the voters have spoken."

Vance Brown, the executive director of business development support company Exponential Impact who has supported Mobolade's campaign, said Tuesday's date — April 4 — was significant because it was the day civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn.

"This man will stand up against hate ... and injustice and unfairness because he has the courage to do it," Brown said of Mobolade.

Williams, celebrating with supporters at the Patty Jewett Golf Course on Tuesday, said if elected he would work to address public safety, roads and infrastructure and continue to strengthen Colorado Springs' economic vitality.

"I want a safe and prosperous community to live in, and want people to be able to make the same decision I did in 1992 to call Colorado Springs home," he said.

The next person to be named Colorado Springs mayor will be just the third strong mayor in the city's history, succeeding Mayor John Suthers, who cannot run again for the seat after serving for eight years because of term limits.

The mayor acts as the city's full-time chief executive, with the power to enforce laws and ordinances, create a strategic plan for the city, and submit to the City Council an annual budget.

Colorado Springs' next top leader will take over at a crucial time, residents and local politicians recently said, and will need to work with the City Council to make key decisions about growth, housing affordability, water availability, public safety, parks, transit and investment in roads and economic development.

Not earning a spot in the runoff — if unofficial results were to hold true — is Sallie Clark, an experienced politician who has previously served on the City Council, the Board of El Paso County Commissioners and most recently worked as the Colorado director for rural development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She is also a longtime businesswoman, the owner of the Holden House 1902 Bed & Breakfast Inn in town.

Unofficial results posted at 10:40 p.m. showed Clark had about 18.5% of the vote. She told a Gazette reporter Tuesday the race was still too close to concede.

Williams said the runoff election is the chance for voters to get to know their mayoral candidates better and compare lived experience. Williams said he stands out because of his experience running large organizations as a city councilman, a former Colorado secretary of state, El Paso County clerk and recorder and as an El Paso County commissioner, among others.

"We have to continue the progress we've made in the city, and I believe we're going to continue to be able to do that," he said.

Both Williams and Mobolade said they plan to reach out to other candidates and their supporters in the 42 days leading up to the mayoral runoff election, hoping to persuade voters who may not have voted for them in Tuesday's election.

"It doesn't really matter who's in first or second in the first round, as Steve Bach proved 12 years ago," Williams said. "All of us have to keep working hard."

When voters decided their mayor in the first runoff election in Colorado Springs history in 2011, Steve Bach defeated Richard Skorman, a businessman who later served as a city councilman. Bach earned 57% of the vote in the 2011 runoff election compared to nearly 43% for Skorman. Earlier in the general election, Skorman had earned nearly 36% and Bach just over 33% among eight candidates.

Williams said he was already visiting with candidates at his watch party Tuesday night, and Mobolade plans to add to the number of doors — 19,300 — his campaign has knocked on so far.

"Tomorrow, we get started," Mobolade said.

Mobolade said partisan division "has no place" in the city and encouraged his supporters to "take the high road" in coming weeks amid potential backlash and opposition.

In a show of camaraderie, Mobolade dropped in earlier Tuesday night to Williams' watch party.

"Just wanted to say hello," he said.

Mobolade, Williams and Clark were the top fundraisers in the mayor's race this year, earning generous contributions from major developers, construction companies, investment firms and political committees throughout the election.

A recently approved controversial water rule that prevents large land annexations into the city sparked a tug-of-war between major developers and "dark money" donors in this year's mayoral and City Council races.

"The level of nastiness from the opposition has been different from any campaign I've been on," Williams said. "You've got attack groups out there that would rather tear people down than talk about the issues facing Colorado Springs."

Norwood Development Group, which would benefit heavily from the new water rule, and people associated with the company, have backed Williams. He has also received generous support from others including developer Danny Mientka, Schmidt Construction Inc., Weidner Property Management, Classic Homes, the Housing & Building Association and the Colorado Springs Forward committee, a group affiliated with a civic nonprofit.

The water rule has already blocked the annexation of a large proposed development near Fountain called Amara. La Plata Communities, the company behind the project, heavily supported Clark this year. Other developers like The O'Neil Group, Central Bancorp CEO Ron Johnson, Tartan Partners and people associated with them also threw their fundraising weight behind Clark.

Mobolade received support from developers including High Valley Land Company Inc.; Susan Pattee, a partner in the redevelopment of the Union Printers Home; The O'Neil Group; and Kevin Butcher, owner of commercial real estate company Strata Group.

Some of Mobolade's funding has also come from large donations from businesses, including generous contributions from military-grade engineering firm Jaxon Engineering and Maintenance; Exponential Impact's Brown; and Anthony Feltman, owner of Rocky Mountain Soap Market.

Independent expenditure committees also supported Williams and Clark.

Mobolade has previously said the number and diversity of his donations, which included small monthly gifts, will help ensure he doesn't act on behalf of a few.

Williams has said in previous interviews he would not allow campaign contributions to influence his future decisions.

The Gazette's O'Dell Isaac and Brooke Nevins contributed to this report.