Pueblo mayoral candidates talk crime, homelessness, harm reduction and more at chamber debates
"Let's get this party started!" moderator Sarah Blackhurst proclaimed at the start of Thursday evening's mayoral debate. She introduced each of the candidates as "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC blared at Pueblo Memorial Hall.
What followed was less of a party and more reminiscent of a family dinner with relatives who can't get along, as the nine mayoral candidates sought to show voters who the best option is to lead Pueblo for the next four years.
Candidates were divided into groups of three. Each group was asked two different questions throughout the evening and each candidate had up to two minutes to respond. Candidates in other groups could also add one-minute rebuttals up to three times throughout the evening.
Here are four takeaways from the event, which was sponsored by the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, Action 22, the League of Women Voters, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and Comcast Business.
Candidates disagree on whether Pueblo is declining
Addressing crime and public safety are the top priorities for some of the mayoral candidates, while others are pushing back on the narrative of Pueblo in decay.
Randy Thurston, a former city councilor who ran for mayor in 2018, is running his campaign with a “zero tolerance for crime” slogan.
“We're giving a free pass to have people come over from all the country and say, 'Go to Pueblo, Colorado. It's Oz, you can just do whatever you want,' and that is going to stop the day that I become mayor,” Thurston said in his opening statement. “This is something that is historic and it's a tipping point. The tipping point is if we don't turn it around now, we're going to tip off the cliff.”
Chris Nicoll, also a former city councilor running again for mayor, said that Pueblo “isn’t doing so well right now” and that the city is “broken.”
“Have you had enough of the cars getting broken into your driveways — of getting accosted when you're downtown at our Riverwalk? You can't walk in our downtown, part of it, anymore? Are you tired of that and have you had enough?” Nicoll asked during his opening remarks, adding that it’s hard to attract businesses and that it could lead to population decline.
Incumbent Mayor Nick Gradisar said that sales tax revenue has increased during his time as mayor. Gradisar said Pueblo Police Chief Chris Noeller has told him that type 1 crimes, which include the most severe offenses such as murder, rape and aggravated assault, are down 13% so far this year compared to 2022.
“I think Pueblo has a bright future. We've been working hard for the last four and a half years to ensure that bright future,” Gradisar said. “The Pueblo you're going to hear some of these people describe simply doesn't exist. In many ways, they really don't know what they're talking about.”
Deryk Trujillo, who runs a talk channel on YouTube and is the youngest candidate in the race, said that rehabilitation is the “true answer” instead of “slamming the hammer down repeatedly to these criminals.”
“We need to take a deeper look at our justice system, at where (criminals) are going, where they're spending their days while they're incarcerated, because it could be used to better their lives, to get education. But it's not,” Trujillo said.
Candidates trade jabs on age, experience and more
Candidates throughout the debate were mostly cordial, but some capitalized on opportunities for rebuttals or quick zingers.
Gradisar during his closing remarks said it was “hard to hear” Thurston’s zero-tolerance stance on crime after seeing Thurston post a picture of himself jaywalking, which is considered a traffic offense in Colorado, on his campaign’s Facebook page.
“What does that mean? That means he’s obviously not serious about it. He’s just trying to get you agitated about something and try to blame that on somebody,” Gradisar said.
Trujillo, 26, took a shot at other candidates in his opening remarks when he brought up their ages and his own. City council president Heather Graham, 35, is the only other candidate below the age of 50.
“I don’t want to be cynical, but are we voting for our future or for the next few years?” Trujillo said.
When candidates were asked about their plans to make Pueblo more attractive to younger people, Trujillo again brought up the field’s age.
“Asking these candidates how they’re going to invigorate young people, it doesn’t make any sense,” Trujillo said. “It’s like asking a dog how it’s going to attract a cat.”
Thurston seemed to pay no mind to Trujillo’s first comment about age, telling him that he appreciated it because he’s “not quite ready to go in two years yet.” He also used it as an opportunity to highlight his experience and background as a former city council member and in real estate.
Other candidates also brought up their experience, including Dennis Flores, who spoke about his time on school and community boards and in management.
“I have a lot of experience and I’m proud of it,” said Flores, a Vietnam veteran. “Sometimes people will say we need somebody new and fresh, but I got to tell you, for this particular job, you need someone with experience.”
Regina Maestri said her experience in construction management made her the most qualified candidate to run the mayor's office. Gradisar underscored his time and accomplishments as mayor. Croshal discussed his background in management as well as being a small business owner.
Nicoll questioned the experience of some candidates and said Pueblo “can’t afford to elect inexperienced council members." He said he he thought it was important for someone to finish their first term on council before becoming mayor. His comments appeared to reference Graham and Maestri, whose first terms on council would end in 2025. Both have served on council since 2022.
At times during the debate, Graham mentioned her accomplishments during her time on council, such as an ordinance that mandates jail time for people who steal $300 worth of merchandise or more and a collaboration with the Pueblo Police Department union to help retain and recruit police officers. The union last month endorsed Graham's candidacy.
The dynamic between city council members and the mayor, which has irked some Puebloans over the past year, also took center stage when Larry Atencio said in his closing remarks that nobody on council speaks to one another and that “little constituencies” are built among them. He pledged that he would “build a team” with city council as mayor and claimed to not have had a conversation with Gradisar since he became mayor in 2019.
Gradisar, who sported a smile and appeared to look surprised after Atencio’s remark, couldn’t resist addressing it a few minutes later.
“Sometimes it’s hard to sit up here and keep a straight face and maybe you’ve noticed that at city council meetings as well for me when you hear some of the stuff that’s being said,” said Gradisar, sparking a bout of laughter from the crowd. “I took Councilor Atencio to Chihuahua, Mexico, with me to visit a real-time crime center. I assure you we had discussions on matters of importance to the city during that trip.”
Candidates display contrasting rhetoric on homelessness
The candidates offered differing approaches to addressing unhoused people in Pueblo, from imposing a camping ban to providing housing.
Tom Croshal, a retired business owner, was the only candidate to state his support for a housing-first approach.
“We have to get housing for these people: we need to get them into permanent housing,” Croshal said. He said that some nonprofits that could provide on-site services for substance abuse are “underfunded and they need support.”
Flores said that “millions of dollars” come into Pueblo for mental health, whether it’s for the Colorado Mental Health Institute or addiction recovery centers. He would hold the existing agencies and nonprofits in Pueblo accountable for addressing addiction and mental health with people who are homeless.
Nicoll said that he would ban “homeless illegal camping” in Pueblo, including in the Fountain Creek area, on his first day in office. He said fires in encampments could spread to surrounding neighborhoods.
Maestri said “we have a transient problem” of people coming into Pueblo “bringing addiction and crime.” She said there are “very heavy resources” already in the community for people to transition to permanent housing and fight addiction if they want. She also implied that enforcing existing laws and ordinances could stop homeless encampments.
Nicoll also claimed that he has spoken with a security guard in the Belmont area who told him that homeless people are being bussed into Pueblo.
“He sees (a bus) come back in there on a reoccurring basis and drop people off,” Nicoll said.
Atencio and Gradisar were both quick to offer rebuttals to Nicoll. Gradisar said he’s asked people to send him evidence of the buses but nothing has materialized yet.
Atencio said that he asked the leadership of the Pueblo Rescue Mission at a Monday work session and they told him that people being bussed into Pueblo has not been a notable issue.
“The politics of fear is really strong. Don't let them scare you into voting for them or voting for something that is not relevant,” Atencio said.
Views on harm reduction take center stage
Evidence shows that harm reduction programs and resources can help reduce the risk of overdoses, reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases and encourage people to seek substance abuse treatment, but these programs have been in the public spotlight this year.
Some elected officials have questioned whether such programs are enabling people addicted to substances and why discarded syringes can be found around the city.
Pueblo County Commissioner Epimenio “Eppie” Griego publicly admonished harm reduction programs in February and some business owners objected to city funding for a wellness center run by the Southern Colorado Harm Reduction Association. City council initially denied funding on a 3-3 vote, but approved it 5-2 when it was re-introduced.
Blackhurst, the moderator and CEO of Action 22, hosted Griego on the “Making Action Happen” podcast in March. She implied that harm reduction programs are a “grave disservice” to Pueblo and that “I felt with you absolutely enraged by this” after reading his comments.
On Wednesday, Blackhurst asked at-large city council candidates if it was a benefit to have the program near a school or the fairgrounds. During Thursday’s debate, she asked candidates if they felt it was a benefit or detriment to Pueblo.
Multiple candidates, including Nicoll, Thurston and Graham, said they have concerns about the needle exchange. Nicoll called the plan for SCHRA, which hosts the program once a week, to open a wellness center in Bessemer a “development killer” for the area.
Graham and Maestri voted against funding SCHRA both times. They said giving clean needles to drug addicts is enabling them and isn’t a form of harm reduction.
“I’m really sorry to all those businesses that are down there in the Bessemer area,” Graham said. “I’ve personally been down there helping them clean up needles, and the number of needles behind and in front of the businesses, it’s traumatic for a small business owner.”
“I don’t believe in needle exchanges,” Maestri said. “I believe in addiction recovery, but we have to set expectations and there’s expectations with recovery. It’s just not a free reign of, ‘You’re going to do it your way.’”
Thurston asked the crowd, “Where’s the common sense?” after hearing Gradisar’s and Croshal’s support for the program, while Gradisar pointed to the data that show people are more likely to enter rehab and stop using drugs after participating in a needle exchange program.
“We can just close our eyes and pretend like it’s going to go away, but if the needle exchanges do go away, we’re still going to have needles in the street and our hospitals full of people with HIV and AIDS,” Gradisar said.
Croshal, though he supports the program, said he didn’t agree with city council’s decision to fund SCHRA’s planned wellness center and that there should be more oversight on how the organization operates the program if it receives taxpayer money.
The coordinated election will be on Nov. 7 and ballots will be mailed to voters starting October 16. This year's election includes contests for the mayor, city council, water board, Pueblo School District 60 school board and two state ballot questions. If a mayoral candidate does not receive more than 50% of votes, a runoff election will be held in January 2024.
Anna Lynn Winfrey and Josué Perez are reporters at the Pueblo Chieftain. They can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com and jhperez@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Four takeaways from the Pueblo mayoral debate at Memorial Hall
