COLORADO SPRINGS — Several mayor candidates took the stage today during a forum presented by Safe Passage, a local nonprofit serving children who have suffered from abuse. The forum discussed issues that directly impact kids in our community.
WATCH A RECORDING OF THE FORUM BELOW
DISCLAIMER: All candidates will not be in attendance at this event as the deadline for submitting campaign financial filings was January 3rd, 2023 to attend. This was not a decision made by KOAA.
I spoke with Maureen “Mo” Basenberg, from Safe Passage. Mo tells me the event will provide an opportunity to hear from these candidates who will be serving our community for a four-year term.
She says Safe Passage wants parents to be able to hear where the priorities of these candidates when it comes to the kids of our community. Safe Passage will be discussing ways to keep local kids safe during the forum. Topics like mental health, inclusion, and after-school care will be discussed during the forum.
“We are going to also talk about after-school programming, which might not sound that exciting but when you think about what after-school programming provides for our kiddos, it’s a safe connection in those twilight hours right in between school and when parents get off work, it’s really important that we have a robust response for that in our community, said Basenberg.
“A mayor in any community sets a tone and an expectation, they’re a good conveyor. We are really focusing on children’s mental health. We know that kids are still recovering from the pandemic. We know that there is still a state of emergency declared by Colorado Children’s Hospital in terms of kids’ mental health.”
Another big topic the mayoral candidates will be asked to talk about is inclusivity. Safe Passage is asking the candidates to talk about how they will make sure children in our community will have equal access to opportunities.
The mayoral form is open to the public to attend. It starts at 5:30 p.m. this evening.
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