COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — News5 is taking the time to check in with Colorado Springs city councilmembers to share their voices outside of city council meetings and hear what their messages are to their constituents.
This week, we are highlighting City Council President Lynette Crow-Iverson.
Click here to read the ULI Advisory Services Panel Report on the N. Nevada Avenue Corridor.
WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL MESSAGE TO CONSTITUENTS RIGHT NOW?
"The big overall message in Colorado Springs is, in light of the budget cuts that we've recently had, I feel like we're doing the right thing, that our city itself is going to be on a good trajectory. We're looking at things picking up. We ended the year... with really good tourism numbers, which is what we're known for. If there are people really worried about budget, worried about how it's going to affect their lives, I think we're going to be just fine."
HAVE ANY OF YOUR PRIORITIES CHANGED AMID THE BUDGET SHORTFALL?
"No, I'm a limited government. Essential functions of government, police, fire and infrastructure, which will continue to be my focus. We get our budget books on October 6, and we'll dive in as we approve the budget before the end of the year. And you know, just make sure that we are doing the right thing for the citizens, and that their tax dollars are going to use as they expect them to."
WHAT IS THE STATE OF THE CITY IN YOUR EYES?
"The state of the city... we were flat. We are flat in sales and use tax, but we're still getting those things done that need to get done. We're still emphasizing police as a priority. Fire is a priority. We're working on those potholes as much as we can. We're getting into fall, where it's going to be freeze-thaw. We're putting more shovels on the ground so those, those essential functions of government, we're going to focus on, and we're going to make sure that those things get done for the citizens."
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW THAT YOU WANT CONSTITUENTS TO KNOW ABOUT?
"Well, the budget will make sure that the budget, when we pass the budget, it's a balanced budget, and we'll make sure, again, that we focus on the things that matter to our citizens. Personally, one of my big focus areas that I'm in the process of completing is the redevelopment of the North Nevada corridor. You know, it's kind of a gem in the rough right now. And we, earlier this year, rolled out a study from the Urban Land Institute. That study was just finished, and so we'll start looking at how to redevelop the North Nevada corridor from UCCS down into the city, and how we can really redevelop that with a lot of thought and purpose."
YOU WERE A PROPONENT FOR 2C, PPRTA AND OTHER TAXES, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MAKE SURE MONEY IS BEING SPENT THE RIGHT WAY?
"I think John Suthers was very thoughtful as a forefather... what he did with our water, looking at our utilities and what to look for our city moving, you know, 20, 30, or 40 years down the road, which is what he was looking at. We have a lot of freeze-thaw. Our city is growing rapidly. We have a lot of tourists.. they love our parks to death. They love our roads to death. And so for him to have the vision that we need a 2C tax and not rely on the federal government or the state government, that was probably one of the most impactful things that he did for our city moving forward. And, you know, again, I'm fiscally conservative, but I that is something that we need to put into again, when our budget is majority depending on sales and use tax, and that fluctuates through the year based on things that are out of our control, those little things really matter, like the to see the PPRTA, the TOPS, those, those priorities of John Suthers, I think will save us in those down terms and in the future."
WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM YOUR CONSTITUENTS ON A REGULAR BASIS?
"Here, we get a lot of emails regarding crime and homelessness and trash and those types of things, just like every growing city does, and I think these are growing pains. We do see more homelessness than we have in the past. It's you know that... because we're a growing city, because we're a very welcoming city, I mean, those aren't bad things, but at the same time, how do you manage it? And some of the ways we manage it is to fight back at the state and so that our police officers can do the things that they need to do, which this council has signaled that that's exactly what we will do. So last year, we expanded sit-lie, which is a compassionate way of dealing with homelessness and vagrancy, and mental health. You can't just trash a part of our city. You have to, you have to do something. You're either going to get some help or, you know, you're going to be put in jail because it's illegal. And in my opinion, getting people the help they need is more compassionate than letting them sit there in freezing temperatures and whatnot. So this council particularly focuses on things that will keep our city safe. We've added, you know, that ordinance, we opted out of concealed carry in sensitive spaces so that people, our judges and our elected officials can protect themselves to keep our city as safe as possible with ordinances that we have in our control, because we can't control what the state does."
YOU MENTIONED FIGHTING BACK AGAINST THE STATE, IN YOUR EYES HOW CAN THE REGULAR PERSON HELP IN THAT FIGHT? SEVERAL EL PASO COUNTY LAWMAKERS HAVE RESIGNED TO INCLUDE PUGLIESE AND LUNDEEN. (Editor's note: The journalist was not insinuating people should push back against state policy)
"Well, just making sure they support the right people in those positions. I mean, we have a committee that will decide, you know, who replaces Rose [Pugliese] until there's an election in 2026 but you know, and people who really want to be involved and engaged and are in a position in their their career, where they can do that, we need more people stepping up to help keep our community the community that we want, and not just relying on the state to determine how we will do our land use and how we will enforce the law. Our city should have the say in that, and so we, you know, more people are willing to fight the fight."
TALK ABOUT YOUR ROLE AS PRESIDENT.
"Well, I was pro tem as a freshman, so I had two years under my belt working next to President Helms, which was a lot of fun, and so I don't quite have the learning curve as a brand new president would have. So I did have two years of watching and doing a lot of the work when he couldn't and whatnot. So that was lucky for me. There is a lot more responsibility to it. You do have to, you know, set agendas and make sure hearings are in the amount of time based on charter and law, and working with, you know, the planning department and the legal department and the clerk's office. So there is a lot more organization. There's a lot more working, you know, alongside your colleagues, a little bit differently. You know, we kind of have to hold the leadership. So when big decisions are made, you know, we have to make them on behalf of nine. So you have to have a very good relationship with online, and making sure everybody's interests are being considered when making certain decisions. And of course, you know, we set council rules when it comes to meetings. So we've, you know, made some adjustments that weren't real popular at the first but they're working very well now, by adding public comment to the end of our meetings, and the only thing we did was prioritize the agenda items so that we could get through them thoughtfully, and we're not doing those hard things at the end of the day, and then moving the public comment to the end of the day.
HOW IS THAT RULE CHANGE GOING? (TIED TO CHANGING THE PUBLIC COMMENT RULES)
"I do believe we're going to keep it going, because our staff tracks if there's been a big difference, and they track to see how many people before the change were at public comment versus how many people after the change. And it's very say, it's very the very same, and it's working very well as well staff, city staff, who come for those agenda items then can go back to work when they're done, and they don't have to stay, which helps with city resources, especially right now, when we need our staff, you know, to be doing as much as they can with the cuts that we had last Friday. So I think it will stay the same."
PLAY THE RAW INTERVIEW AT THE TOP OF THIS ARTICLE TO HEAR MORE FROM CROW-IVERSON INCLUDING ONE OF HER BIGGEST FOCUSES, THE N. NEVADA AVENUE CORRIDOR. A RECENT STUDY WAS RELEASED AND CROW-IVERSON ALONG WITH OTHERS ARE LOOKING TO THE FUTURE OF THAT AREA BETWEEN UCCS AND DOWNTOWN.
ABOUT CROW-IVERSON FROM THE CITY COUNCIL WEBSITE:
"Lynette Crow-Iverson was the Founder, President and CEO of Conspire! A groundbreaking industry compliance firm, Conspire! rapidly grew to serve over thousands of companies, schools, and organizations with locations across the world. Due to Lynette’s experience as a trauma and cardiac nurse, combined with her keen insight into workforce trends and business needs she immediately identified a market potential for industry compliance in the safe and drug-free workplace, this led to a seamless transition into a position of management of medical operations in Occupational Medicine offering a safety net of services for Employers. In 2008, Lynette became the managing partner of HealthQuest Medical Services, a workers' compensation medical clinic in Colorado Springs.
Lynette is a respected authority routinely called upon by members in her industry and beyond. In addition to launching one of the state’s most innovative businesses in the past decade, she served on several boards and commissions dedicated to improving, enriching, and enhancing the quality of life in Colorado Springs. Recognized as an expert in business ethics and corporate compliance, Lynette was one of the founding mayor-appointed trustees for the Colorado Springs Health Foundation and served for two years as the chair for the Pikes Peak Workforce Authority Board. She currently sits on the Regional Connect Committee for the Chancellor of UCCS and is the Vice Chair of UCHealth - Grandview Hospital Board and a UCHA State Board Member. Lynette has received the women of distinction award from the Girls Scouts of America and the prestigious S. Jerrard Smith Community Service Award from Pikes Peak United Way.
Lynette ran many successful campaigns under the Suthers administration to include, 2C, 2C2, PPTRA, and TOPS.
Since the sale of her businesses in April 2022, Lynette ran for City Council At Large and was elected on April 4th, 2023, and now serves on Colorado Springs City Council as President."
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