Mayor touts jobs, energy

Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera focused on economic development in his fourth State of the City address but laid out plans for alternative energies as well.

Rivera’s speech, delivered to a crowd of about 300 people at a Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce luncheon Thursday, came in the midst of his run for Congress. He did not sidestep controversies, though, talking about the evidence destruction debacle in the Police Department and his opposition to the likely elimination of a streetlight fee.

Much of the speech revolved around what the mayor called “the best year I’ve seen in Colorado Springs for job creation,” covering the time since his address last summer. He pointed to 4,400 newly created jobs and an unemployment rate that dropped to 4.4 percent from 5.6 percent.

Rivera mentioned little about plans for next year other than to continue working to recruit and retain businesses.

“It was the state of the city, which is about where we are,” he said after the speech at the Antlers Hilton. “And I think the focus is not going to change in 2007.”

The mayor spoke about coming projects to improve the Fillmore Street corridor and build an overpass at Union Boulevard and Austin Bluffs Parkway. He announced a new program in which Colorado Springs Utilities will work with Harrison School District 2 to train non-college-bound seniors for jobs with the utility.

Rivera also placed an emphasis on environmental stewardship within the city-owned utility. He spoke of a new biomass program at the Drake Power Plant and said the utility is studying increasing its use of biodiesel fuel and wind power.

Dave Gardner, an environmental activist who videotaped the speech, was pleased to hear of the programs. But he was disappointed it took the city until after passage of a 2004 state constitutional amendment on alternative energy — which the council opposed — to plan changes.

Rivera also is pushing incentives for alternative fuels as part of his campaign for the open 5th Congressional District seat. But much of the speech bore little resemblance to one being given by a Republican candidate on the stump.

The mayor spoke about recent disclosures that police workers discarded evidence in ongoing cases, saying that mistakes were made but that the city should continue to support the Police Department on its overall work. He also mentioned plans for a controversial fee, which he supports, that will be assessed against property to improve the city’s storm-water drainage system.

Seemingly unconcerned about drawing attention to a politically unpopular view, the mayor brought up a recent council vote to repeal a three-year-old streetlight fee that had been assessed on residents. Rivera pointed out that the move was made by other council members and that he had been an original supporter of the fee.