Candidates aim to restore the peace in Manitou

Recent developments in Manitou Springs seemed to set the stage for an us-vs.-them election this fall, a showdown between old-timers who fear the town they love is disappearing and business owners who cater to the tourists who keep the town afloat.

That split went public in August when Councilman  Shannon Solomon resigned at a tense city council meeting over differences with the Economic Development Council, which he believed needed to justify its cost. 

“I sense there has been a little bit of a divide in the community,” said Councilman Marc Snyder, who’s running for mayor in the mail-ballot election. Ballots went out this week to voters who have until Election Day Nov. 3 to return them.

The question for voters, according to Snyder, is for whom does the city of Manitou Springs exist?

“Does it exist for the wonderful visitors and tourists we get and make a living by servicing them?” Snyder said. “Or for the residents who pay the property taxes and staff the boards and commissions and make it the funky town that’s so popular to visitors? In my mind, the answer, of course, is both. But we need a healthy balance.”

Parking problems from the restored Cliff House hotel’s expansion and along Ruxton Avenue, where out-of-towners’ vehicles line the road and sometimes block driveways while they hike the Barr Trail up Pikes Peak or the Incline, exemplify the issue.

But the three candidates running for mayor and the two facing off for the Ward 3 council seat are in agreement that what Manitou needs is to come together to find solutions.

In the Ward 3 race  between runner Matt Carpenter and innkeeper Karen Cullen for Solomon’s vacant seat,  both candidates acknowledge that parking needs to be addressed.

“Those on the Ruxton corridor face traffic and parking issues to a far higher degree than anywhere else,” said Carpenter. “It is not uncommon for folks to come home and not even be able to park anywhere near their home.”

Cullen likened it to squeezing a tube of toothpaste. “If you impact one area, it just moves around” she said. “A comprehensive plan for parking and transportation is important.”

Carpenter, who moved to Manitou in 1998 and is best known for his seeming indomitability in races on America’s Mountain, said other priorities are improving the northwest entrance to the city, substandard housing and filling crucial city positions. The city hired a public works director in early October, but remains without a code enforcement officer or city administrator.  Cullen, who moved to Manitou in 2004 and owns the 1892 Victoria’s Keep Bed & Breakfast, also emphasized the importance of the city communicating information about upcoming projects with residents and aging infrastructure that needs to be addressed “to ensure other residents and business owners do not need to endure water main breaks in the future.”

One of Snyder’s opponents in the race for mayor, Nancy Barnes, has lived in Manitou nearly 20 years and is no stranger to the town’s political winds. She left the council after eight years in 2008, following an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2007.

“The most important issue is bringing the community back together,” she said. “There’s a tremendous gap between the citizens, the businesses and the city government. It’s just kind of disintegrating. I think prior to this, we’ve always been a cohesive community. It’s not that way anymore.”

Barnes also thinks the economic health of the community is very important. “Sixty-five percent of the money that runs this city comes from the downtown,” she said. “That’s really one of my main concerns is the budget, how much it costs to run this city, how we’re going to keep the citizens of Manitou’s safety in mind.”

Rick Barry, the third candidate running for mayor, believes solving Manitou’s parking, crumbling infrastructure and economic issues can best be accomplished by developing a vision that brings the city’s diverse residents and interests together.

“And I think in addition to developing a vision and strategic plan, we have to find a way to hire a chief executive officer,” said the retired Colorado Springs District 11 elementary school principal and 14-year Manitou resident. “City government is a business and we need to have it operate like a business.”

Snyder, who’s been on city council for six years and served on advisory boards, talks about restoring balance in Manitou.

“By that, I mean we have many little parts of our community, all with varied interests,” he said. “And I think we need to come together around a good healthy balance between all the competing interests in our town.”

In addition to the Ward 3 and mayoral races, Manitou Springs residents will also be voting on a ballot measure to remove a section concerning the Capital Improvements Fund in the city’s charter. Its removal would free up a sixth of the city’s sales tax, which currently can only be spent on land acquisitions, construction, major equipment purchases or road improvements.