With the emergence of Unite Colorado Springs and a newly-invigorated independent progressive coalition of allied organizations in the Pikes Peak region, it’s clear the deeply-entrenched reactionary establishment in our region will expend every resource at its disposal to preserve the status quo and crush this grassroots movement built by you, the people. But we will never back down. We’ve only just gotten started and it’s already clear they see the immense power we have as a united independent progressive coalition, motivated by a common sense of purpose, community, and love for our city. For the first time ever, a united independent progressive coalition is supporting great City Council candidates in Colorado Springs, and the reactionary establishment is not happy, to say the least.
Colorado Springs’ April 4th municipal elections are right around the corner, and even a basic examination of the money being spent on races for positions that pay $6,250 a year seems to boggle the logical mind. But the salary isn’t what truly motivates many of these candidates – it’s the influence that comes with the position, influence which land developers and other members of this city’s establishment are happy to spend obscene amounts of money to purchase. This decades-old pattern is nothing more than legalized bribery, and it is part of a trend both nationally and locally in which wealthy campaign contributors and the dark money groups they bankroll bribe candidates, buy elections, and push their agendas when candidates in their pockets get elected.
It’s unlikely that much of this comes as a complete shock to those who are even slightly familiar with the political process, but it’s a trend which has only been exacerbated by the Citizens United decision, which has had both local and national implications. Bernie Sanders was perhaps the most outspoken, national candidate to highlight the degeneration of our electoral system into one of nepotism, backroom deals, and shady organizations which buy elections, but many have been acutely aware of this trend for some time now.
Though many of us have a basic sense of how corrupt elections at the federal level are, our true understanding of the endless corruption in local elections is often overshadowed by the circus of national politics, particularly now with virtually all news coverage focused on whatever insane thing our President will tweet on a given day. However, if we truly do care about our community, our neighbors, and our friends, it is our duty to be as informed as possible about local politics and to get engaged whenever, wherever, and however we can.
Though we don’t have the final figures for money spent on the 2017 municipal election, if current trends continue, it will be one of the most expensive in our city’s history. This begs two critical questions: who are these megadonors and dark money groups supporting and where is the money coming from?
The answer to the first question is obvious, as they have openly endorsed candidates – Chuck Fowler, Lynette Crow-Iverson, Deborah Hendrix, Andy Pico, and Greg Basham have all received massive contributions from land developers and other forms of support from corporate-funded special interest groups like Colorado Springs Forward and a shadowy 527 organization called Colorado Citizens Protecting Our Constitution Independent Expenditure Committee which appears to be sending out mailers for at least Chuck Fowler.
As far as where the money is coming from, the full picture isn’t known. Colorado Springs Forward is incorporated as a 501(c)(6) organization, meaning contributions must be made public, and from their filings it appears most of their funding comes from wealthy land developers and other business interests with a vested financial interest in the City for Champions project being pushed by CSF. Although Colorado Springs Forward has an appealing name and a seemingly innocuous mission, the obscene amount of money and resources they have poured into this election make it obvious they are trying to stack our City Council with candidates friendly to their interests and the interests of their megadonors, the average citizen be damned. It's also clear they're terrified of a newly-energized progressive and independent coalition being fostered by Unite Colorado Springs and other allied organizations.
Colorado Citizens Protecting Our Constitution is incorporated as a 527 organization, an incredibly ambiguous form of filing which means they can spend money on political campaigns but are not required to disclose who funds them. This should raise red flags for the average citizen – why would an organization not want the public to know who’s supporting them? Could it perhaps be because those megadonors don’t actually have the interests of the average person in mind? The answer to the latter question is, obviously, yes. They don’t care about you or me – they care about stacking their pockets at your expense and getting candidates elected who will make it as easy as possible for them to do so. This organization has sent out thousands of anti-Richard Skorman mailers, maligning his character and portraying Chuck Fowler as an outsider, which is laughable at best for a man who is the epitome of an establishment candidate.
This movement, Unite Colorado Springs, is built entirely by you, the people. The true power of the people is often drowned out by special interest groups like the ones listed above, but if we simply put our minds to it and unite under one banner, there is nothing we can't accomplish. We hope you support Richard Skorman, Yolanda Avila, and Jill Gaebler for the April 4th election to have City Councilmembers who will listen to, advocate for, and represent their constituents first, not special interests. This movement is becoming more powerful by the day! Join us in supporting these great candidates!