John Pitchford (Colorado)
John Pitchford ran for election for Mayor of Colorado Springs. Pitchford lost in the general election on April 2, 2019.
Pitchford also ran for election for an at-large seat of the Colorado Springs City Council. Pitchford did not appear on the ballot for the general election on April 2, 2019.
Pitchford completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2019
See also: Mayoral election in Colorado Springs, Colorado (2019)
General election
General election for Mayor of Colorado Springs
Incumbent John Suthers defeated Juliette Parker, John Pitchford, and Lawrence Martinez in the general election for Mayor of Colorado Springs on April 2, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John Suthers (Nonpartisan) | 72.5 | 69,771 |
 | Juliette Parker (Nonpartisan)  | 11.9 | 11,453 | |
| John Pitchford (Nonpartisan) | 10.4 | 9,994 | ||
 | Lawrence Martinez (Nonpartisan) | 5.2 | 5,009 | |
| Total votes: 96,227 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
John Pitchford completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Pitchford's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Balance growth with tax revenues. Currently Colorado Springs is severely underfunded and this problem will made worse by more growth because significant amounts of tax revenue are being diverted into the hands of special-interest groups. This practice must be stopped. Protecting our parks and open spaces. Recently the citizens of this city lost one of its most iconic public spaces, Strawberry Fields Park. The park was traded away in a deal that was so bad that the appraiser making the evaluation was censured and fined for his work. This city is poised to become a major hub for startup entrepreneurialism. One of the major determinants in which cities are able to benefit from this kind of growth is the quality of its public spaces. As mayor I will protect the public spaces and ensure any sale or transfer of any public park is made by a vote of the people and not an administrative decision. Transparency and accountability in government. The city currently has a significant problem with transparency in governmental operations. Recently the citizens of the city were informed of millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements in which they were not informed. These suits involved racial discrimination and sexual harassment and it is unacceptable that the public not be informed.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
Public safety. Over the course of the last 4 years the city has experienced a 50% increase in serious crime. Last year saw the highest number of murders in the city’s history. The response time of the police and the fire departments has been deteriorating. Our firefighters work with equipment that is well beyond its normal replacement age and as a result have suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. The fair finance of the city budget. The city encourages growth with significant special tax incentives that are available to only a select group of individuals. This practice decreases sales tax revenue needed to run the city and will ultimately discourage smaller businesses from opening in Colorado Springs. Respect for the citizens and its employees. The city administration should respect the voice of the people. It should not impose administrative decisions that inconvenience and disrupt the lives of tens of thousands of its citizens without their consent. The city should not disparage any group of people. The city must negotiate in good faith with its employees.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2019 Elections
External links
Footnotes
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