Yolanda Avila
Yolanda Avila was a member of the Colorado Springs City Council, representing District 4. She assumed office on April 18, 2017. She left office on April 14, 2025.
Avila (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Colorado State Senate to represent District 11. She lost in the Democratic primary on June 28, 2022.
Biography
Avila received a B.A. in international political economy from Colorado College. Her professional experience includes working as a criminal defense investigator for 21 years. She also worked in nonprofits that help women on public assistance find educational opportunities and/or employment.[1]
Avila's community and political experience includes the following:
- Leadership Pikes Peak Signature Program, 2015
- El Paso County Citizens Academy
- President, Adult Blind Association in Colorado Springs
- Colorado College Alumni of Color Organization
- Amblicab Board of Trustees
- Member, Independent Center Fund Ad-Hoc Committee
- Emerge Colorado Class of 2016
- Member, Black/Latino Coalition
- Special event steering committee member, Council on Neighborhoods and Organizations (CONO)
- Member, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Preparedness Task Force
- Representative of National Federation of the Blind in Denver and Washington D.C.
- Community Transit Coalition member
- Colorado Springs Police Department Leadership Advisory Committee
- President, Black/Latino Coalition 2018-2019[2]
- Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) Board of Director, 2017-Present[3]
- Board Member, El Paso County Public Health, 2018-Present[4]
- Leadership Pikes Peak Signature Program, 2020[5]
Awards
Avila was awarded the following:
- Trailblazer Award- Emerge America, 2017[5]
- Certificate of Appreciation from the Latino Community Luncheon, 2018[5]
- Gates Family Foundation Harvard Fellow for Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, 2019[6]
- National Trailblazer Award- Emerge America, 2019[7]
- Certificate of Appreciation from the Latino Community Luncheon, 2019[5]
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award for Distinguished Service, 2019[5]
- Southern Business Journal Women of Influence, 2020[8]
Elections
2022
See also: Colorado State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Colorado State Senate District 11
Thomas Exum Sr. defeated incumbent Dennis Hisey and Daryl Kuiper in the general election for Colorado State Senate District 11 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Thomas Exum Sr. (D) | 49.9 | 20,258 |
 | Dennis Hisey (R)  | 44.5 | 18,042 | |
| Daryl Kuiper (L) | 5.6 | 2,264 | ||
| Total votes: 40,564 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 11
Thomas Exum Sr. defeated Yolanda Avila in the Democratic primary for Colorado State Senate District 11 on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Thomas Exum Sr. | 54.0 | 4,912 |
 | Yolanda Avila | 46.0 | 4,179 | |
| Total votes: 9,091 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 11
Incumbent Dennis Hisey advanced from the Republican primary for Colorado State Senate District 11 on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Dennis Hisey | 100.0 | 8,987 |
| Total votes: 8,987 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2021
See also: City elections in Colorado Springs, Colorado (2021)
General election
General election for Colorado Springs City Council District 4
Incumbent Yolanda Avila defeated Regina English in the general election for Colorado Springs City Council District 4 on April 6, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Yolanda Avila (Nonpartisan) | 61.5 | 3,503 |
 | Regina English (Nonpartisan) | 38.5 | 2,191 | |
| Total votes: 5,694 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
The city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, held elections for city council on April 4, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was January 23, 2017.[9] Yolanda Avila defeated Deborah Hendrix and incumbent Helen Collins in the Colorado Springs City Council, District 4 general election.[10]
| Colorado Springs City Council, District 4 General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Yolanda Avila |
40.79% | 2,346 |
| Deborah Hendrix | 31.04% | 1,785 |
| Helen Collins Incumbent | 28.17% | 1,620 |
| Total Votes | 5,751 | |
| Source: Colorado Springs, Colorado, "April 4, 2017 Municipal Election Results," accessed April 18, 2017 | ||
2015
The city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, held elections for mayor and city council on April 7, 2015. A runoff election took place on May 19, 2015.[11] The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was February 11, 2015. Four of the nine city council seats were up for election, including three at-large seats and the District 2 seat.[12]
In the at-large race, incumbent Merv Bennett and candidates Bill Murray and Tom Strand defeated Glenn Carlson, Vickie Tonkins, Jariah R. Walker, Yolanda L. Avila, Vanessa Bowie, Jesse Brown Jr., Longinos Gonzalez Jr., Nicholas Lee, Al Loma and Joe Woyte.[13][14] Incumbents Jan Martin and Val Snider did not run for re-election.[15]
| Colorado City Council, At-large, 2015 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Merv Bennett |
15.1% | 33,690 | |
| Tom Strand |
13.3% | 29,635 | |
| Bill Murray |
11.8% | 26,437 | |
| Jariah R. Walker | 10.5% | 23,515 | |
| Glenn Carlson | 8.9% | 19,977 | |
| Vickie Tonkins | 8.1% | 18,005 | |
| Longinos Gonzalez Jr. | 6.1% | 13,718 | |
| Nicholas Lee | 5.7% | 12,815 | |
| Yolanda L. Avila | 4.8% | 10,612 | |
| Al Loma | 4.5% | 10,055 | |
| Joe Woyte | 4.5% | 10,045 | |
| Vanessa Bowie | 4.4% | 9,912 | |
| Jesse Brown Jr. | 2.1% | 4,793 | |
| Total Votes | 133,254 | ||
| Source: City of Colorado Springs - Official general election results | |||
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Yolanda Avila did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Yolanda Avila did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2017
Avila participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Infrastructure- not only roads, sidewalks and bridges, but also a robust transportation system which will connect the entire city. Mobility is freedom![1][16] | ” |
When asked what she would most like to change about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Equity through revitalizing the entire city with much needed infrastructure, a stormwater system, and a robust, accessible public transportation system[1][16] | ” |
When asked what she is most proud of about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | The physical beauty as well as the kindness of our citizens[1][16] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Transportation | |
| City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | |
| Housing | |
| Environment | |
| Unemployment | |
| Did not choose | |
| Did not choose | |
| Did not choose | |
| Did not choose | |
| Did not choose | |
| Did not choose | |
| Did not choose | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer four questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Important | |
| State | |
| Public outreach/education programs | |
| Focusing on small business development, changing zoning restrictions to multi-purpose use, as well as instituting a living wage. |
Endorsements
2017
Avila received the following endorsements in 2017:[1]
- Unite Colorado Springs
- Senator Michael Merrifield (D) - Colorado State Senate 11th District
- Representative Tony Exum (D) Colorado House District 17
- Former Lt. Governor Joseph Garcia (D)
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2016, "Yolanda Avila's Responses," February 16, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email communication with personal assistant to Yolanda Avila," December 1, 2020
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email communication with personal assistant to Yolanda Avila," December 1, 2020
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email communication with personal assistant to Yolanda Avila," December 1, 2020
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Ballotpedia's Elections Team, “Email communication with Rebecca Robles, personal assistant to Yolanda Avila," January 14, 2021
- ↑ Gates Family Foundation, "CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2019 GATES FAMILY FOUNDATION HARVARD FELLOWS," accessed January 15, 2021
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, "Email communication with personal assistant to Yolanda Avila," December 1, 2020
- ↑ Ballotpedia's Elections Team, “Email communication with Rebecca Robles, personal assistant to Yolanda Avila," December 2, 2020
- ↑ Colorado Springs, Colorado, "Election Candidate FAQ," accessed January 24, 2017
- ↑ Colorado Springs, Colorado, "April 4, 2017 - Ballot Candidates," accessed January 25, 2017
- ↑ The Gazette, "Colorado Springs election results updated; Suthers, Makepeace headed to runoff for mayor," April 8, 2015
- ↑ City of Colorado Springs, "City Elections," accessed September 19, 2014
- ↑ City of Colorado Springs, "Official 2015 Candidate List," accessed February 12, 2015
- ↑ City of Colorado Springs, "Unofficial election results," accessed April 8, 2015
- ↑ The Gazette, "Councilman Snider won't seek re-election, guaranteeing three new council members in April," January 27, 2015
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Colorado Springs City Council District 4 2017-2025 |
Succeeded by Kimberly Gold |
