Community advocate Lawrence Martinez makes bid to become Colorado Springs' next mayor

Feb. 6—In his third bid for Colorado Springs mayor since 2015, community advocate Lawrence Martinez is running in the crowded April 4 race to become the city's next mayor, promising if elected to be a boots-on-the-ground leader focusing on housing affordability, homelessness and public transportation.

Martinez, who in the past has worked as a hospice home care specialist and as a business consultant, said he's again running to better represent the city's people.

"We have a great diversity here but we also ... need more representation from the minority community so as to have a better understanding of what their needs are," Martinez said Monday.

He is among 12 candidates running this spring to succeed Mayor John Suthers, who cannot run again because of term limits. Martinez will face some well-known names, including City Councilman and former Secretary of State Wayne Williams and former City Councilwoman Sallie Clark, El Paso County Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez and businessman Yemi Mobolade.

If elected, Martinez said he would develop "a more open-door policy" to hear from residents. Outside of regular council meetings and workshops, he plans to hold more public town halls and suggests the city produce a regular podcast where residents can call in to ask questions directly of the mayor and other city leaders, such as those in the parks department or at Colorado Springs Utilities.

A Navajo, Martinez has served 17 years on the El Pomar Foundation's Elevating Leadership Development program and serves on its Native American Advisory Council. The program's work with various cultural communities in Colorado Springs has allowed him to hear directly from local nonprofits about what people need most, he said.

City leaders must focus on making Colorado Springs more affordable so residents aren't forced to leave and so they can attract new people, he said.

If elected, Martinez said he wants to build more affordable housing units, particularly on the city's southeast side where many middle- and low-income earners live. The city could incentivize developers by implementing more tax-free zones, "especially in lower-income areas," he said.

"We've got to be able to encourage the developers to build for them, because we can't have an exodus of people going to Security or Pueblo," he said.

The mayor should also actively visit other cities, towns and states to promote Colorado Springs and draw more businesses, which creates new jobs, as well as attract new residents who can contribute to local taxes and keep the city's economy viable, he said.

Colorado Springs must do more to care for its homeless population, he said. The city should offer more opportunities to homeless people to expand their "workability," he said. Martinez wants to create a campus on the city's east side with a dedicated bus line where homeless people can receive medical, educational and housing services that aim to lift them out of homelessness, he said.

The campus could also provide automotive services to help people fix their cars if needed so they can get to and from job interviews and work.

"It seems like a lot of people, once their car goes down, their ability to have a job gets stymied," Martinez said. "And we don't have the best public transportation here. That affects us quite a bit."

The city should also work better with businesses and local schools to encourage more job training among school-aged children, he said.

As part of outreach efforts Martinez suggested, leaders too should connect with new businesses and employers outside the city and encourage them to build locally, then implement trade-specific bridge programs to train 11th- and 12th-graders coming into the workforce, Martinez said.

"The children are our future," he said.

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