This open space once served as Springs Ranch Golf Course but will be developed for housing. Pam Zubeck
Hundreds of residents packed the City Council chamber on May 24, 2016, to plead that Council reject a proposed land swap that would give 189 acres of open space, known as Strawberry Fields, to The Broadmoor hotel.
Council approved it anyway.
Over the last four years, other groups of residents â some who organized and hired legal counsel â have passionately conveyed their thoughts on a variety of contentious issues only to find Council vote the other way.
Thatâs not lost on several people who hope to win a Council seat in the April 6 election; some named it as their chief reason for running.
Incumbent Colorado Springs City Council member David Geislinger has a battle on his hands, according to campaign finance reports due Feb. 15, which also suggest Republican politics will play a role.
Two of the three candidates trying to unseat Geislinger have raised more money by far than Geislinger. The other, Dave Noblitt, has raised $7,260 â $5,000 from the Colorado Springs Professional Firefighters Political Action Committee â and spent $6,363, leaving him with $897 on hand.Â
Geislinger has raised $3,254, compared to Randy Helms $11,361 and Jay Inman s $7,233.
Helms got a $5,000 boost from Gary Erickson, developer of Polaris Pointe, while Inman gave his campaign $10,000 and also received $100 from former Republican state representative Gordon Klingenschmitt.