Author: John Suthers
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GUEST COLUMN: The case for passing ‘Fix Our Damn Roads’
New roads without a tax increase, or undetermined projects with a 21 percent sales tax increase. That’s the choice Colorado voters will have this fall between Proposition 109 and Proposition 110. The choice couldn’t be simpler. Prop 109, Fix Our Damn Roads, requires the Colorado Department of Transportation to bond $3.5 billion to immediately build…
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Point/Counterpoint: Does Colorado Springs need a dedicated stormwater fee?
John Suthers Colorado Springs will be 150 years old in 2021. Eighty percent of our population growth occurred in the past 50 years. Unfortunately, our stormwater infrastructure has not kept pace. The inadequacy of our system became painfully apparent in flooding incidents in the 1990s, including one that caused 68 million gallons of raw sewage…
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GUEST COLUMN: Help the mayor tell the Colorado Springs story
Please join me!! I will again lead a group of other community leaders on an important mission for the purpose of interacting with elected officials and business leaders from Denver and Pueblo at the Colorado State Fair. Please consider joining us. Gov. John Hickenlooper, several Denver metro mayors, state and city department officials, and top,…
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GUEST COLUMN: As we remember Waldo, strength, resiliency define our community
On Monday, we will remember a tragic event in the history of Colorado Springs and surrounding communities as we mark five years out from the Waldo Canyon fire. That fast-moving wildfire damaged our community significantly, as it claimed two lives, destroyed 347 homes and impacted hundreds more, especially in the Mountain Shadows and Peregrine neighborhoods.…
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GUEST COLUMN: A great State Fair event
The 2016 Pikes Peak Posse will again ride to the Colorado State Fair on Aug. 30. El Paso County Commissioners and many other elected officials and business leaders will travel to Pueblo by bus, where we will meet up with the governor and other dignitaries for some informal, powerful and friendly dialogue. This unique event…
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GUEST COLUMN: City working to provide housing for veterans
Colorado Springs is poised to be the first city in Colorado to end veteran homelessness. That was the message delivered by Gov. John Hickenlooper in May to describe collaborative efforts in Colorado Springs and El Paso County to eradicate veteran homelessness during 2015. These efforts began in earnest in October 2014 when the Department of…
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GUEST COLUMN: Tax necessary for road repairs
The roads in Colorado Springs are terrible. They are so bad that an independent transportation research group recently found that more than 70 percent of our roads are in “poor or mediocre shape.” The state of our roads is not just a nuisance; it is costing families serious money. The average driver in Colorado Springs…
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What constitutes success in Colorado’s marijuana test?
It’s no secret that I was vehemently opposed to legalization of marijuana in Colorado. I preferred the path of decriminalization. (Possession of small amounts of marijuana was already a petty offense with a maximum fine of $100.) Unlike decriminalization, legalization brings advertising and public promotion. What government taxes, it ultimately promotes. We know from 35…
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POINT/COUNTERPOINT: Marijuana legalization amendment
Pro: Prohibition has failed us Exactly 80 years ago, the people of this great state passed a ballot initiative declaring an end to the misguided big-government policy experiment that was alcohol prohibition. One year later, the federal government followed. This November, the voters of Colorado have the opportunity to repeat history. On the ballot is…
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GUEST COLUMN: Despite state constitution, medical marijuana violates federal law
The Gazette’s recent editorial (Jan. 13 – “Suthers should defend MMJ law”) lecturing me on my responsibilities as Colorado Attorney General reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the rule of law in America. As Colorado’s Attorney General I take an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado Constitution. As part of this job, I…