Dave Donelson

Colorado Springs City Councilman District 1. US Army Veteran. Green Beret. Husband. Father.

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

The message on the sign is simple - if you want a representative on city council who represents you, and your neighborhood, vote for Dave. I don’t take developer money and have even been censured for calling out council members who do and then vote on those same developer’s projects.

Learn more and support me at: https://t.co/QOdMz2pn6D

#copolitics #ColoradoSprings

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

The Swearing-In Ceremony for the six City Council District Representatives who were just elected happens tomorrow at 10am on the south lawn at the Pioneers Museum downtown. The weather is supposed to be 45 degrees and sunny. Each of us will be sworn in and make a few comments. There will be a receiving line after the swearing in and I would love to shake hands with each of you and thank you for your support!

#coloradosprings #copolitics

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

Congratulations to three new Paramedics, a Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief, and our new Fire Marshall, Kris Cooper (3rd from the left), all of whom were promoted to those ranks today. That is the Honorable Judge HayDen Kane in the center. Judge Kane administered the Oath of Office to each of them. CSFD Chief Randy Royal is on the far right. Holly and I were honored to be there to show our support!
#copolitics #coloradosprings

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

@Lightloveguide Shan, it will just be voters in the city. Citizens in the county won’t be voting. However, it was county citizens who led the effort to gather the signatures to get it on the ballot.

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

Several important votes on council today. One of them created a special election for citizens to decide whether they want to approve the Karman Line annexation.

The 2 minute news report below has a short clip of part of my comments before the vote to put it on the ballot.

You might remember that back in January council approved the 1,900 acre flag pole annexation which is 3 miles east of the city along Bradley Road. I and one other council member voted against that, but it passed on a 7-2 vote. Citizens then gathered more than 19,000 valid signatures to have council either reverse its decision, or put it on the ballot for citizens to decide.

Today, we voted first to see if council still supported the annexation. If we voted NO, then that would cancel the annexation and we wouldn't need to call a special election. Only 3 of us voted NO, so the vote was 6-3 in support of the annexation.

Since we weren't willing to repeal the annexation ourselves we were forced to vote to call a special election (for June 17) and put it on the ballot. It is the only issue that will be on the ballot.

THE COST FOR THE SPECIAL ELECTION WILL BE MORE THAN $500,000. THAT COMES FROM OUR GENERAL FUND - YOUR TAXES.

#copolitics #coloradosprings

[KRDO13 @KRDO_13]

The contentious Karmen Line annexation, which would allow for the building of thousands of homes, will now be left up to Colorado Springs voters. https://t.co/lGfDJWmtQe

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

Josh, the city can build up and out. Building above the height of the current tallest building should only happen once citizens are given a chance to vote on a building height limit. Citizens should have a say in whether we become Denver South. We can still build thousands more apartments if that is what we need - below 250 feet.

Annexations should be "logical" extensions of the city's current boundaries. Karman-Line isn't. It is a "flagpole" annexation three miles outside the current city boundary.

Do you really believe either of these projects is going to lower housing costs in Colorado Springs? I don't. What they will do is continue to worsen the quality of life in Colorado Springs and housing costs will continue to climb.

Banning Lewis Ranch which is already inside the current city boundaries needs to be developed. That will provide tens of thousands of additional homes.

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

There was an important vote on Council today. It was a 6-1 vote, and as you might have suspected, I was the 1.

I voted against denying a citizen appeal of an approval by the Downtown Review Board (DRB) of a 315 foot luxury apartment building. The current tallest building is 247 feet.

The citizens' concern is that this high-rise will change the character of our downtown and opens the door to more skyscrapers. It also ignores the 6,800 citizens who have signed an online petition asking Council to allow citizens to vote on a downtown building height limit of 250 feet.

Council needs to listen to the citizens. We don't need to compete with cities like Denver by trying to develop a downtown of skyscrapers. We need to have the courage to embrace the reason General Palmer chose this site to found a city. We don't need to distract from the natural beauty, which is the reason Colorado Springs was founded at the base of Pikes Peak.
#copolitics #coloradosprings

[The Gazette @csgazette]

NEW: Plans for the tallest building in Colorado Springs will move ahead after City Council turned down an appeal to block it Monday.

https://t.co/o17KhNqC7g
(@blkauffman7)

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE BIG WIN!!!
This picture shows all the precincts in District 1 (and some above and below it). The darker the green the higher the percentage of voting. Far upper left is Peregrine with 45.6%, far lower left is Cedar Heights with 44%, and two precincts to the right of that is Kissing Camels with the highest turnout of all precincts in the city at 52.7%. District 1 had the highest overall average of any District at 32.6%.

I-25 runs north and south in this image and Garden of the Gods/Austin bluffs runs east west. If you zoom in you can see major street names.

For those interested in seeing voter turnout in their precinct (pretty much your neighborhood) you can find that info at https://t.co/BwcHyYejBl

#copolitics #coloradosprings

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

THANKS AGAIN to the voters of District 1 - and the citizens of Colorado Springs! We received more votes than any other candidate in any district race. We received campaign donations from citizens in all six districts. All that in the face of a "dark money" smear campaign of lies. Thank you!

#ColoradoSprings #copolitics

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

Congratulations once again to City Council District 1 for having the highest voter turnout of the six districts! 20,458 ballots were returned from the 62,736 sent to District 1 voters. This map shows percentages from each of the six districts. You can drill down all the way to precinct level at https://t.co/BwcHyYdLLN

#coloradosprings #copolitics

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

THANK YOU to all who have helped and supported our campaign for re-election!

BIG VICTORY IN DISTRICT 1! A 16 point spread - and that was achieved in the face of tens of thousands of dollars (? more than $60,000) spent by a "dark money" PAC in a smear campaign of lies! These election results demonstrate voter support for what I stand for on city council!

A few people spent a lot of money on a smear campaign to try to "take me out" and it failed miserably. It's good to see that. THE CITIZENS WEREN'T FOOLED!

#coloradosprings #copolitics

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

Our final text message to the voters of District 1 went out this morning:

𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 $𝟒𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞.

Why? Because for the last four years on city council I have proven that I represent YOU - not them.

● I don't take developer money (my opponent does).
● I have voted against high-density apartments at fire evacuation choke points, and against annexations of thousands of acres that are miles outside our city.
● I have called on council members not to vote on developer projects if they have taken thousands of dollars in "donations" from that developer.

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 - 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 "𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚" 𝐨𝐫 "𝐝𝐲𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧" - 𝐧𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐭.

𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬. 𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧 - "𝐇𝐞 𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮!"

#coloradosprings #copolitics

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

Text message that went out to many District 1 voters today:

"𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟏𝐬𝐭.

As you can see from the attached picture, developers and special interests have hired a Virginia-based dark money PAC to try to defeat me with their smear campaign of lies. You've seen them.

When I am asking serious questions on your behalf, that isn't "drama" or "dysfunction." I am representing YOU, the citizens, and they don't like it.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 - 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥.

Vote for former Green Beret and Iraq War Veteran "the honorable Dave Donelson, councilman for the people" before April 1st!"

#coloradosprings #copolitics

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

What are they so afraid of? Developers and special interests have now reported spending $40,728.52 on a smear campaign against me.

Why? Because for the last four years I have proven that I represent YOU - not them!

Vote Dave Donelson - "He Votes for You!"

https://t.co/QOdMz2pn6D for more

#coloradosprings #copolitics

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

I'm honored to receive this powerful endorsement from USAF Major General (retired) Mark Volcheff. Mark's assessment is spot on:

"Councilman Dave Donelsen is exactly the person we need representing District One, and the citizens of Colorado Springs, to do the right thing for the right reasons for our city. Members of the U.S. Air Force live the core values of integrity first, service before self and excellence in all we do. Dave epitomizes those same values. Everything he does is done with integrity, everything he does is to only serve community interests, and everything he does strives to make our community excellent.

He hears his constituents and represents THEIR interests in decision making. His votes are to make sure facts and considerations are well vetted before decisions are made and he makes sure city development and preservation are balanced and in harmony with constituent desires not Council or special interests. I’ve only met Dave once but watching him at Town Hall meetings, City Council meetings and hearing of his actions through the media, you know Dave will always deliver detailed analysis and logical decisions. He brings YOUR voice to decide the future of Colorado Springs. I whole heartedly endorse Dave Donelsen for a second term on our City Council."

Mark Volcheff
Maj Gen, USAF (Ret)

#coloradosprings #copolitics

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

I really appreciate this strong endorsement from USAFA grad, fellow veteran, and former District 4 El Paso County Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez. Longinos and I have served together on the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA), the El Paso County Board of Health and other organizations.

"Dave Donelson has been a critical voice for residents and a champion of public safety, veterans, and common sense. As a former County Commissioner, I've seen his leadership and hard work up close and know he's the right choice to help guide our city. Let's work together to re-elect Dave Donelson for Colorado Springs City Council."
​
Longinos Gonzalez
Former El Paso County Commissioner, District 4
#coloradosprings #copolitics

[Dave Donelson @davedonelson1]

I deeply appreciate this endorsement from Navy veteran and widely respected former Colorado Springs City Councilman(2013-2021), and Colorado State Representative(2021-2023), Andy Pico:

"I’m honored to endorse Dave Donelson for re-election to City Council for District One.
I’ve known Dave for two decades and know him to be a strong conservative and a man of integrity. He keeps the interests of his constituents foremost in all of his actions.
The residents of District One will be well served to re-elect Dave Donelson to City Council and continued service on our municipal utilities Board of Directors.

Warm regards,
Andy
Recovering Representative
Former Councilman District Six
Former State Representative, District 16"

#ColoradoSprings #copolitics