Blueprint to Mayor Yemi’s First 100 Days

Mayor Yemi is committed to immediate action to build a world-class American city for all Colorado Springs residents. Establishing the right government culture, improving community outreach, and expanding opportunities for public input are his top priorities for 2023. He will focus on these themes, while also providing strong leadership to solve the city’s growing pains and challenges around public safety, infrastructure, and economic vitality.

To show the public how he’ll accomplish this, Mayor Yemi has published a blueprint for his first 100 days. The document is intended to be thematic, and these are the top-three priorities.

Top Three Priorities of the first 100 Days

1. Build support with government officials

Establish a city leadership culture that prioritizes service to our city’s residents. This includes a culture of transparency, accessibility and proactivity.
Pursue a strong working relationship with city council members.
Build support with federal, state, and county government officials.

2. Engage community and build public confidence

Pursue relationships with community stakeholders by engaging neighborhoods, community leaders, partners, interest groups, and community organizations. This includes groups that did not support the Mayor’s candidacy.
Launch programming to improve direct-to-resident communication from the mayor’s office to improve transparency and two-way conversation with the public.
Establish a good working relationship with local media. This includes print, broadcast, and social media.

3. Address our city’s emerging and most pressing issues in the areas of:

Public Safety - Identify and pursue solutions to police recruitment and retention challenges and efforts to solve the homeless crisis.
Housing and Infrastructure- Address housing affordability and continue infrastructure improvements with an emphasis on water and roads.
Economic Vitality - Focus on both job creation & talent development.

Day One: June 6, 2023

Convene the Mayor’s Cabinet to set vision, goals, and establish a culture of transparency, accessibility and a proactive government.
Meet with our region's elected officials to establish a culture of collaboration to get things done.

Week One

Executive on-boarding and integration into city administration and executive authority.
Establish communication protocols with leadership team, community, and media partners.
Host inaugural Mayor’s Bi-Weekly Friday Briefing to the community. Mayor Yemi is committed to creating opportunities for regular, direct engagement with the Mayor’s office and residents.
Meet one-on-one with cabinet members and review Mayoral Transition Report to gain understanding of each department’s most pressing priorities.
Put in place a Community Engagement Advisor for Community Affairs, Religious Affairs, and Special Projects.

First Three Months

The first three months of Mayor’s administration will focus on short term progress, building momentum for larger initiatives, and gaining traction for long-term success. The list below is not exhaustive, but offers a blueprint to how Yemi’s administration will lead and begin to tackle the growing challenges facing Colorado Springs.

A. Strategic Direction

Launch Mayoral 2024 Strategic Plan process. Vision and goals will be developed in alignment with community priorities.
Launch listening tours and engage resident feedback by hosting town halls in each district. Town halls will be scheduled in collaboration with council members.
Build a Solutions Team of diverse leadership and strengths to provide forward-looking actionable solutions around each key initiative, and engage key groups of community leaders to identify challenges, find solutions and maximize opportunities.
Put in place a community engagement senior advisor for government affairs, military & veterans affairs, and special projects.
Initiate improved language access efforts including Spanish translation for priority information both in print and online.
Host inaugural Mayor’s Monthly Media Briefing for press & public. Mayor Yemi is committed to creating opportunities for regular, direct engagement with the Mayor’s office and local media.
Pursue a joint Mayor & City Council Retreat to establish priorities with City Council and foster greater collaboration.
Develop employee engagement strategies to create a positive culture, increase employee engagement and improve work performance.
Review 2024 budget recommendations and establish 2024 budget priorities.
Launch a data-driven government program to drive strategic decisions, increase transparency and improve residents’ experience with government.

B. Public Safety

Protect our families and keep our neighborhoods safe

Establish a Public Safety Summit to address police recruitment and retention.
Work with City Council to refer a TABOR Retention Ballot Question to voters for a new Police Training Academy.
Launch First Lady’s “Mental Health COS” Campaign.
Develop a 5-year plan for Public Safety Facility Expansion to improve response times and add resources to our growing community.

Prevent & end homelessness

Launch a Homelessness & Mental Health Summit bringing together mental health practitioners and community leaders to explore new opportunities and foster connections among partners.
Research opportunities to add additional homeless outreach team officers to address illegal camping.

C. Housing & Infrastructure

Bring housing within reach for all COS residents

Put in place a Chief Housing Officer without increasing full time employees, to advance the city’s housing priorities. This role will facilitate public-private partnerships in housing, advocacy, and research.
Convene foundation, philanthropy and business partners to explore resources to support a “middle housing fund.”
Investigate feasibility of 3D Printed Home pilot project.
Convene an affordable housing roundtable with faith leaders.
Ensure COS water resources for today and tomorrow
Help provide leadership to the regional water conversation & planning process in close partnership with Colorado Springs Utilities Board of Directors, CEO and water subject matter experts.

d. Economic Vitality

Build a Business Friendly City

Promote a business-friendly environment by initiating Business License Code & City Sales Tax Rules revisions to streamline processes.
Promote the City’s new digital tool “Permit Partner,” as a resource to support the growth and expansion of local businesses.
Actively recruit new companies in close partnership with local Chambers, to attract and retain businesses that will provide well paying jobs to our residents.
Continue work to retain Space Command in Colorado Springs.

Create a Future-ready Workforce

Put in place a Workforce Administrator to address citywide worker shortages and to partner with local stakeholders in education, workforce development organizations, and local businesses.
Engage K-12 school districts superintendents on career exploration and training programs.
Meet with area college and university presidents to explore career-training programs, readying students to join the workforce and building a strong talent pool to support local businesses.

E. Problem Solving on Other Urgent & Emerging Issues

Ensure successful implementation of extension of 2C and PPRTA as well as ongoing road maintenance to address potholes and continue infrastructure improvements.
Identify opportunities to better connect residents directly with city services.
Support efforts to temporarily lower property taxes through mill levy reduction.
Support efforts for Home Rule city campaign contribution limits. There are no current laws to regulate or set limits on contributions to candidates.
Focus efforts on repairing deteriorated public curbs and missing sidewalks.

100th day in Office: September 14, 2023

At the State of the City on Sept. 14, 2023, Mayor Yemi will issue a report on the progress made under the First 100 Days of his administration to help deliver a world-class American city where everyone can thrive.