Colorado Springs City Councilor Tom Bailey is resigning effective immediately. The move comes just days after the city clerk verified signatures on a petition seeking a recall of the District 2 representative.
Bailey made the announcement at the end of Tuesday's standard council meeting, calling the petition "an abuse of the recall process."
"I'm now faced with two alternatives," Bailey said. One would be to see the recall election process through with a special election. The other option was to resign. That would allow council to name a replacement to finish the term.
"I would like nothing better than to serve out the term to which I was elected, but this has never been about me,” he said. “Doing what's best for this city has always been my primary motivation and I believe that this course of action best serves that end."
Proponents of the recall effort said Bailey, whose district covers northern Colorado Springs, is not representing his constituents properly. They point to his owning fire-pit season tickets at the controversial Ford Amphitheater as evidence, as well as his support for an affordable housing apartment complex in his district.
Council president Lynette Crow-Iverson ripped up his resignation letter and said she would not accept it. She encouraged him to run again for office.
All but two of the council members said he would be missed and thanked him for his service.
Councilor Nancy Henjum expressed her sorrow that he was being recalled, and said council should perhaps consider reevaluating the petition process that led to his resignation.
“While you and I have not always voted the same on items, what I appreciate and I think people need to know is that you've done your work," Henjum said. "I see it. I know you've done your homework, you ask questions, you're present at meetings, you've represented your district, and I respect you for that."
The Colorado Springs city charter states council will appoint a person to fill the vacant seat within 30 days. That person will finish the remainder of Bailey's vacated term.
The next general municipal election takes place next year; that election will cover the mayor's and three at-large seats. Bailey’s district, along with all the other districts, will be on the ballot in 2029.
