The thousands of people who have moved to the area since Bob Isaac was mayor can be forgiven for not knowing about him, but they should appreciate what he helped put in place. Isaac was a traditional conservative, meaning that he had no use for evangelical agendas. He resisted Douglas Bruce’s tax limitation proposal, but it passed anyway. Since it became part of the city charter, the local form of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights has slowly strangled City Hall. Isaac was right and Bruce was wrong.
For those who weren’t here, and for those who were and might like a trip down memory lane, here are some Mayor Bob stories from the archives. All of these stories are from 1994 or earlier.
Isaac, Bruce trade barbs during heated meeting
Barry Noreen; Gazette Telegraph
It was a heck of a way to earn a merit badge.
A well-intentioned group of Boy Scouts attended the Colorado Springs City Council meeting Monday to see how adults go about making decisions.
What the Scouts saw was tax-limitation guru Doug Bruce trading verbal fusillades with council members and Mayor Robert Isaac.
During a lengthy monologue, Councilman Larry Small shouted that Bruce was “vain and vicious” and was setting himself up as “the emperor of Colorado Springs.”
Isaac added that “Mr. Bruce is totally off base” in attacking a proposed charter amendment that would exempt the airport, the hospital and city utilities from the tax-limitation provisions Bruce successfully sponsored.
Then, Isaac called a recess to let tempers cool.
A moment later, though, Isaac turned to Bruce and said coldly, “If you were a man, I’d take you out.”
Bruce replied, “If it helps you any, I’ll drop my pants.”
Few heard Bruce or the mayor at first. But within minutes, the 42-year-old Bruce was back at the microphone, complaining that the 63-year-old Isaac was “threatening to assault me.”
Then, both men repeated their remarks into the council chamber’s public address system for the benefit of the audience.
Nowhere was the verbal joust more appreciated than in the fourth row, where a group of chuckling Scouts had just absorbed a healthy dose of City Hall ambience.
Isaac to voters: One more time/ Mayor going for fifth term
Rich Laden; Gazette Telegraph
During his successful re- election campaign in 1991, Colorado Springs Mayor Robert Isaac promised to quit after he served one more four-year term.
On Thursday, he reversed himself.
Isaac, whose nearly 16 years in office gives him the longest tenure of any mayor in city history, announced he’ll seek a fifth term at the April 4 municipal election.
”I honestly didn’t think I would run again,” Isaac, who turns 67 next month, said during a news conference at the Antlers Doubletree Hotel. “But I just have to tell you, I’ve changed my mind. I didn’t intend to mislead anybody.”
In spite of his 1991 pledge, Isaac’s announcement was hardly a surprise. A year after he was re-elected, he hinted he wouldn’t rule out another bid.
And at his news conference, Isaac confirmed speculation of supporters and critics alike: He changed his mind because he still enjoys the give and take of public policy-making; he wants to tackle new issues, such as congestion on Interstate 25; and as a Republican with contacts in Washington D.C., he wants to work with the GOP majority in Congress to address city issues.
If he wins re-election, this term will be Isaac’s last in the unpaid job. A city term-limitation law prevents him from running a sixth time.
In a break with tradition, Isaac is the first candidate to enter the race. In the past he’s waited until January, after other candidates declare. He said he announced early this time because of speculation about his plans.
Whatever the timing, Isaac’s decision likely will derail the plans of other mayoral hopefuls who won’t challenge him because of his experience and popularity.
Councilwoman Cheryl Gillaspie said Thursday she won’t run. Instead, she plans to seek a second council term. Councilman John Hazlehurst declined comment but has said he doesn’t want to battle Isaac.
Councilwoman Mary Lou Makepeace could not be reached for comment; she has said she would decide after Jan. 1, and that her decision would not be affected by Isaac.
Two businessmen who considered running, Steve Bach and Buck Blessing, have decided against it.
Elected in 1979 with 59 percent of the vote, Isaac scored 66 percent and 76 percent in subsequent elections. In 1991, he beat Councilwoman Mary Ellen McNally and four fringe candidates with 47 percent of the vote.
As a fiscal conservative, Isaac’s meat-and-potatoes philosophy - provide quality services without a lot of frills - always has struck a cord with voters. He also wins over people with his knowledge of city, state and federal issues. The sometimes gruff Isaac also has a reputation for straight talk - a quality that appeals to many.
”He does not pull punches,” said retired Gen. Kenneth Curtis, who lost to Isaac in 1979. “He says what he thinks. He has lots of guts.”
In running for another term, Isaac can point to several successes in the past four years. The city has opened a new airport on time and under budget; financial problems of special taxing districts have been resolved; a major portion of the U.S. Highway 24 Bypass has been completed. Isaac can’t take full credit, but they happened on his watch.
”I’ve been accused at times of not having too much vision,” he said. “But we seem to have done some things that involve vision over the years.”
ROBERT ISAAC
A Colorado Springs native, Isaac, 66, holds an engineering degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a law degree from the University of Southern California.
He served in Germany from 1951 to 1954 as an infantry officer and taught math at West Point from 1955 to 1957.
Isaac became an assistant city attorney in 1962 and assistant district attorney for the 4th Judicial District in 1965. He was presiding judge of the Municipal Court of Colorado Springs from 1966 to 1969.
First elected to the City Council in 1975, he was elected mayor in 1979.
Appointed in 1987 by former President Ronald Reagan to the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations; reappointed by former President George Bush. Served as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors from 1990 to 1991.
Isaac retired in 1988 as a senior partner in the Colorado Springs law firm of Isaac, Johnson and Alpern. Twice divorced, he’s married to Carolyn Isaac.
ISAAC’S AGENDA
Tackle traffic woes on Interstate 25, where the number of vehicles has increased 38 percent in three years.
Set funding schemes for sorely needed public improvements. Part of the city’s sales and use tax, a key funding source for such work, will expire in 1997.
Work with Republicans to reduce federal mandates, such as environmental regulations that Congress imposes on cities without providing money to carry them out.
Continue efforts to keep Fort Carson, which could find itself on a military base hit list when federal officials consider base closures in March.
Isaac on Amendment 12: `It’s just a disaster’/ Springs council goes on record against measure
Rich Laden; Gazette Telegraph
Amendment 12, the election-reform measure on the Nov. 8 ballot, would cripple representative government if it’s approved by state voters, the Colorado Springs City Council says.
At its meeting Tuesday, the council adopted a resolution opposing the measure. Among its concerns:
A 90-day freeze on the effective date of many laws adopted by local governments would prevent cities from responding quickly to the public’s demands for services.
Nearly every governmental decision - including routine ones - would be subject to a challenge by voters.
Relaxed rules on petition circulation would open the door to fraud and allow gadfly groups to stand in the way of public projects.
”It’s just a disaster,” Mayor Robert Isaac said.
The resolution encourages voters to read the proposal to understand its numerous provisions. The council yanked one part of its resolution that urged the public to vote “no” on the proposal; some council members said they shouldn’t tell the public how to vote.
Douglas Bruce, the Colorado Springs landlord and tax-limitation author who also wrote Amendment 12, said the council should keep its nose out of the debate. He also denied that the measure would harm government or lead to petition fraud.
Lisa Are Cook, the lone dissenter to the resolution, said it is improper for the council to take an official position on ballot questions. Vice Mayor Leon Young was absent.
Springs airport to have new everything - except name
Rich Laden; Gazette Telegraph
Brand-new, gleaming airport. Same old dull name.
When the city opens its $130 million airport in October, just about everything will be different except the name: Colorado Springs Municipal Airport.
Despite some calls by the public to spice up the name - Pikes Peak International being among the more popular - City Council members informally decided Monday there’s no reason to change.
”That’s kind of parochial,” said Councilwoman Cheryl Gillaspie, suggesting the city pick something jazzier.
But Mayor Robert Isaac, who worked for years to get the airport built, said keeping Colorado Springs in the name helps promote the city.
Besides, he said, it would be phony to include “international” in the name. There are no international flights. In fact, there are only a handful of domestic cities that can be reached nonstop from Colorado Springs.
”We’ll be getting some international flights eventually, five to 10 years from now,” Isaac said. “Then we can change it to `international.’ I think it would just be a little bit overplaying it myself - to say, `this is international, yeah, we have a charter flight to Mexico’.”
Naysayers hurting city, mayor says/ Annual address targets critics
Rich Laden; Gazette Telegraph
Colorado Springs Mayor Robert Isaac lashed out at critics of local government Thursday, saying their constant finger-pointing is unfair and threatens to tear apart the community.
Isaac delivered his blunt remarks during his annual “State of the City” address before the Greater Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp.
But while Isaac’s audience was packed with white-collar executives who gave him a standing ovation, many of his comments were aimed at those who often voice complaints at City Council meetings, on radio talk shows or in letters to the editor - the same longtime Colorado Springs residents who have supported him since he was first elected mayor in 1979.
”The negativism is hurting this community,” said the 66-year-old mayor. “This community must begin to pull together at all levels, and I think that’s the most important message I can give you.”
Isaac complained that the community’s naysayers have long memories for city problems, but are quick to forget its successes.
For example, they harp about the city’s financial loss in 1987-88 when it unsuccessfully operated Ski Broadmoor,a now-closed private ski run. And they rehash the $450,000 spent to beautify a downtown intersection - a project opposed by Isaac, whose no-frills approach to city services has won support from conservative voters who tend to distrust government.
Yet those same critics seldom - if ever - give credit for the city’s low utility rates and taxes, including a property tax levy that was reduced this year; its 8,000-acre park system; the maintenance of additional miles of streets with a reduced work force; and a Police Department that took 154,000 calls last year and made 27,000 arrests.
To make matters worse, Isaac said, elected officials who complain about criticism find that they become targets.
”If you complain about it . . . then you get the old bromide: `If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,’ ” he said. “Well, I’ve been in that kitchen so long now, I can’t tell the difference.”
The downside of the constant criticism: It discourages people from seeking public office or working for government, Isaac said.
”The people have gotten to the point where if they want to serve, and really want to serve, there’s just a limit of how much that they’re going to take,” he said.
Isaac said the City Council has made several decisions in recent months that the public has misinterpreted because of its mistrust of government.
For example, a decision to limit future ballot initiatives to single subjects became a rallying cry for critics who said the council was taking away their right to petition government.
The council also drew fire for giving money to a privately financed civic center - even though the city will only finance street improvements and traffic signals, not construction.
”All hot-button items,” Isaac said. “People are operating on emotion. And I think we need to pull together.”
Isaac also criticized some of his City Council colleagues. Without mentioning names, he said they should remember their job is to set policy and not make day-to-day decisions. He also advised his colleagues to make their decisions on facts and not on next year’s city election.
”The next election will take care of itself,” he said.
For his part, Isaac has declined comment on whether he’ll seek a fifth term next year.
On other issues, Isaac:
Decried government by initiative. Several proposals are slated for the Nov. 8 state ballot, a trend that means Colorado is following California in steering away from letting elected officials make decisions. “If we start loading up ballots, instead of following representative government . . . then I think we might be running into some trouble.”
Highlighted the community’s current successes, including new job creation, the nearly finished new municipal airport terminal and a deal that will bring a new, privately financed visitors center to the Garden of the Gods.
Lauded a community lobbying effort aimed at sparing Fort Carson from next year’s round of base closures.
Christian group hears mayor focus on families, blast Bruce
Barry Noreen; Gazette Telegraph
Violent crime has more to do with the breakdown of families than the failure of government to address society’s problems, Colorado Springs Mayor Robert Isaac said Tuesday.
”Government isn’t going to instill moral conscience into a generation,” Isaac said at a meeting of the Colorado Springs chapter of the Christian Management Association. “I think like most of you do: It’s a parental thing that’s not there.”
Isaac also criticized the latest constitutional amendment proposed by Colorado Springs landlord Douglas Bruce, who seeks to force the city to spend a specific portion of its budget on road and bridge projects.
”It’s just another hamstringing of representative government. This is a representative government, and I don’t think he (Bruce) realizes that,” said Isaac, who has traded barbs with Bruce for years.
”We have some of the lowest property taxes in the state of Colorado. We also are in the home of our savior, Doug Bruce,” Isaac said sarcastically.
The Christian Management Association had billed the mayor’s speech as a look at “How the Religious Nonprofits Impact the City.”
Instead, Isaac began his remarks by saying, “I don’t like to talk about that because it puts economic development ahead of the work you’re doing.”