Yemi Mobolade gets Sallie Clark’s endorsement in Colorado Springs mayoral runoff race

Colorado Springs mayoral candidate Yemi Mobolade has gained the endorsement of former candidate and third-place finisher Sallie Clark for the runoff race slated for May 16. The two announced the endorsement Thursday morning on the steps of City Hall in downtown Colorado Springs.

Mobolade garnered the most votes among a dozen candidates in the general election earlier this month, separating himself from the second-place winner Wayne Williams by more than 11,000 votes. It was not enough though to break the 50 percent threshold to avoid a runoff between the top two candidates. 

Once the city clerk's office certified the election, Williams bested Clark by 1,524 votes. 

Clark said she found common ground in Mobolade's campaign. "His initiatives and his issues mirrored mine," she said, and also welcomed what she called his "passion that drives him to look for new solutions."

"This is an opportunity to bring new leadership, and as he will say, a new perspective to the mayor's office to make sure that we are really moving our city forward and looking for new and innovative ideas," said Clark.

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Williams has the support of outgoing mayor John Suthers. He also announced Thursday that more than half of the sitting city council support him: Randy Helms, Lynette Crow-Iverson, Dave Donelson, Mike O'Malley and David Leinweber.

Crow-Iverson and Leinweber are two of the newest council members, sworn in earlier this month.

In a statement from the Williams campaign, Leinweber called Williams "a seasoned public servant with a proven track record of effective leadership…. Wayne's comprehensive understanding of government operations and policies (at all levels) makes him the ideal candidate to lead our city forward."

Election Day is May 16. Ballots are only accepted by mail or in a drop box, and they must be in a box or received by the clerk's office by 7 p.m. A new ballot must be cast in this race for it to count, and registered voters are eligible to vote again, regardless of whether they voted in the April general election.

Previous coverage

• Want to have a say in who the next mayor in Colorado Springs will be? Then it’s time to vote again
• Colorado Springs 2023 election results for mayor, city council and TOPS tax
• Colorado Springs mayoral candidate Sallie Clark considering recount
• Political newcomer Yemi Mobolade likely headed to runoff in Colorado Springs mayor’s race