It’s simple. Our city and our people have what it takes to make Colorado Springs the BEST city in America. 

It’s time for me to come home and to get things done, for all of Colorado Springs. I love Colorado Springs. It’s my home. It’s the city where my husband of 42 years and I started a business over 36 years ago. It’s the place where I fought to save our local fire station – my first and accidental step into public service. 

We have a bright future ahead and at the same time, we face new challenges. This place, our beautiful city, is where I served as a councilmember and a county commissioner. And it’s where I was honored to be selected by my peers as the president of a national organization representing local governments and was appointed as the Colorado state director of a federal agency.

Executive Level and Business Experience: In addition to being a longtime business entrepreneur, I have extensive experience serving at all levels of government including my service as the State Director of the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development for Colorado. 

Regional and National Experience: I was elected as an El Paso County Commissioner representing District 3 and received support from my fellow commissioners to serve as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Board. Through my long standing relationships developed with Colorado Counties, Inc. (CCI) and the National Association of Counties (NACo), I was elected by my peers across the country as President of NACo, the first Coloradan to represent 3,069 counties throughout the nation. 

Local Government and Utilities: My City of Colorado Springs experience includes as a City Councilmember and member of the Colorado Springs Utilities Board. 

Neighborhood Leader: My accidental step into public office began as a neighborhood leader to save Fire Station 3 on the historic Westside of Colorado Springs.

My priorities include:

• Safe Neighborhoods and Businesses
• Crime Prevention and Public Safety Support 
• Improving Emergency Response Times 
• Wildfire and Pre-Disaster Planning
• Tackling Cost of Living Challenges
• Affordable Housing Champion
• Community Homelessness Solutions
• Improving Infrastructure and Roads
• Maintaining/Improving Quality of Life for All of Us
• Support Of Our Military Families and Veterans

Military Wife and Colorado Family Roots: My husband, Welling Clark and I, settled in Colorado in 1985 when relocating after Welling’s service in the Navy. I have family roots in Colorado and my Dad was born and raised in Pueblo where I spent every summer on my grandmother’s farm and developed a love for the state’s mountain scenery and friendly people. 

Small-Business Entrepreneur: We spent our honeymoon traveling across Colorado, including Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region and decided to open our own business in 1986, restoring three turn of the century homes and opening as the first bed and breakfast inn near the Old Colorado City historic district. 

Background in Healthcare: Prior to opening my own business, I worked in the health care field, primarily working in oncology and general practice areas.

Local-State-National and Executive Level Experience: I look forward to putting my years of executive leadership level experience to work for Colorado Springs and our citizens with my local, state and federal government background. I will also bring community and economic development, strategic planning as well as 40+ years’ experience in business management and health care with a customer service focus.

• Medical Office Management and Health Care
• Entrepreneur and Longtime Business Owner
• President of Neighborhood Organization
• Vice President of Council of Neighbors and Organizations
• Numerous Nonprofit Board and Leadership Positions
• Colorado Springs Utilities Board Member
• Colorado Springs City Councilmember
• El Paso County Commissioner and Board of Commissioners’ Chairman and Vice Chairman
• National Association of Counties President (representing 3,069 counties and over 12,000+ elected officials nationwide)
• State Director U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Colorado

 See Sallie’s Legacy page for additional information

1. The City of Colorado Springs holds elections on the first Tuesday of April in odd-numbered years. The next City General Municipal election for Mayor, three At-Large City Council seats, and the unexpired term for City Council District 3 will be held on April 4, 2023. 
2. Sallie Clark and candidates for Mayor of Colorado Springs and City Council At-Large and District 3 seats will begin the petition process the first week of January 2023. After signatures have been verified, candidates will be certified for the April election. 
3. In the Mayor’s race, the winning candidate will need over 50% or there will be a runoff of the top two candidates. 
4. Candidates for At-Large positions will be elected from the top three candidates. 
5. The winning candidate for District 3 will be the candidate with the top percentage vote. 

For more information on City of Colorado Springs elections, click here. 

Mayor John Suthers is the 41st mayor of Colorado Springs and first took office in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019. John Suthers previously served as Attorney General, United States Attorney for Colorado and as District Attorney of the 4th Judicial District. He is serving his last term and is therefore not running in 2023. 

City residents elected its first “strong mayor”, Steve Bach, in 2011 when the Council-Manager was changed to a Mayor-Council form of government. 

On April 4, 2023, the residents of Colorado Springs will elect the 42nd mayor of Colorado Springs.

In Colorado Springs’ 150 years history as a city, Mary Lou Makepeace is the only woman to have been elected mayor and she served from 1997-2003, when the City operated under the Council-Manager form of government. With the election of Sallie Clark, she would be the 2nd woman mayor, the first woman to serve as a “strong mayor” and the 42nd mayor for the City of Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous city and the most extensive city in the state of Colorado, and the 40th-most populous city in the United States. It is the principal city of the Colorado Springs metropolitan area and the second-most prominent city of the Front Range Urban Corridor. It is located in east-central Colorado, on Fountain Creek, 70 miles (113 km) south of Denver. At 6,035 feet (1,839 m) the city stands over 1 mile (1.6 km) above sea level. Colorado Springs is near the base of Pikes Peak, which rises 14,115 feet (4,302.31 m) above sea level on the eastern edge of the Southern Rocky Mountains. *Source: Wikipedia

Visit the City of Colorado Springs Webpage to view your City Council District Map location. 

Yes, you must be a city of Colorado Springs resident to vote for the Mayor and At-Large City Councilmembers. If you want to vote in the District 3 City Council race, you will have to be a resident of the City Council District 3 area. See the City Council District Map to see where you live.

The City Clerk will be mailing ballot packets for the April 4, 2023 General Municipal Election to registered, active voters who reside within the corporate boundaries of the City of Colorado Springs on Friday, March 10, 2023. The April 4, 2023 election is an all-mail ballot election only. City elections have been mail ballot only since 2005. Visit the City Clerk’s website for more information. 

The City of Colorado Springs election is April 4, 2023 and is an all mail-in ballot election. In addition to the Mayor and City Council elections, there is a possibility that there will be other initiatives on the ballot.

Stay tuned for more on what initiatives might be up for consideration, but so far, there is a proposal currently being considered for the extension of the Trails and Open Space Tax (TOPS). 

• To vote in the City of Colorado Springs municipal election, you must be registered to vote and reside within the City limits.
• While the City Clerk does not maintain voter registration, you can register online at the Colorado Secretary of State’s Website.
• If you have questions regarding voter registration, contact the El Paso County Elections website or call 719-575-VOTE (8683).
• The City of Colorado Springs will be conducting the April 2023 municipal election separately from El Paso County. 

• Elected positions on the April 4, 2023 ballot will include Mayor, three At-large City Council seats for a four year team, and the unexpired term for City Council District 3 to serve the remaining two years of the term.
• In the At-large category, you can vote for up to three, but are not required to vote for three.
• Each voters’ ballot will contain the Mayor and City Council At-large races and any ballot questions. Only those voters who reside in the City Council District 3 boundary will see this race in addition to the Mayor, City Council at-large and any ballot questions.
• City Council may also refer questions and initiatives to the ballot.
• Where to Drop Off Your Ballot and More Voter Information! Visit the City Clerk’s website. If you decide to mail your ballot, it is recommended to mail by March 24 to make your vote count. 
• *Important: Sign the outside envelope and date to ensure your ballot is verified.