Manager to Mayor

 What is Best for Pueblo

From 1954 to 2019: A Legacy of Stagnation

In 1954, Pueblo adopted a home-rule charter and shifted to a council-manager form of government, eliminating the traditional elected mayor’s executive role and relying on a professional city manager and part-time council. Wikipedia+3Colorado Politics+3The Colorado Sun+3
Over the next six decades Pueblo increasingly lagged behind Colorado’s Front Range in terms of population growth, economic diversification, and job creation. As Gradisar himself would later recall: “Since that time, the population of Colorado has tripled and Pueblo’s has gone up about 10 percent.” Colorado Politics+2The Colorado Sun+2
Key challenges during this era included:

• Persistent inequality and poverty, with the city failing to attract large new employers and major industrial expansions. The Colorado Sun+1

• No unified, highly visible political executive to serve as the city’s “champion” - many stakeholders argued that without a mayor‐advocate the city lacked direction. The Colorado Sun+1

• Slow or stalled redevelopment of key industrial sites, struggles with housing, and limited population growth compared to statewide trends.

As a result, by 2019 many observers saw Pueblo as a city with untapped potential that had not fully benefitted from Colorado’s broader economic boom.

The Shift to 2019–2024: A New Governance Era and Mixed Results

Change in Structure & Expectations

In 2017 voters approved shifting to a strong-mayor / council government structure, paving the way for Pueblo to elect a full-time mayor with executive authority. The Colorado Sun+2Colorado Public Radio+2
In January 2019, Nick Gradisar was elected as Pueblo’s first mayor under this model and was sworn in February 1, 2019. Colorado Public Radio+1
The expectation: a visible leader who could spearhead economic redevelopment, advocate for Pueblo at the state and regional level, and help the city break out of decades of modest growth.

2019–2024 Performance, Gains and Headwinds

Positives:

• The new mayoral leadership brought renewed focus on economic development, workforce housing, and redevelopment efforts.

• Projects such as the large-scale remediation and reuse of the “PuebloPlex” site, workforce housing partnerships, and community service expansions showed a renewed strategic focus.

• Under Mayor Graham in her first 100 days (following her 2024 inauguration) the emphasis on public safety, building department capacity, and quality-of-life improvements was clearly stated. Colorado Public Radio+1

Headwinds and limitations:

• The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 hit Pueblo’s economy and jobs hard, delaying many development timetables and investment pipelines.

• Population growth remained essentially flat; despite efforts the city did not yet match the growth of peer Front Range cities.

• Structural challenges remained: higher poverty rates, crime concerns, housing affordability issues, and long timelines for large redevelopment projects.

• Under Mayor Graham, early controversies emerged, including a recall petition effort in 2025 triggered by concerns about public-safety policy and city-fund allocation. https://www.kktv.com+1

Net Assessment

From 2019-2024, Pueblo moved from stagnant to moderately active, with leadership changes and renewed strategy. The city is motioning forward rather than breaking out rapidly. The gains are visible but incremental, not transformational (yet).

Comparing Mayors: Nick Gradisar vs. Heather Graham

Here’s a side-by-side look at the two mayors and what they each brought to Pueblo through 2025.

Nick Gradisar (Feb 1 2019 – Feb 1 2024)

• Background: Native Puebloan, attorney, longtime civic leader, water board member. Economic Development Council of Colorado+2Wikipedia+2

• Mandate: Elected as the city’s first strong mayor, tasked with jump-starting economic development and giving Pueblo a unified voice. Colorado Public Radio+1

• Approach: Emphasized economic growth, redevelopment, industrial recruitment, and advocacy for Pueblo at the state level. Colorado Politics

• Outcomes: Set frameworks for future progress (e.g., major development sites, governance changes, housing initiatives), but criticized for not moving quickly enough on public-safety or housing/homeless reforms. Wikipedia+1

• Legacy: Credited with restoring mayoral leadership and laying groundwork; his defeat in 2024 suggests his term did not satisfy all sectors. Yahoo+1

Heather Graham (Sworn in Feb 1 2024 – present)

• Background: Pueblo native, entrepreneur (owner of multiple restaurants and wine bar), served on city council and as council president. pueblo.us+1

• Mandate: Elected in Jan 2024 runoff with roughly 62 % of vote. Wikipedia+1

• Approach: Focuses on public safety, business-friendly policies, community beautification, citizen engagement (“100 Days, 100 People”) and small-business experience. Colorado Public Radio+1

• Early outcomes: In first 100 days she increased police staffing, cracked down on motels tied to crime, and emphasized quality-of-life and development. Colorado Public Radio+1

• Challenges & scrutiny: A high-profile recall petition surfaced in 2025, citing fiscal, historic preservation, homeless population and public-safety concerns. https://www.kktv.com+1

• Outlook: As of 2025, her administration is still very early; her success will depend on translating early actions into measurable improvement in jobs, housing, safety and growth.

Comparative Summary

• Vision & style: Gradisar brought institutional experience and a civic-leader focus; Graham brings entrepreneurial, citizen-engagement energy.

• Key priorities: Gradisar zeroed in on economic redevelopment and governance reform; Graham emphasizes safety, small business, community cleanliness/beautification, and responsiveness.

• Timing & challenges: Gradisar’s term spanned the pandemic and global disruption, which tempered results; Graham takes office in the recovery era but faces long-standing structural issues and elevated expectations.

• Risk & opportunity: Gradisar’s legacy is foundational; Graham’s is formative (the “what will we make of this?” phase).

What Pueblo Needs Next

Pueblo’s move from 1954–2019 stagnation into a new governance era from 2019-2024 is real but incomplete. The transition from a council-manager model with no elected mayor, into the strong-mayor era, created structural change. Under Gradisar the city re-established executive leadership and laid plans; under Graham it is pushing on public safety, business-friendliness and citizen engagement.

For Pueblo to truly prosper - and overcome its historical lag - the mayoral leadership needs to deliver visible improvements in:

• job growth and higher-wage employment

• population retention and attraction (especially of young professionals)

• safe, livable neighborhoods with affordable housing and fewer visible encampments

• a stronger reputation that replaces “undercapitalized former steel town” with “growing, dynamic regional city”

Where Gradisar began the shift and Graham has launched the next chapter, the coming years (2025–2028) will determine whether this new era yields transformation rather than just transition.