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Douglas Bruce, best remembered as the now-former state representative who was censured after kicking a newspaper photographer at the state Capitol, will once again run for political office. But lawmakers and Capitol-assigned photographers can relax: Bruce says he plans to seek an at-large seat on Colorado Springs’ city council in April, according to the Gazette. Bruce has long been critical of his fellow Republicans, who dominate city government there, accusing them of wasteful spending–although the city recently turned off street lamps, cut bus service, and even sold a police helicopter to save money. Bruce opposes the billion-dollar-plus, 62-mile Southern Delivery System water pipeline project that will require raising water rates.
He would also like to dump the city’s plan to give the U.S. Olympic Committee various perks and incentives to keep its headquarters in town. “We don’t need to bribe anybody to stay in Colorado Springs,” adds Bruce, who also served a cantankerous stint as an El Paso County Commissioner. During that time, he was “often on the wrong side of 4-1 votes,” writes the Independent. But then, as now, he says, “I’m not craving conformity…I’m trying to do what’s right.” Despite his notoriety, Bruce remains a source of inspiration at the state Capitol. Following the rampant speculation over whether he had anything to do with three anti-tax measures on the November 2010 ballot, two bills have been introduced to make the financing of state ballot measures more transparent, notes Westword.