Denver’s Mayoral Circus Begins

Winter is just beginning but come spring the quadrilateral event of electing a new mayor for the City and County of Denver will arrive. Denver almost never throws out an incumbent mayor so it’s the only chance a person seeking the position will have for the next 12 years. The incumbent mayor Michael Hancock is almost universally deemed the worst mayor in the city’s 164-year history beating out even Mayor Wolf Londoner who was removed from office for corruption in 1891. Nonetheless, we Denverites have elected him three times including once unopposed. Thus, once you are elected as mayor of Denver you are unlikely to leave office with the exception of term limits.

Since this is a once in 12-year opportunity, 22 individuals have announced their candidacy covering an extraordinarily diverse group, including a Republican. City politics is basically a Democrat only event these days. The candidates are divided between the corporatists who backed Hancock for three terms, and the radicals who helped elect various councilmembers two years ago.

The radicals have a large group to pick from, including: Lisa Calderón, the Executive Director of Emerge Colorado, an organization that promotes left-wing women candidates for office, and who ran four years ago for mayor; Deborah Ortega, a term limited councilwoman for the city at large who has served in government for almost 40 years; and Leslie Herod, a term limited state representative from Denver.

The leading corporatist candidate is Kelly Brough, the former longtime President and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and former chief of staff for then mayor John Hickenlooper. To the great annoyance of Channel 9News’ Marshall Zelinger, some white men have also announced they are running, including: Chris Hansen, who represents both Denver and Glendale in the state senate; and Mike Johnston, who also has represented northeast Denver in the state senate and ran for governor until John Hickenlooper entered the race. Zelinger indicated that he did not feel “comfy” with white men running when women and persons of color had already entered the race. More than a few Channel 9News viewers noted that, as a white man himself, Zelinger should resign to provide an opportunity for women and persons of color to occupy a “comfy” position at Channel 9.

Do any of the candidates care about the ever-increasing cost of living in Denver beyond housing? Do any of them care about the quality of life for the average Denverite and not just the ever-growing army of the homeless? Do any of them care about the ever-diminishing parks and open space? Do any of them have any plans to bring back downtown from the wreckage that it has become?

Denver was once a beautiful city with an enormous number of parks and open spaces, as well as wonderful neighborhoods. Denver was far from perfect, but it took only 12 years of Hancock to destroy much of it. Will the next mayor be just another mayor like Lori Lightfoot of Chicago, or another developer whore like Hancock? Or will someone arise who is better and different? Over the next 90 days we will be looking intently if such a person exists and we hope you will do the same.

• Editorial Board