Mayoral election in Denver, Colorado (May 7, 2019 general election)

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2019 Denver elections

Election dates
Filing deadline: March 14, 2019
General election: May 7, 2019
Runoff election: June 4, 2019
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor, city auditor, city clerk, and city council
Total seats up: 16 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2019

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Incumbent Michael Hancock and urban development consultant Jamie Giellis were the top two finishers in the May 7, 2019, election for mayor of Denver. Hancock received 38.7% of the vote to Giellis' 24.9%. Because no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, Hancock and Giellis advanced to a runoff election, which was held on June 4, 2019.

Growth was the central issue, according to Denverite, which described the election as "a referendum on growth and its far-reaching effects, from transportation options and economic prowess to neighborhood aesthetics and displacement".[1]

Although the election was officially nonpartisan, Hancock, Lisa Calderón, Jamie Giellis, and Penfield Tate were all members of the Democratic Party.[2][3][4][5] Party affiliations for Kalyn Heffernan, Stephan "Seku" Evans, and Marcus Giavanni were not available. The last Republican to win election as mayor of Denver was Richard Batterton (R) in 1959.[6]

Hancock was first elected in 2011 and won re-election with just over 80 percent of the vote in 2015. The city of Denver uses a strong mayor-council system, with the mayor's powers including proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations.[7] Denver elects mayors to four-year terms in nonpartisan elections. No mayor may serve more than three consecutive terms.[8]

This page covers the general election. For coverage of the runoff between Hancock and Giellis, click here.

Denver voter? Dates you need to know.

Candidate Filing Deadline| March 14, 2019
Runoff Registration Deadline| Same-day registration
Absentee Application Deadline| Ballots automatically sent by mail to active voters
Early Voting Deadline| May 20 - June 3, 2019
Runoff Election| June 4, 2019
Voting information
Primary Type| Top-two
Polling place hours| 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day.

This election was a battleground race. Other 2019 battlegrounds included:

* Mayoral election in Kansas City, Missouri (2019)
* Mayoral election in Tampa, Florida (2019)
* North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District election (April 30, 2019 Republican primary)

|

## Contents

* 1 Candidates
* 2 Candidate profiles
* 3 Campaign finance
* 4 Satellite spending
* 5 Endorsements
* 6 Issues
* 6.1 Growth and development
* 6.1.1 Development planning
* 6.1.2 Housing affordability
* 6.1.3 Rent control
* 6.1.4 Homelessness and the "Right to Survive" Initiative
* 7 Campaign themes
* 7.1 Candidate survey
* 7.2 Lisa Calderón
* 7.3 Stephan "Seku" Evans
* 7.4 Jamie Giellis
* 7.5 Michael Hancock
* 7.6 Kalyn Heffernan
* 7.7 Penfield Tate
* 8 Campaign ads
* 8.1 Lisa Calderón
* 8.1.1 Support
* 8.2 Jamie Giellis
* 8.2.1 Support
* 8.3 Michael Hancock
* 8.3.1 Support
* 8.4 Kalyn Heffernan
* 8.4.1 Support
* 8.5 Penfield Tate
* 8.5.1 Support
* 9 Debates and forums
* 9.1 April 30, 2019
* 9.2 April 18, 2019
* 9.3 April 17, 2019, debate
* 9.4 April 16, 2019, candidate forum
* 9.5 April 13, 2019, debate
* 9.6 April 1, 2019, debate
* 9.7 March 25, 2019 candidate forum
* 9.8 March 21, 2019, candidate forum
* 10 Timeline
* 11 Mayoral partisanship
* 12 Election history
* 12.1 2015
* 12.2 2011
* 13 About the office
* 14 About the city
* 14.1 Demographics
* 15 State profile
* 15.1 Partisan data
* 16 Pivot Counties
* 16.1 Presidential results by legislative district
* 17 See also
* 18 External links
* 19 Footnotes

## Candidates[edit]

General runoff election

##### General runoff election for Mayor of Denver

Incumbent Michael Hancock defeated Jamie Giellis in the general runoff election for Mayor of Denver on June 4, 2019.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Michael Hancock (Nonpartisan)  |

56.3

| 91,675

| Jamie Giellis (Nonpartisan)  |

43.7

| 71,069

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2

| Total votes: 162,744

|
|

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

General election

##### General election for Mayor of Denver

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Denver on May 7, 2019.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Michael Hancock (Nonpartisan)  |

38.7

| 69,271
✔ |

| Jamie Giellis (Nonpartisan)  |

24.9

| 44,543

| Lisa Calderón (Nonpartisan) |

18.5

| 33,100

| Penfield Tate (Nonpartisan)  |

14.7

| 26,370

| Kalyn Heffernan (Nonpartisan)  |

2.5

| 4,481

| Stephan Evans (Nonpartisan)  |

0.7

| 1,325

| Marcus Giavanni (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)  |

0.0

| 83

| Kenneth Simpson (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)  |

0.0

| 23

| Paul Fiorino (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)  |

0.0

| 7

| Leatha Scott (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)  |

0.0

| 4

* * *

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 179,207

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

## Candidate profiles[edit]

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages

Lisa Calderón, criminal justice professor

Party: Nonpartisan

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Calderón graduated from Metro State University and obtained a master's degree from the University of Denver, a law degree from the University of Colorado, and a doctorate in education from CU Denver. Between 1995 and 2007, Calderón was a director at the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, a Boulder-based shelter for victims of domestic violence. She later served as director of the Community Reentry Project, a nonprofit with the objective of assisting recently released former prisoners. At the time of the 2019 election, Calderón was a professor of criminal justice at Regis University and a co-chairwoman of the Colorado Latino Forum.[9][10][11]

Key messages

* Calderón said that she was running to increase the role that local residents play in policymaking decisions. She argued that her experience as a nonprofit director had given her "the heart, the skills and the policy know-how to lead this city in a new direction."[11]

* Calderón called for policies which she said would decrease the mayor's power, including by modifying the city charter to make the position of sheriff elected rather than appointed by the mayor and to create an independent agency which would make appointments to boards rather than the mayor.[12]

* Calderón identified affordable housing as a central issue, calling for a requirement that developers meet affordable housing minimums before receiving subsidies and for policies intended to discourage the Denver Housing Authority from selling public housing.[12][10]

Stephan "Seku" Evans, citizen activist

Party: Nonpartisan

Incumbent: no

Political office: None

Biography: Evans obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Denver, where he was a Ford Foundation scholar. He later attended Metropolitan State University-Denver and the University of Colorado-Boulder. While in high school, Evans joined the Denver chapter of the Black Panther Party and went on to work as an organizer with the All-African Student Union Movement. Evans ran a florist shop for 25 years, retiring in 2000. At the time of the 2019 election, he was chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the BlacK StaRz InTerNaTionaL AcTioNz MoveMent-4-SeLf~DeFenZe, LLc.[13]

Key messages

* Evans said that the city should prioritize expanding access to housing, calling for the expansion of Low Income Housing Tax Credits, increasing the city's supply of affordable housing, and adopting a housing-first approach to homelessness.[14]

* Evans said that he would remove restrictions on carrying a firearm in the city and called for a change in the city's firearm licensing procedure that would prohibit the police department from denying a permit to an applicant who meets the requirements.[15]

Jamie Giellis, former River North Art District president

Party: Nonpartisan

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Giellis obtained her bachelor's in journalism and communications from the University of Iowa in 1999 and her M.P.A. in local government from the University of Colorado Denver in 2010. Giellis was hired as executive director of the Cedar Rapids Downtown district in 2003 and served in that role for three years before joining Progressive Urban Management Associates, an urban development consulting firm. In 2010, Giellis left the firm to found her own consultancy, Centro, Inc. She served on the board of directors of the International Downtown Association between 2008 and 2014 and as president of the River North Art District from 2014 until resigning to focus on her campaign.[16][17]

Key messages

* Giellis said that she was running because of her work with "communities in this city who have felt ambushed by the impacts of unplanned development in their neighborhood."[18] Giellis' platform included a proposal to open city development offices in every neighborhood and promised a new approach to growth at the municipal level.[19]

* Giellis identified access to housing as a campaign priority, calling for a $1 billion city expenditure on housing over the next decade, the creation of a Cabinet-level post focused on housing affordability, and a buyback of existing affordable units from developers.[20]

* Giellis said that her professional experience heading the River North Arts District and her M.P.A. made her the most qualified candidate to oversee the city's growth.[18]

Kalyn Heffernan, activist and musician

Party: Nonpartisan

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: Heffernan obtained a bachelor's in music entertainment industry studies from the University of Colorado Denver. She founded hip-hop group Wheelchair Sports Camp in 2009 and at the time of the 2019 election was its emcee and producer.[21] Heffernan also was an activist "who is well known for fighting for access, health care, and calling out those in power who protect capital interests over humans."[22]

Key messages

* Heffernan said that her top priority would be expanding access to housing, transportation, healthcare, education, and wealth.[22]

* Heffernan said that she would emphasize the arts, calling for increased support for the city's artists.[22]

* Heffernan supports Initiated Ordinance 300, which would overturn a ban on camping in public areas.[22]

Michael Hancock, Denver mayor

Party: Nonpartisan

Incumbent: Yes

Political office: Mayor of Denver (Assumed office: 2011), Denver City Council (2004-2011)

Biography: Hancock graduated from Hastings College and obtained an M.A. in public administration from the University of Colorado Denver. Hancock's first job after his graduation from Hastings was with the National Civic League, a nonprofit whose stated mission is "to inspire, support and celebrate civic engagement in America’s communities."[23] Hancock later joined the Urban League, a nonprofit dedicated to "promoting the attainment of economic and social self-reliance among poor and disadvantaged African Americans."[24][25][26]

Key messages

* Hancock said that he had turned the city around since taking office in 2011, saying that during his two terms the unemployment rate dropped, more businesses entered the city, and more funds were allocated towards affordable housing than by the state government of Colorado.[27]

* Hancock stated that his administration had taken steps to increase the availability of affordable housing, including creating the city's first affordable housing fund.[27]

* Hancock's plan for his third term included the Denveright initiative—a 20-year development master plan for the city of Denver— a plan to establish a municipal department of transportation, allowing the city to fund additional public transit projects, and a plan to increase the minimum wage for city employees to $15 per hour by 2021.[28][29][30]

Penfield Tate, former state senator

Party: Nonpartisan

Incumbent: No

Political office: Colorado State Senate (2001-2003), Colorado House of Representatives (1997-2001)

Biography: Tate graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in sociology and obtained a law degree fron Antioch School of Law. He spent three years working as an attorney with the Federal Trade Commission before joining the law offices of Trimble, Tate & Nulan. Tate worked briefly as executive director of the state Department of Administration before being elected vice chairman of the Democratic Party of Colorado in 1994. Tate served six years in the state legislature as a Democrat, resigning in 2003 to run for mayor of Denver. He was defeated by John Hickenlooper. Tate went on to resume his career as an attorney.[31]

Key messages

* Tate said that he was running because the Hancock administration had "been ignoring and steamrolling neighborhoods over the last eight years for the sake of development."[32] Tate promised to "sit down with developers and tell them open season is not open."[29]

* Tate said that although he believed that the city would continue to grow, he was doubtful that public support existed for sustaining the existing pace of growth through 2040, which the Denveright plan projects as a benchmark.[29]

* Tate's climate plan included a full switchover to renewable energy and electric vehicles for the city goverrnment by 2024 and an entirely wind- and solar-powered and carbon-neutral city by 2030.[33]

## Campaign finance[edit]

The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Denver Elections Division covering all contributions and expenditures made through May 1, 2019. View the full reporting schedule for mayoral candidates here.

## Satellite spending[edit]

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[34][35][36]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

* The Committee for a Great Denver reported spending just over $100,000 on online ads supporting Hancock and opposing Giellis as of April 26, 2019.[37]

## Endorsements[edit]

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes links to endorsement lists published on campaign websites, if available. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

* Lisa Calderón
* Jamie Giellis
* Michael Hancock
* Penfield Tate

Noteworthy endorsements

Endorsement  | Calderón[38] | Giellis[39] | Hancock[40] | Tate[41]
Newspapers and editorials
El Seminario |  ✔  |  |  |
Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle |  |  |  |  ✔
The Denver Post[42] |  |  |  ✔  |
Elected officials
Sen. Michael Bennet (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Sen. Ken Salazar (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Rep. Joe Neguse (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Gov. John Hickenlooper (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Gov. Dick Lamm (D)  |  |  |  |  ✔
Former Gov. Bill Ritter (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former state Sen. Irene Aguilar (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former state Sen. Alice Borodkin (D)  |  |  |  |  ✔
Former state Sen. Betty Boyd (D)  |  |  |  |  ✔
Former state Sen. Mike Feeley (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former state Sen. Joan Fitz-Gerald (D)  |  |  |  |  ✔
Former state Sen. Rob Hernandez (D)  |  |  ✔  |  |
Former state Sen. Michael Johnston (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former state Sen. Dorothy Rupert (D)  |  |  |  |  ✔
Former state Sen. Gloria Travis Tanner (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
State Rep. Meg Froelich (D)  |  |  |  |  ✔
State Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D)  |  |  ✔  |  |
State Rep. Susan Lontine (D)  |  |  |  |  ✔
State Rep. Jovan Melton (D)  |  |  |  |  ✔
Former state Rep. Celina Benavidez (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former state Rep. Terrance Carroll (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former state Rep. Mike Cerbo (D)  |  |  |  |  ✔
Former state Rep. Nolbert Chavez (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former state Rep. Doug Friednash (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former state Rep. Rosemary Marshall (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former state Rep. Anne McGihon (D)  |  |  |  |  ✔
Former state Rep. Joseph Salazar (D)  |  |  |  |  ✔
Former state Rep. Jeff Shoemaker (D)  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Mayor Wellington Webb  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Mayor Bill Vidal  |  |  |  ✔  |
South Bend, Indiana mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg (D)[43] |  |  |  ✔  |
Denver City Councillor Rafael Espinoza |  |  ✔  |  |
Former Denver City Councillor Charlie Brown  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Denver City Councillor Cathy Donohue  |  |  ✔  |  |
Former Denver City Councillor Marcia Johnson  |  |  ✔  |  |
Former Denver City Councillor Elbra Wedgeworth  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Denver Sheriff Gary Wilson  |  ✔  |  |  |
Denver Board of Education Member Jennifer Bacon |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Denver Board of Education Member Bruce Hoyt  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Denver Board of Education Member Michael Johnson  |  |  |  ✔  |
Former Denver Board of Education Member Jeanne Kaplan  |  ✔  |  |  |
Former Denver Board of Education Member Rosemary Rodriguez |  |  |  ✔  |
Individuals
Former International Downtown Association Chairman Jeff Sanford  |  |  ✔  |  |
Organizations
350 Action[44] |  ✔  |  |  |
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1001 Denver  |  |  |  |  ✔
Colorado Black Leadership Coalition  |  |  |  ✔  |
Colorado Building Construction Trades Council  |  |  |  ✔  |
Communications Workers of America \-- Colorado/Wyoming chapter  |  |  |  |  ✔
Denver Firefighters Local 858  |  |  |  ✔  |
Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance  |  |  |  ✔  |
Healthier Colorado  |  |  |  ✔  |
IATSE Local 7  |  |  |  ✔  |
Metro Housing Coalition  |  |  |  ✔  |
NORML |  ✔  |  |  |
Plumbers Local Union 3  |  |  |  ✔  |
Progressive Democrats of America \-- Denver chapter  |  |  |  |  ✔
Stonewall Democrats of Colorado[45] |  |  ✔  |  |  ✔
Teamsters Local 17  |  |  |  ✔  |
UNITE HERE Local 23  |  |  |  ✔  |
Vietnamese Community of Colorado  |  |  |  ✔  |
YIMBY Denver  |  |  |  ✔  |

## Issues[edit]

### Growth and development[edit]

The state of Colorado as a whole and the city of Denver in particular experienced a period of rapid growth throughout the 2010s. Between 2010 and 2017, Denver gained over 100,000 residents for a population increase of 13.0 percent—more than three times the national average of 4.0 percent.[46][47] In 2016, developers spent $7.8 billion on construction in the Denver area, surpassing the record that had been set the previous year.[48] Denver's response to this development was "driving one of the city’s most crowded election cycles in decades," according to The Denver Post.[49]

Over the course of the 2010s, housing affordability in Denver declined as the population increased. Between 2011 and 2017, the city's average rent increased by 46.9 percent, greater than any other metropolitan area outside of California.[50] A 2017 Freddie Mac study found that the supply of housing in Denver that would be considered affordable to a person making less than half the median income had decreased by 75 percent between 2010 and 2016.[51] Denver's affordable housing fund, which was first launched in 2015, was funded at a rate of $30 million annually as of the election.[52]

In light of the city's growth, the Hancock administration launched the Denveright project in 2016. A package of five municipal master plans, Denveright was conceived as a comprehensive approach to zoning, planning, and transit to last the city through 2040. The final version of the plan was submitted to the city council on March 19, 2019.[53] The plan called for increased investment in public transit and eliminated a provision in previous Denver planning documents that limited development in certain neighborhoods.[49] The city council approved two of the five plans constituting Denveright on April 22, 2019.[54]

#### Development planning[edit]

Michael Hancock said that his opponents had overstated the downsides of the city's recent growth, adding that Denver had experienced a period of economic growth since he took office.[49] He said that he intended to win election to a third term in order to see the Denveright plan through.[55]

Lisa Calderón said that she would restructure the city's planning processes so that residents of the relevant neighborhood would be involved from the earliest stages. She called for a development strategy which emphasizes walkability and open spaces.[56]

Jamie Giellis said that she would open a municipal planning office in every neighborhood and encourage planning on the neighborhood level in collaboration with local civic groups. She did not support the Denveright plan, saying that it did not emphasize transit enough and opened every neighborhood to development.[57]

Penfield Tate said that he would revise the permitting process to increase the influence of local residents earlier on in projects' lifespans.[58] On March 21, 2019, Tate called for a moratorium on new construction until the election.[59]

#### Housing affordability[edit]

Michael Hancock said that his administration created Denver's first affordable housing fund and had spent more on the issue than the Colorado state government.[60]

Lisa Calderón said that she would create a Cabinet-level Housing Department, attempt to preserve the city's existing stock of affordable housing, and negotiate with developers to seek additional affordable housing units.[61]

Jamie Giellis said that she would create a Cabinet-level Office of Attainable Housing, seek to buy back existing affordable housing units, and spend $1 billion on attainable housing over the next decade.[62]

Penfield Tate supported a multi-pronged approach to housing including converting church facilities and closed Denver Public Schools buildings into housing units, allowing businesses to rent on-site mobile homes and allow employees to live on-campus, and using city resources to incentivize further affordable housing development.[63]

#### Rent control[edit]

Michael Hancock said that he was opposed to a proposal before the city council implementing rent control.[64]

Lisa Calderón said that she was open to the idea of rent control as part of a broader housing policy.[65]

Jamie Giellis said that she did not support rent control.[64]

Penfield Tate said that he supported rent control, adding that he had sponsored a rent control bill while in the state legislature.[64]

#### Homelessness and the "Right to Survive" Initiative[edit]

Michael Hancock In his first campaign ad, Hancock referred to a time when he was homeless growing up and said that his administration had worked to limit homelessness. He opposed Initiated Ordinance 300.[66] On April 19, 2019, Hancock proposed creating a Department of Housing and Homelessness.[67]

Lisa Calderón said that she would prioritize solutions to homelessness which have worked in other localities. She opposed preconditions on housing provided to the homeless and supported Initiated Ordinance 300.[68][65]

Jamie Giellis called for a $6 million increase in the annual homelessness budget and an end to sweeps for homeless residents. She opposed preconditions on housing provided to the homeless, as well as Initiated Ordinance 300.[69]

Penfield Tate promised to establish housing facilities with counseling services for all homeless residents within his first 100 days in office. He opposed Initiated Ordinance 300.[70]

## Campaign themes[edit]

### Candidate survey[edit]

Ballotpedia invites candidates to participate in its annual survey.
Click here to fill out the survey.

|

###  Lisa Calderón[edit]

Calderón's campaign website stated the following:

“  |

Equity
Residents
Resident-Driven Planning
We will prioritize resident needs over developer greed through neighborhood-driven decision-making processes, including making affordable housing and multi-modal communities our top priority. We will hold them accountable to these commitments.

Affordability Commitments
We will require developers to commit to affordable and accessible housing units prior to the City providing subsidies and incentives.

Monitoring and Compliance
We will preserve affordable housing stock by discouraging the sale of public housing by Denver Housing Authority; Strengthening covenant compliance by leveraging the city's public assets; and increasing funding by generating revenue streams.

Investment
We will invest in affordable housing in times of prosperity rather than in times of crisis.

Restructure Public-Private Partnerships (P3's)
We will take a people-centered approach to P'3 by transforming them into P4's- Public, Private, People Partnerships to give residents an equal seat at the table with developers.

Design
We will promote thriving urbanism, preservation, and liveability when developers seek to use public land.

Displacement Mitigation
We will expand eviction and displacement prevention resources to reduce homelessness and work to keep residents in their communities.

Women
Parity and Protection
We will advance gender-responsive policies that will promote parity for women in the workplace including equal wages, opportunities, and protections against gender discrimination and sexual harassment.

Workers
Power Sharing
We will create an even playing field between city employees and the Mayor's administration by supporting unions and their collective bargaining rights without political retaliation.

Fairness
Accountability
Checks and Balances
We will implement independent system of checks and balances by creating an independent appointing agency free of the mayor's influence.

Ethics Board
We will strengthen the Ethics Board to give it authority to censure public officials for violating the public's trust.

Auditor
We will partner with the Auditor's office to identify system inefficiencies and implement recommended changes.

Mayor
We will ensure that the Mayor follows the same rules for upholding ethical standards as every city worker is required to do.

Contracting
Small Businesses
We will overhaul the City's contracting process to give small and minority/women owned firms a fair chance to compete.

Fair Competition
We will prohibit biased contracting processes designed to reward political cronies and punish vocal critics.

Transparency
Open Records
We will implement new Open Records policies so that residents and the press have full access to public records by removing barriers to information dissemination.

Public Notice
We will ensure that the public receives notice of planning processes before decisions are made.

Meeting Minutes
We will require that substantive meeting minutes are posted online with public notice of meetings held by the Administration and Boards and Commissions.

Justice
Independent Agencies
Charter Changes
We will support a Charter change to create truly independent Public Safety agencies free from the political influence of the Mayor's Office.

Sheriff
We will support a charter change for an elected Sheriff who is directly accountable to voters with the latitude to reduce the jail population and increase treatment services.

Independent Monitor
We will support a charter change for the independent Monitor to be appointed by an independent body, and with increased oversight authority over Public Safety agencies to enact, monitor and measure reforms.

Public Safety Department
We will downsize the Public Safety Department and shift oversight resources to the Independent Monitor's office with the authority to implement reforms in the Police and Sheriff departments.

City Attorney
We will revamp the City Attorney's role to focus on representing the interests of taxpayers rather than protecting the interests of the Mayor.

Survivors
We will overhaul the services to survivors of crime by updating policies and practices that are grounded in research, and that are responsive to the needs of diverse communities.

Boards and Commissions
We will support a Charter change to create an independent agency to make appointments to Boards and Commission free of the influence of the Mayor.

Transportation & Safety
Denver must make transportation more accessible to more people. Making public transit more affordable and accessible will be a priority, as we are the hub of the metro area’s business industry. I will work across municipalities and at the state level to support funding for transportation, as well as the Regional Transportation Board. I will be a convener of stakeholders to hold RTD accountable to be more affordable and inclusive of all communities, particularly those that are public transit-reliant. If we want to be a state that prospers, we must work with our regional partners to make transit work for all people and communities.

As part of my SMART (Smart Growth, Mobility, Assess, Revitalization, Trees and open space) vision for planning, I will implement initiatives to shift the culture from being car-dependent to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions. Unfortunately, Denver currently lacks a truly comprehensive, multi-modal approach to transportation.

As mayor, I will:

* Call for the development of a single integrated transportation plan that brings together planning for streets, boulevards, parkways, bikeways, sidewalks, transit and para-transit.
* Use data to inform decision-making and will measure benchmarks to reach the goal of zero traffic fatalities as envisioned by Denver Streets Partnership Vision Zero five-year plan.
* Increase funding to create equity across neighborhoods where the majority of deaths occur in “high-injury networks” or “communities of concern,” which disproportionately consist of working-class people.
* Build infrastructure for alternative forms of transportation to make walking and cycling safer.
* Prioritize resources in the most congested and unsafe areas in Denver.
* Enforce construction code violations that impede traffic lanes and walkways.
* Push for more frequent, affordable, reliable and accessible RTD services.

Housing Affordability & Attainability
With a deficit of 32,000 housing units and a vacancy rate of 1.5%, Denver is in an affordable housing crisis of epic proportions. We need housing options that are affordable, attainable, and meet the needs of more people, including our low-income residents in Denver. This will require a fundamental restructuring of the city’s engagement in housing, including:

* A cabinet-level Housing Department administered by experts with deep experience
* A fully supported & transparent Comprehensive Fund, to coordinate the deployment of available resources and partnerships with other funding and tax credit providers. This would be a dedicated funding stream for new affordable units, preservation of existing units, and a higher per-unit subsidy.
* Preservation of our existing affordable and attainable housing stock, as opposed to incentivizing development that results in scrapes.
* Negotiating with corporate developers for affordable housing requirements at the front end, rather than the back end, and implement continued monitoring to ensure compliance with these commitments.
* Implementing participant-public-private partnerships, or P4 initiatives, which require the involvement of community members (participants), the government (public) and developers (private) in all decision-making.

In gentrifying neighborhoods, I will enact aggressive anti-displacement policies to protect our most vulnerable residents, including evidence-based policies that have been shown to slow hyper-gentrification: rent stabilization, tenant protection policies, and the establishment of community land trusts.

Denver Parks & Open Spaces
The three pillars of my campaign are fairness, equity and justice. Our legacy as a city in a park speaks to these values. Our parks are accessible places to all residents; in them, we are one people. Ensuring that all corners of Denver, regardless of income and zip code, have fair and equitable access to high-quality parks space is not only just, but it ensures a sustainable and resilient future for our city. Current city policy allows big developers to turn our neighborhoods into “concrete boxes,” cutting down trees and increasing traffic congestion; this creates poorer health outcomes for Denver’s residents. It’s time for a new generation of aspirational parks expansion planning and adaptive reuse of urban land to that end, especially near our transit station areas that we have targeted for significant population growth. We must give more consideration to parks and public gathering ahead of redevelopment discussions.

By working together, Denver can be a model for how residents, service providers, business owners and city leaders can create housing for all and improve community well-being. A great city isn’t just measured by its wealth, but how it cares for those in need.

As mayor, I will:

* Seek to design healthy community ecosystems, with the participation of community members at all stages of planning and implementation, that enable all of us to lead healthier lives. We must apply a holistic approach to environmental sustainability that encompasses the natural environment, mental and physical well-being, and addresses the health inequity gap.
* Expand green space requirements in new high-density developments. The current zoning land-use requirement for General Development Plans (GDPs) says that 5% of the total site “developable” land area must be designed/planned as publicly accessible open space. I feel that this is inadequate for Denver’s “City in a Park” image and legacy. The open space requirement should be changed to require a minimum of 15% of total site area to be publicly accessible open space.
* Create administrative incentives for landscaped areas, such as green roofs, vegetated walls, and pocket parks and playgrounds by increasing the required areas of open space in all three dimensions.
* Direct my administration to use standards set by the National Parks and Recreation Association as a baseline, with the goal of increasing our parkland to 10 acres per 1,000 people, and require parkland dedication be consistent with that metric.
* Support an ordinance moving open space zoning from the Executive Director of Parks back to City Council. The Director of Parks & Recreation and the Parks Advisory Board should have an advisory role in zoning decisions, but major decisions about regulatory oversight of parks should involve decision makers who are directly accountable to the taxpayers. The city charter requires a vote of the people to alter the boundaries of a dedicated park. I will seek the dedication of more parkland so that decisions about the disposition of parks are made directly by a vote of the people. I will also seek to broaden the scope of activities in parks that require a vote of the people.

Homelessness
As a 30-year public servant working both in and outside of government, I believe that every action that directly affects the people should originate with the people most impacted. Rather than the current administration’s top-down planning process, I will implement community- and resident-driven development which includes renters, homeowners and our unhoused neighbors.

Compassion matters. I believe that a great city is not measured by its wealth, but in the way it treats its people, particularly our most vulnerable neighbors. Criminalizing our unhoused neighbors, by way of “move on” orders and the urban camping ban, results in failed policies based in fear that have not proven effective at reducing homelessness.

In fact, a criminalization approach can make the situation worse: These policies have overwhelming collateral consequences on homeless populations by pushing unhoused people to dangerous areas, pushing them farther away from vital resources, and causing adverse health effects. As homeless people are forced into the shadows, extremely harmful consequences usually follow; this is a public safety and public health issue for those who are experiencing homelessness.

As a 20-year service provider, I’ll take an evidence-based approach to this issue, by investing in proven models to reduce homelessness, converting the old jail into treatment facility, bringing a multimillion dollar housing bond to voters, and creating a centralized Housing Department. I will appoint administrators in the Housing Department with deep expertise and experience with our complex housing issues so that we can implement a coherent, comprehensive, and consistent strategy that leverages public and private resources to provide multiple pathways to proper shelter, temporary housing, permanent supportive housing, treatment services, and long-term affordable housing in mixed-income communities for those experiencing homelessness.

I will prioritize a housing-first model, where people experiencing chronic homelessness are placed in housing without preconditions, such as sobriety or treatment. Meeting people where they are at, stabilizing them through rapid housing, and then incorporating wrap-around services is a better use of taxpayer dollars than the more expensive criminalization approach to public safety as it relates to homelessness.

We must also equip those who are not homeless with alternatives to involving law enforcement in situations better handled by other supportive organizations. As mayor, I will bring together business owners, city agencies, service providers, and community members (housed and unhoused) to come to fair and equitable solutions. This would include education and outreach to the business community, providing business owners with the resources and best practices in how to engage with and support those experiencing homelessness without involving law enforcement.

By working together, Denver can be a model for how residents, service providers, business owners and city leaders can create housing for all and improve community well-being. A great city isn’t just measured by its wealth, but how it cares for those in need.

Climate Change & Sustainability
As a 30-year public servant working both in and outside of government, I believe that every action that directly affects the people should originate with the people most impacted. Rather than the current administration’s top-down planning process, I will implement community- and resident-driven development which includes renters, homeowners and our unhoused neighbors.

A great city isn’t defined by its wealth, but by the way it treats its people, neighbors and the environment.

The next ten years are critical to the sustainability of our communities and our planet. It’s time that we treat climate change as the urgent threat that it is. My approach to environmental policy is holistic, and will link community health, the environment, and the economy.

As mayor, I will appoint a cabinet-level Sustainability Director and will fully fund and scale up the Office of Sustainability to speed a carbon-neutral economy. I will make sustainability foundational to all planning, projects, and decision-making.

As the first mayoral candidate to support the Green New Deal, I will work with all due haste to move Denver toward a carbon-free economy. I will implement equitable policies to include those who are most vulnerable to the catastrophic effects of climate change to close the racial and gender wealth divide.

As mayor, I will reject political contributions from the oil and gas industry, and I will divest City holdings in any lending institution or company engaged in the ownership, financing, extraction, production, refining, processing, distribution and/or direct sales of fossil fuels.

It’s time for Denver to be the nation’s leader in climate action, rather than consistently failing to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s ozone standards. We must protect our most vulnerable residents like children and seniors, and those having chronic and short-term respiratory issues.

I will also make it a priority to work across municipalities and the State to meet environmental goals. Denver, as the state’s capital, will finally be a good neighbor and work with our regional partners to move forward together to do our part to save our planet.

In my vision for a Green New Denver, we will become leaders in:

* Renewable energy and resource efficiency; and pioneering a 21st century energy grid powered by clean, renewable energy sources.
* Making health and community wellness foundational for all decision-making.
* Authentic community engagement, social equity, and environmental justice.
* Healing environmental damage, access to clean water and air, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and access to nutritious food.
* Incentivizing responsible food management, allowing for the reallocation of restaurant and grocery supplies to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.
* Ensuring attainable housing for all.
* Green and smart infrastructure and delivery of services.
* Clean, safe, and reliable transportation; and ensuring mobility and accessibility for all residents.

Together, we will make Denver a green city, a healthy city, and a sustainable city.

Community-Driven Planning & Growth
Currently, city planning in Denver is too far removed from the everyday lives of residents, and has failed to meet the people’s expectations because of a lack of vision and authentic community engagement practices. Denver’s growth and prosperity works for some, but not for enough of us. I believe collaborative growth should be integrated into the fabric of our current and future neighborhoods and should ensure that prosperity is accessible to and shared by all Denver residents.

As a 30-year public servant working both in and outside of government, I believe that every action that directly affects the people should originate with the people most impacted. Rather than the current administration’s top-down planning process, I will implement community- and resident-driven development which includes renters, homeowners and our unhoused neighbors.

Community-centered development brings residents to the table from the beginning when planning decisions are made at all phases of planning, from early investigation of issues and concerns, through the crafting of goals, policies, and actions, and to the monitoring of outcomes.

My SMART vision for city planning and growth includes:

* Smart growth: Comprehensive land-use planning for environmentally sustainable, compact, walkable, and multimodal urban centers with mixed-use development offering a range of affordable housing options.
* Mobility: Implement initiatives to shift the culture from being car-dependent to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions. Use data to inform decision-making and measure benchmarks to reach the goal of zero traffic fatalities, as envisioned by the Denver Streets Partnership’s Vision Zero five-year plan. Increase funding to create equity across neighborhoods where the majority of deaths occur in “high-injury networks” or “communities of concern,” which disproportionately consist of working-class people. Build infrastructure for alternative forms of transportation to make walking and cycling safer.
* Assess: Conduct social impact analysis of major development projects prior to construction to assess the ramifications and interventions for the environment and communities at risk of displacement to identify so that both may thrive.
* Revitalization: Create participant-public-private partnership (P4) initiatives, which require the involvement of community members (participants), the government (public), and developers (private) in all decision-making. These redevelopment strategies will create vibrant urban environments that reconnect community members to their histories and cultural identities.
* Trees and open space: Protect green spaces by acquiring or expanding environmentally sensitive areas, reducing carbon emissions and scaling up eco-friendly technologies to protect our water, air and soil. Include vulnerable communities who are disproportionately impacted by the cost of climate change, in environmental policy decisions that impact our families and communities. Adopt the principles of the Green New Deal including reducing wealth inequity by addressing the racial and gender wealth divide by ensuring that marginalized communities and working families are centered in the transition to a new economy rooted in clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources, and dispelling the false choice between good jobs and taking care of the environment.[71]

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—Lisa for Denver Mayor[72]

###  Stephan "Seku" Evans[edit]

Evans' campaign website stated the following:

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Gentrification impacts Denver Metro making affordable housing for middle and low income folks a requirement.

* More affordable housing for folks who make less than 60% of the area’s median income (AMI).
* Utilize more Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) development in lower-income neighborhoods which increases housing prices, lowers crime rates and attracts racially and economically diverse populations.
* Supports Housing First Initiative which moves homeless people off streets into apartments.

Open Carry in Denver
The State of Colorado has open carry yet Denver City is reluctant to allow its citizens to fully exercise their Second Amendment rights

* Having an armed citizenry reduces crime.- Criminals, (politicians, business folk, and police) are less likely to commit crimes if they know locals are armed.
* Supports the 2nd Amendment‘s “right of the people to keep and bear arms”, and argue that most adults who legally carry a concealed gun are law-abiding and do not misuse their firearms.
* All the other US states have passed laws for open carry of arms.
* Allow the concealed carry of firearms on its college campus.
* Advocates for the unrestricted carry of guns in Denver.
* Supports “shall-issue” laws where police do not have discretion in issuing concealed weapon permits as long as individuals meet minimum requirements, such as minimum age, no prior felony conviction, and no recent commitments to a mental institution (as of March 14,2014).[71]

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—Chairman Seku"[73]

###  Jamie Giellis[edit]

Giellis' campaign website stated the following:

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Vision and Values
My vision for Denver is a city that values its people, above all. A woven urban fabric of unique neighborhoods and green space, connected and accessible, healthy and strong. A place of opportunity and of equity that welcomes and serves all communities and generations. A safe space for creating, learning and innovating. A reimagined government that shares its power with those whom it serves and helps us do together what we cannot do alone.

THIS WILL BE OUR DENVER.
Denver is again at a tipping point. A modern, urban Denver growing at an unprecedented rate, requires bold leadership that includes and listens to residents who have called Denver their life-long home as well as new residents who have moved here looking to build a family or a business.

I believe a true World Class City for all works through our shared value system that must include the following:

Ethics
Now more than ever it is critical for our leaders to bring personal and professional ethics and integrity into their lives and to city government. As a public servant I will follow the same creed I have followed as a community leader:

* To work for the benefit of the whole and not to enrich myself personally;

* To create a big tent where there is opportunity for success for all and not just the select few;

* To eliminate pay for play. An open process must become the normal way of doing business on any job or project where outside contractors are needed. City government should set the example for business and the community;

* To empower city employees to do the work now being done by outside consultants. Too much work is outsourced to consultants when city staff is well qualified to get the job done. Using our own employees increases transparency and accountability and stimulates our economy by keeping those dollars in the city;

* To work for all the people of our city and ensure their interests are always represented.

To be a good leader, one must have both personal and professional ethics. I learned this as a child and it has served me well as an adult. Accountability, transparency, compassion and inclusion have been part of my personal and professional life. I have not been a politician but I will not compromise ethical city leadership. Accountability, transparency, compassion and inclusion must be part of ethical city leadership.

Quality of Life
Denver must value every individual, every neighborhood and every business, taking strides to make day-to-day life easier for everybody no matter where you live or what your job is:

* Accessible Housing\- Denver has a shortage of accessible housing across the board for our teachers, fire fighters, and hourly workers. Creating opportunities for all people to move toward home ownership is critical for a city to grow with a strong foundation.

* Transportation and Mobility\- Making it easier to traverse Denver is not only a quality of life concern, it’s an economic one. We are committed to diversifying modes of transit holistically, providing a balanced and equitable mobility ecosystem that favors transit, bicycle and pedestrians while appropriately serving vehicular access.

* Safe neighborhoods – Ensuring every neighborhood is safe for children, families and both young and older adults. Increased police training for responding to incidents involving young adults as well as individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Increased community policing and involvement.

* Healthy Environment – Denver is known for our beautiful environment, great parks and sunny days. As a city we should be leading the country in building a sustainable environment leading the way for business and individuals to follow. Cleaning up our city lakes and rivers so that they can be enjoyed by everyone as well as creating a healthy environment for birds and wildlife.

Inclusivity
Denver leaders must provide everyone with equal access to decision making processes and an opportunity to have a seat at the table to express their concerns and ideas for a better neighborhoods and a better city.

We must have policies, infrastructure, jobs and housing that align with the needs of our beautifully diverse city. If we are to be a world class city for all, Denver must demonstrate that we do what we say, putting people first and being a champion of those that are struggling to survive.

Economic Sustainability
Economic diversity is a key component to the economic health and well-being of Denver’s people. Supporting families, workers and small businesses, and encouraging entrepreneurs fighting to survive and thrive means providing supportive policies, access to correct information and clear communication from city agencies. This is the foundation Denver is built on, and is what we must protect.

Through a focus on a healthy economy for all, we will ensure a Denver whose culture, creativity and unique character remains intact and a great City that can sustain, and equitably benefit from, waves of economic change.

A City for Every Generation
“Every generation inherits a world it never made; and as it does so, it automatically becomes the trustee of that world for those who come after.” - Robert Kennedy

This is a critical moment for the Mile High City. A moment in which we must decide to direct the development of Denver’s future, or let that development direct us. From our children and families to our elderly; our diverse, multi-generational residents to our newly arriving immigrants and refugees; people with and without disabilities - as your mayor I will value every individual ensuring this is a great city for every generation.

Balanced Growth that Respects Our Neighborhoods
“Even if you live in a big city, everybody lives in a small town. We identify ourselves by our neighborhoods.” - Karin Slaughter

Cities are living things, and like all living things, cities are healthiest when they grow and evolve over time. Healthy cities adapt to the changing needs and desires of their residents. We want to see our city and our neighborhoods grow and change, but we want these changes to make our neighborhoods more livable, not less. We want changes that benefit us. We want growth that works for us.

For too long now, growth in Denver has been a ship without a rudder We feel helpless as dramatic change happens all around us, and specifically in neighborhoods that have been stable for decades. Denver’s leadership has accepted any and all development without considering how changes will impact the people who live here. It is time to reverse course - we need to stop reacting to growth and start directing it.

As your mayor, I will require that new growth in the city respect Denver’s people and its neighborhoods. That it respect families. That it respect our environment and meaningfully enhance our quality of life. New developments will have to integrate into our historic neighborhoods, enhancing Denver’s unique identity and assets. New development will be assessed based on how it adds value to our lives.

To make this happen, we need leadership and we need thoughtful planning. We also need the courage to require that new growth improve Denver’s quality of life and provides for the equitable economic prosperity of all our people. Denver’s leaders and its citizens must work hand in hand to chart a new course forward. Growth in our city must bend to the will of the people.

As your mayor I will: Channel development to where it makes sense and can be supported
For the past two years, the City of Denver has been pushing ahead on updates to our Comprehensive Plan through the Denveright planning process. This massive 1,600-page package has nearly 500 recommendations and no implementation plan. It opens the doors to density everywhere in the city, and it doesn’t prioritize transit or contemplate growth’s environmental consequences. It is severely disconnected from Denver’s values and vision of itself. I have therefore called for a pause to plan implementation to ensure we understand its impacts and make the necessary changes to get it right. It is alarming that our planning and development have become so disconnected from our actual needs. As your mayor I will:

Reposition the City's Office of Community Planning and Development to truly be about Community (and not just Planning and Development)
It is unacceptable to approach growth with a one-size-fits-all mentality. Some of our neighborhoods have been inundated by development, some welcome additional growth, and some have been left behind entirely. By being thoughtful and nuanced in our approach, we will build bridges with our residents and business owners by pursuing a truly collaborative process to determine what’s right for their neighborhood.

Allow density where it's wanted and where it can be adequately supported and managed
We can accommodate growth in areas of our city that are ripe for density and redevelopment, where it doesn’t threaten community or historical context. These zones include former industrial areas and areas along major transportation corridors. Step one, however, is to catch up with our existing growth by building intra-city transit, reigning in ongoing construction impacts to our streets, and adding substantial affordable housing units. This is thoughtful development - not development at all costs.

Focus on making sure the core of Denver works for everyone
The current administration has positioned development at the airport as a major focus of the next four years. It is folly to funnel our resources to building new subdivisions from scratch when we are a long way from solving the challenges in our city core, in our 78 historic and diverse neighborhoods. Adding sprawl is not the answer, doubling down on quality of life investments in our existing communities is.

Bring the City to the neighborhoods
The City’s best possible partners are its neighborhoods and residents. Increasingly, however, Denver’s communities have been cut off from easy-to-access information on issues, programs and policies. The City needs to get back into the neighborhoods, with their eyes on the ground and working with stakeholders to clearly identify challenges and develop community-based solutions. As your mayor I will:

Open city planning and engagement offices in every council district, with designated City staff to be a champion for neighborhood-based issues
We will appoint planners to work with community who understand neighborhood character, neighborhood movement patterns and desired paths, and neighborhood amenity needs among other things. These staff will be versed in our neighborhood histories as well as demographics, identities and cultures. We will require elected City Council members to office in their districts with accessible office hours. We will allow and encourage customization of planning, policies and toolboxes to uniquely address neighborhood needs.

Strengthen the Registered Neighborhood Organization (RNO) system
The RNO systems allows us as a city to connect to individual neighborhoods and enable cooperation between residents, neighborhood leaders and city staff and elected officials. When the RNO system was established in Denver, it was a very effective and collaborative tool to work on neighborhood issues. In our recent administration, this partnership has deteriorated to a transactional one. I value RNO’s unique ability to represent their local community’s diverse needs, work with city agencies to find creative solutions, and hold the city accountable. I’m committed to a refresh and strengthening of the RNO program, and to a stronger partnership with the Denver Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC) that supports the RNOs.

Involve neighborhood residents, small business owners, civic groups and institutions early and often
Neighborhood RNOs can be the best pathway to engage community, but the City also has a responsibility to meet the community where they are to learn about the impacts of City policy on their lives. This means establishing trust and treating community with respect, always. It means holding regular meetings with community, not just in times of crisis. It means acting on and implementing feedback in due time. We will not be distracted by contrarians or those opposed to any/all change, but rather will focus on facilitating all viewpoints thoughtfully and ensuring we get to the best outcomes by finding common ground.

Ensure neighborhoods have the amenities and resources they need
We have to look at each of our neighborhoods as an ecosystem - do they have access to transit, to attainable housing at varying levels, to green space and parks, to schools, to services, to recreation centers and libraries? When we have healthy neighborhoods, we have a healthy city, but we have work to do to get there citywide. As your mayor I will:

Expedite individual neighborhood planning
Many of our neighborhoods haven’t had updated neighborhood plans for 20+ years. A few years ago, the City of Denver launched a neighborhood planning process, but the process isn’t expected to be complete for another 15-20 years for all neighborhoods. This is far too late. We must expedite neighborhood planning to ensure we understand neighborhood needs NOW. We’ll facilitate this through the community-based planning offices, effective communications and outreach, and support from the RNOs. Silent government is negligent government, and we can’t let our neighborhoods wait.

Implement design requirements citywide
We can protect our neighborhood's character and demand that new development does the same for us. I believe in protecting the fabric of historic neighborhoods, ensuring the past is alive in the present, and embracing the vitality of new construction in a way that supports it. Neighborhoods should have zoning and design support that respects their individual identity. I’m committed to achieving this through zoning-based solutions that provide clear expectations for both community and developers.

Ensure developers give back via on-site benefits to the community via Community Benefit Agreements
Good, managed growth means requiring more out of developers when and where they build. It means ensuring they give back to community, not take from it. I will ensure we have good standards for community development agreements in place - agreements that have benefits crafted by and for the neighborhoods. These could include requirements for open space, for affordable and attainable housing or for neighborhood serving amenities for example. These agreements will have specific, demonstrable requirements, and developments won’t get green-lighted until a contract between the city, the developer and the neighborhood is signed.

A Transit Network to Connect Us
The beauty of a buzzing city is that we move - from our house to our schools to our favorite local restaurant. The reality is that moving anywhere quickly within Denver is no longer possible. We waste time in our cars that would better be spent in our communities and with our families. People need options to move from work to home and from neighborhood to neighborhood. It’s time to stop talking transit and start building it. As your mayor I will:

Establish frequent, reliable, comfortable transit in our city
People want to take a few minutes to themselves – read a book, listen to a podcast, talk with a friend, or catch up on email – instead of fighting traffic. We only need to implement proven solutions that work around the country – and already worked here once. I do not believe we can rely wholly on RTD to provide solutions for and within our city to support our people. Denver must take a leading role in implementing a network of transit and supportive mobility that meets the people’s needs now, with leadership that will be ready to act nimbly to adjust the networks as needed.

Return Denver to a streetcar network that worked for the people of this city
Until 1950, Denver had one of the largest streetcar networks in the country (before that, cable cars ruled the road here!), and it’s time to reconnect Denver’s neighborhoods using the streetcar model and network of the past with modern technology to propel us forward for 21st century needs. So many other cities – from Portland, to Oklahoma City, and El Paso to Las Vegas – are making this forward-thinking investment. We will find a way to build intra-city transit that provides a real option to getting cars off roads, leveraging FasTracks. All great cities have two tiers of transit - regional and local. We have built out much of the regional framework, now Denver must invest in getting people where they need to go within the City. We can fund transit improvements with innovative tools including exploring ideas such as adding a small fee on every rideshare ride and instituting special districts that capture and invest a portion of the increased value along new transit corridors – tools other cities are using successfully. Additionally, we will commit to integrating technology and signage to make use of both local and regional transit networks easy for all.

Thoughtfully integrate transit into land use planning
Good urban planning around Smart Growth policies tie together land use planning and added density to transit, green space and the need for neighborhood supporting businesses, among other things. I will commit to this approach, planning appropriate density in development along transit corridors and not haphazardly throughout historic neighborhoods, and I will commit to providing wide sidewalks and bike lanes with plenty of green space so that people enjoy their walk or bike ride to a streetcar or bus line.

Give access to transit to all
Great cities provide basic opportunities and services to their residents – ALL their residents. My commitment is to build a transit network that works, that ALL can afford to use. I will build on and improve RTD’s subsidy program to ensure we can deliver reduced or free transit fares for our youth, our workers and those who most need affordable mobility options.

Bold Action for Attainable Housing
Our residents need stable, affordable housing to thrive. When households spend more than 30% of their income on housing they become housing cost burdened, often needing to choose between their mortgage, healthcare, food or educating their children. In Denver, the statistics are staggering – 92,000 people in Denver earning at or below 80% AMI (that’s a $50K annual salary) are cost-burdened, meaning that they spend more than 30% of their income putting a roof over their head. The lack of attainable housing has become a crisis, and the City of Denver has done little to actually solve the problem. If we are to be a city for every generation, it’s critical that we elevate attainable housing oversight and action to the highest level within the City of Denver and hold our leadership accountable to turn allocated funding into actual housing. As your mayor I will create a continuum of housing, providing affordable housing options for all. I will commit to:

End the attainable housing crisis in a generation, investing $1B in attainable housing over the next 10 years
In 2016 the Denver City Council approved an affordable housing fund from property tax revenue and a one-time development fee to raise $150 million over 10 years to create or preserve 6,000 affordable homes. The 2019 city budget accelerated that by including more than $50M additional over the next five years, thanks to an infusion of cannabis tax money. This is not enough. Adequate resources must be committed to end the housing crisis. We must prioritize getting housing built in the core, while also creating healthy neighborhoods that are well connected through a variety of thoughtful, transportation corridors.

Elevate the City's oversight of attainable housing to a cabinet level position
The failure to prioritize both retention and growth of affordable housing has been profound. To remedy this, I will move housing oversight out the Office of Economic Development (OED) and establish the Office of Attainable Housing, a stand-alone agency and cabinet position reporting directly to the mayor. Why? Because housing has become an afterthought in OED, where the agency also oversees workforce development, business incentives and small business support. I will make it one of my top priorities. Housing targeted to different income levels requires different financial solutions and support and should be treated as such. The current administration’s strategy of trying to handle each of these disparate types of housing has created a muddled one-size-fits-all approach that has been ill suited to solve the housing crisis.

Buy back existing affordable units
This is the first step to stop the loss of existing affordable housing. The Right of First Refusal Ordinance, passed in 2016 by Denver City Council, gives the City of Denver the first right of refusal to buy back affordable units. They city has not exercised this once – failing to enact our only policy specifically crafted to preserve affordable housing – while these units are sold off to private developers. No longer on my watch.

Create streamlined City processes to expedite the delivery of attainable housing
The City will become a navigator and coordinator for attainable housing development, helping to make the process clearer for those wanting to move thoughtful projects forward. As Denver’s next mayor, I will:

§ Streamline policies and procedures to expedite release of the affordable housing funds, which have proven difficult to obtain under the current rules;

§ Set clear city priorities for use of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) tax credits in partnership with the Colorado Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) to maximize impact;

§ Serve as a liaison to support attainable housing developers in obtaining support with other key partners including, but are not limited to, the Denver Housing Authority (DHA) who can help with maximizing federal resources; CHFA who can help with tax credit; and the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA) who can help with tax increment financing;

§ Identify how we can weave prioritization of attainable housing throughout other City of Denver departments and policies – in particular Community Planning and Development.

Open up City of Denver-owned assets and land for attainable housing
I will commit to creating an inventory of every piece of underutilized City-owned land where we can locate new affordable housing units. I will also work with other civic partners (CDOT, RTD, Denver Public Schools) to identify creative partnership opportunities for housing projects on their land.

Build the coalition
We can’t solve the attainable housing crisis alone. I will be a leader in building a coalition to help us solve this critical challenge for our city. I will commit to:

§ Work with our private sector companies and investors to support attainable housing development, exploring opportunities for them to invest this critical need for the city.

§ Establishing regional partnerships with our surrounding municipalities. The attainable housing crisis is impacting all of us, and it’ll be critical for us to work together to be aggressive on the issue and to leverage resources.

§ I will also work with our congressional delegation to advocate for expansion of federal tools that do work to advance attainable housing, notably Low-Income Housing Tax Credits

Incentivize innovation in attainable housing
Cities who don’t innovate will fall behind. We can be a leader in incentivizing innovation both in construction processes and in the types of creative housing opportunities we support. As your mayor I will advocate for a whole spectrum of options including non-traditional housing types (e.g. tiny homes, ADUs, modular housing) and opportunities to support models such as community land trusts that support a diversity in affordable options.

Shared Streets to Move Us Safely
We are traffic. The cars don’t drive themselves. - Rita Robinson

We live much of our lives on Denver’s streets. Streets are not just the connectors and throughways that knit together our metropolis, they are also places unto themselves. Trees live alongside our streets. We walk along our sidewalks sometimes with a destination in mind and sometimes just to enjoy the outdoors. For disabled people, children, and others who don’t drive, sidewalks and bike lanes are often the only means to get around. Streetcars once crisscrossed the city on Denver’s streets, connecting Belcaro with Highland, Five Points with Sloan’s Lake, and Hilltop with Overland. While streets can seem mundane, they are a complex ecosystem that can enhance - or degrade - our quality of life. Having worked in neighborhoods for most of my career, I’ve seen how good streets improve a community, and how bad streets disrupt daily life. Fixing Denver’s streets is about more than filling potholes. As your Mayor, I will:

Green our streets As I outlined in my plan to Turn the City Green, we will add to our tree canopy by restarting the Mile High Million plan. Streets should be green ribbons through our neighborhoods, not just concrete slabs. As the Queen City of the Plains, we should also celebrate our beautiful native species of trees and grasses to reinforce a sense of place. Let’s not just pave our streets - let’s plant them too.

A Place for Pedestrians As our city densifies, it’s becoming even more critical that we accommodate people, and not just cars, on our streets. Wider sidewalks and complete sidewalk networks make walking enjoyable while narrow sidewalks and missing segments prevent all but the most determined pedestrians from getting around. Combined with smart land use planning, frequent transit, good building design, and green spaces, a robust sidewalk network becomes an inviting means to travel through our city.

A Place for Bicycles Smart cities plan for bicycle commuters because it reduces car dependency, reduces pollution, and offers an active and healthy mobility option. Denver has historically built bike lanes in a haphazard fashion, with lanes now often existing in isolation. We will prioritize connecting the network of separated bike lanes so that cyclists don’t have to mix with traffic as they travel between streets with bike lanes.

Streets for All Streets, along with parks, should be the most democratic spaces in our city. Fast moving traffic, broken sidewalks, and long crosswalks are reflective of skewed priorities. It took a Federal settlement last year to motivate Denver to add curb ramps to sidewalks – a basic necessity for families walking with strollers and wheelchair users. Healthy street design requires empathy for people with diverse needs. Our children and grandparents should be as comfortable on our streets as commuters, and I will ensure that, as our streets are improved, they will be built to be used by all.

Turn the City Green
At the turn of the 20th century, Denver Mayor Robert Speer helped bring about stunning change to a Denver facing rapid growth and industrialization. Through The City Beautiful movement, his vision and leadership helped create a more beautiful, green and healthy city. As we look at Denver’s 21st century development boom, it’s clear that we have lost our way when it comes to the environment. We must renew our commitment to our parks, to our rivers, and to our green spaces throughout the city. We must also lead boldly in the fight to address climate change. As your mayor, I will:

Advance Denver's Commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement
In 2015, the U.S. – along with 200 other countries – committed to the Paris Climate Agreement, an ambitious global action plan to fight climate change. While there has been announcement of federal intent to withdraw from the agreement, municipalities have and can continue to step up their efforts to guide their cities in meeting Agreement goals locally. I will deliver on this commitment by:

* Establishing a solar economy in Denver to provide energy to public facilities across the city, and incentivize private sector investments in solar by developing creative financial partnerships

* Eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels by significantly investing in transit, bike lanes and sidewalks

* Restore the intent of the Green Roof Initiative that was passed by voters and subsequently dismantled by the city

* Restart the “Mile High Million” program to plant one million trees in Denver

* Continue to expand the city’s electric charging station program and find ways to encourage the purchase and use of electric vehicles

Expand Denver's Parks and Green Spaces
Our previous generations of leaders made bold moves to acquire and protect park land and public space. Today, we are giving up these spaces to development and private interests. Parks, green space and open space are a right of our citizens, and serve to unite people and build community. As your mayor I will:

* Commit to adding more parks and open spaces, especially in neighborhoods where parks are deficient and overused. Parks and green space must be integrated into both our land use planning and our transportation planning, ensuring every neighborhood has access to them.

* Incorporate green spaces into all city-backed developments and city-owned property

* Reduce heat island effects across the City by planting and promoting low-water trees and native grasses

* Care for our green spaces using the best environmental practices, specifically eliminating the use of pollinator killing pesticides

* Open parks to more diverse uses and protect them from abuses. Public spaces are essential community assets and should always be safe for families and kids.

Expand Denver's Recycling Program and Expand Composting
Currently Denver’s waste diversion rate is less than 20% - we can do so much better. Doing better means making trash removal not the only choice, but rather making both recycling and composting an easier choice. It also means Denver must lead by example. I will commit to:

* Moving the needle on Denver’s shamefully low rate of recycling (our rate is half that of cities such as Austin and Seattle) by instituting weekly residential pickup of recycling rather than current bi-monthly pickup and requiring apartment buildings to provide recycling for residents.

* Expanding the compost program for all residents and businesses in Denver and waiving pickup fees.

* Ensure that all city facilities mandate recycling and composting. Currently, for example, none of Denver’s parks have recycling cans. If Denver is to lead as a city, we must lead by example.

Clean Up Our Water
Water is our most precious resource here in Denver. From our drinking water to our rivers and streams, I’m committed to ensuring we protect it. As your mayor, I will:

* Treat the South Platte River and other lakes, rivers, and streams as natural assets and not dumping grounds. The city will invest in water quality investments and bank improvements to revive native waterways.

* Require every public street project be include bioswales and green stormwater retention and treatment to ensure that only clean stormwater goes into our rivers. Currently private developers are required to build stormwater treatment within their own developments, but the city does not require this of itself.

* Work closely with Denver Water to ensure we have adequate water supply to support current and future growth, requiring cooperative planning as part of our zoning and density strategy.

Clean Up Our Air
Denver’s infamous “brown cloud” has returned, after years of fighting it. We are slipping backwards in our air quality, driven by allowing density and growth to happen without bold climate standards and investments in transit. We’re done slipping back and comprising the air we breathe. As your mayor I will partner with CDOT, local utilities, and local manufacturers to reduce emissions, odors, and pollutants across our city. No Denver family should have to worry about breathing in dangerous pollutants on their way to school, work, or play. We will set bold goals to reclaim our air quality for us and for future generations.

A Compassionate Plan to Help our Homeless and Most Vulnerable
“We have come dangerously close to accepting the homeless situation as a problem we just can’t solve.” - Linda Lingle

No one sets out to be homeless. And yet, homelessness is a chronic social challenge across the country, as it is right here in Denver. We cannot abide this. This is not who we are, as a community, and this is not who we want to be in the future. There are countless reasons that someone finds themselves homeless, and those surely need to be addressed in the long term.

But homelessness cannot wait. The fact is that we value every individual here in Denver. We want everyone to thrive, not just survive. And so, we must address this challenge today. We must no longer accept that homelessness is a part of big city life. It is not. Homelessness is not acceptable in Denver, and we must work to end it.

In Denver we have an opportunity to change the course of the thousands of people who are homeless here every year. Several years ago City Council passed the Urban Camping Ban which criminalized homelessness and more importantly, did nothing to solve the problem. Through innovation, bold thinking and compassion we can work together to find solutions that actually work.

There are communities that are having success at changing this complex issue. The state of Utah has seen a 91% reduction in chronic homelessness over a ten-year period between 2005-2015. New York City has seen a similar drop through intentional solutions and data that tracks needs. This is a very complicated problem but one that needs to be addressed. We can do better, and as mayor, I will:

Change our attitude towards homelessness
We will see homeless individuals as our unhoused neighbors who deserve our attention and respect, not as people to be pushed along. We will treat people with dignity and create solutions that help lift people up, recognizing that doing anything else is neither humane nor kind. We will recognize that until we see this city from the perspective of those most in need, we will never truly see the city’s challenges, and we will work together to overcome homelessness in Denver.

First, I will commit to adding an additional $6 million to the homeless budget. Then we must make a commitment to stop treating all homeless individuals the same, recognizing their unique needs. According to Lloyd Pendleton, Housing First advocate in Utah, homeless individuals are categorized as “temporary” (75%), “episodic” (10%), and “chronic” (15%). Chronic homelessness is defined as an unaccompanied adult, continuously without housing for a year or more or for more than four times in three years. Chronic homelessness consumes 50%-60% of our municipal resources and each chronically homeless individual costs between $20,000 and $45,000 per year in emergency services. We must stop lumping all people who are homeless together and start categorizing them into these three groups so that the proper services can be provided:

§ Temporary: The majority of homeless are those experiencing a temporary situation. The least expensive option for a city is to help people before they experience losing their home. As mayor, I will work to develop intervention support for families and individuals on the brink of losing their home and provide emergency wrap-around services to help re-establish stability and keep families off the street.

§ Episodic: Intervention and proper services can reduce episodic homelessness, in particular provide access to employment opportunities and job training.

§ Chronic: The chronically homeless are the most challenging to support and this population creates the biggest crisis for the city. Many of the chronically homeless need mental health, addiction or healthcare services and often all of the above. We must create a temporary housing program and more mental health facilities that allow them to get services while in a stable living situation.

Stop the sweeps and shift to services
Sweeps are inhumane – they move people along to nowhere and result in individuals losing their possessions. The homeless sweeps that have actively moved the homeless encampments around the city have only worsened the situation and have cost the taxpayers millions of dollars – resources that could be directed towards solutions. The sweeps also make an already vulnerable population more vulnerable, and make it difficult for service providers to make repeat visits and provide support to get people off the street. We will take the money from the sweeps and invest in solutions, including:

§ Work with all first responders on incarceration diversion, which creates a cycle of homelessness. Instead, we’ll work to get people to services and support they need.

§ Providing temporary lockers for people to store their items while looking for work.

§ Deploying more mental health and social workers to meet people on the streets to establish what category they fall into and what services they require. The City can serve in a role to break down silos and coordinate services between providers to help leverage resources.

§ Provide trash receptacles and temporary bathrooms to keep our streets clean and to restore dignity by providing basic needs.

§ Stopping the permitting of community groups to feed people in the parks. We need to bring people to shelters and other facilities so that they can access healthy foods and get the services they need.

Adopt a housing first model
Data reflects that the best way to end homelessness is a housing first model. This includes accepting people where ever they are in their lives and getting them off the street into a safe place. The City must take a lead role in facilitating these efforts as many chronically homeless are not in a place to pass background checks to obtain housing through other means. There are multiple things the City can do to move to a housing first model:

§ Increase the number of 24/7 shelters and improve the facilities: To significantly reduce chronic homelessness we must be aggressive in identifying the issues people are facing and getting them the services they need. Shelters that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week offer more opportunities to stabilize those who are chronically homeless, although we must be sure that all these facilities are safe, clean and adequate. Currently, Denver has too few day shelters and the night shelters put people on the street beginning at 6:00 AM. Therefore, city corners and parks are the natural gathering places to spend the day.

§ Establish temporary housing solutions: Our unhoused neighbors will go where they can get services and where they can create safe shelter for themselves. We can provide these opportunities for them through temporary housing solutions while we ramp up more permanent solutions. The single tiny home village for the homeless in Denver - Beloved Community Village - was supported by the community in the River North Art District through my leadership in bringing everyone together to overcome concerns. It was a great success, but the City has yet to identify how to advance additional projects. Utilizing city property across the City and freeing up zoning restrictions is a start. We can also explore incentives to property owners to utilize private owned land for these uses. The City can be a leader in facilitating community partnerships to make these temporary sites a success, and together we can provide a diversity of accommodations, where services can be directed while we as a City invest in longer-term solutions.

§ Invest in supportive and affordable housing: Ultimately, we need to prioritize supportive housing that gives our homeless longer-term stability. Through a focus on affordable housing and partnerships with service providers we can provide housing with services that help our people get back on their feet. This housing can be a partnership between the city and both non-profit and for-profit organizations who are working to be a part of the solution.

Provide employment opportunities
Two years ago, the City of Denver launched the Denver Day Works program, which provides day labor for pay to our homeless while providing employment support and job training to get them into permanent employment and housing. Through my leadership the River North Art District was the first organization to bring this program to neighborhoods. In its first year, more than 100 people gained full-time work. This program should be expanded, and partnerships with other organizations should be a goal. People regain dignity when they have stability, housing and a purpose, and we can help provide that and address labor shortage gaps in our city.

A Safe and Just City
“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

One of the fundamental rights of being human, of being American, and of being a Denver citizen is the right to be safe and to be treated justly. It’s so obvious, it barely needs to be talked about. But a safe and just city is also so important that we must not only talk about it, we must make safety and justice for all a priority for Denver.

Our normal, daily activities mean we are dependent on one another for our safety. Most of us don’t get to choose when we go to work. We have to rely on others to keep the roads safe, to obey the speed limits, to stop at red lights. We take it for granted that we all obey the laws, and that the laws are there to protect us.

We all tend to watch out for one another, and we all understand, at some level, that the ways we interact are critical to our safety, our quality of life, and our futures.

And, we can do better. We all have roles to play in keeping Denver a happy, safe place to live and work, and we want to make sure those roles are working to protect us. There is a role for police, for sure. There is also a role for citizens and oversight boards. There is a role for jails, certainly. There is also a role for intervention, various education and treatment programs, and prevention.

We will not ignore issues of unconscious bias and racism that have plagued cities and police departments around the country, including cities in Colorado. No one should live in fear because of the color of their skin, but these sorts of prejudices persist. They are well documented, and can have lethal consequences, and no one wants that. Denver police officers are professionals who have chosen very difficult work, because they want to help people and make Denver a safer place to live. We need to make sure they have the training they need--and this includes training in overcoming unconscious bias. We need to address this problem and make sure we address it from every angle.

Therefore, as your mayor, I commit to:

* Appointments of respected professionals to our safety departments, and collaborative relationships between all to ensure coordinated goals
* Strengthening of the Office of the Independent Monitor to ensure transparent opportunities for community input
* Review of policing policy, police training, and police relationships to neighborhoods and the city in general
* Procedures keep officers and the public as safe as possible
* Policies that support positive interactions of neighbors, of law enforcement and community
* Procedures that address unconscious bias and help dissipate that tendency
* Policies that are equitable
* Policies that maintain Denver’s reputation as a place of fairness, of peaceful living, of safety and of support for a thriving economy and high quality of life
* Review of collaboration between police and community to increase safety, improve relationships
* Involve residents, small business owners, civic groups, institutions early and often (neighborhood safety committee)
* Establish trust--always respect (includes acting on/implementing feedback in due time, includes regularly scheduled meetings and routine and de-escalated interactions, not just in times of crisis)
* Know who is affected by but not represented in the collaborative process and find them a way to participate
* Help community engage in and own the solutions
* Diversion from incarceration for non-violent offenses
* Review cash bail system with an eye to ending it
* Investigate the ironic intervention--where the payment for infraction is in the infraction itself (fireworks violator must volunteer with fire department, etc.)
* Policy changes to end the practice of all offenses being jailable
* Expand the mental health co-responder program
* Re-institute the homeless court which helped keep homeless out of jail rather focusing on service
* Reinvest in the rights of offenders
* For those who have paid the social penalty for offenses, look for ways to aid/speed rehabilitation and reintegration
* Explore restoring voting rights for rehabilitated felons
* Engage in city-wide discussion of guns, gun control and youth issues
* Engage in city-wide discussion of gang issues
* Partner with community groups like GRASP, Homies Unidos, Open Door Youth Gang Alternatives
* Invest in trade-education - turn gang members into entrepreneurs
* Long term strategy for cannabis
* True expungement of cannabis-related convictions
* Credible policy for social clubs/lounges with same standards as alcohol
* Explore and address DUI policy as it relates to cannabis, et. al. with guidelines from alcohol
* Involve neighborhood citizen councils and interest groups, including law enforcement, in this planning
* Engage in city-wide discussion of drug dealing
* Explore decriminalization of cannabis
* Explore diversions from incarceration for non-violent offenses

Clear the Path for Small Business
“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” - Mark Twain Small business built Denver, and small business will lead Denver into the future. New products, new services, or improvements to existing products and services - small businesses are the innovators in our local economy. They are always seeking ways to make our community better, and I want to recognize, support, and reward those efforts.

My husband and I are small business owners ourselves. We started with high hopes and big dreams - a like a lot of others. We were passionate about doing meaningful work that had positive effects on our community. The dream was always there and the passion never faded, but we also ran into a cold reality: it takes work, hard work, to make a business succeed. And it takes just as much hard work to make ends meet.

Because of our experiences and because of my passion for innovation, I am dedicated to helping other small business owners realize their dreams. We know small business brings diversity to the city - not only diversity of people, but diversity of ideas and perspectives, and diversity of goods and services.

We must clear the path for small business to thrive - when entrepreneurs win, Denver wins. We must support these hard workers who have no corporate safety nets to rely on, no huge bankroll to see them through lean times, no hidden pots of gold. No longer will we be a city that rolls out the red carpet for big business, but fails to do the same for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Instead, we will encourage and support innovators in our city. We will welcome cutting edge thinkers and inventors here. We will make Denver a great place to do small business. As your mayor, I will:

Create an Office of Small Business within the City
Small businesses are being hit hardest by recent property tax increases, increased permitting times and complications with opening their doors. As Mayor, I will open an Office of Small Business within the City of Denver that crosses departmental lines, appoint staff to serve as a concierge, and streamline processes to help you get your doors open. The Office will serve as a resource to not only address business planning and access to business development tools, but will break down permitting barriers and logjams. In addition to these services the Office will also:

* Partner with community business leaders to create an infrastructure think tank whose purpose is to forecast what the city needs to do to continue to attract small business now and well into the future
* Host productive conferences that support small business needs, in which the city can act as a clearinghouse for information and access to professional support at no cost to businesses
* Develop and deliver ongoing marketing efforts to celebrate innovation and to publicize Denver’s local and small businesses in Denver, regionally, nationally and internationally
* Host investor-entrepreneur meet-ups that expand beyond Denver Start-up Week

Ease cost burdens for small businesses in Denver
If we want small businesses to thrive in Denver, we need to be sensitive to their costs of doing business in the city. I have heard loud and clear on the campaign trail that small business feels squeezed, from the cost of taxes and rent to the restrictions and regulations imposed on them by the City of Denver. We can ease cost burdens by moving forward on the following:

* Provide tax relief and/or tax credit opportunities for small business start-ups to help them get on their feet. The City of Denver currently offers a Homestead Tax Exemption to assist homeowners struggling with cost of living to apply for a tax exemption. We can expand this to small businesses creatively, offering some relief in the early years of business creation.
* Create a one-stop permitting shop for small businesses. Did you know that the current elections office in Denver was built originally for this purpose, but never implemented? We will create a one-stop shop for small businesses to address all their permitting needs, and streamline the system to cut the process in half (or more) in year one. This means:
* Assign each business an individual permitting officer to navigate regulations, fees and permits so that meeting requirements is clear and understandable. We’ve heard about the challenges that having different inspectors can create. Providing an assigned individual to each business will help alleviate that.
* Identify where we can reduce fees and requirements for small business and implement those reductions immediately. This means evaluating existing policies and regulations for all departments that interface on small business.
* Provide access to labor, by expanding the city’s commitment to workforce development, apprenticeships and job training in partnership with community organizations and Denver Public Schools
* Advance construction mitigation efforts on small business, whether the project is a public or private one, including better access, improved notification processes, and where appropriate providing financial support during city construction processes
* Work with small businesses to integrate them into a broader sustainability plan, where diverting from landfill is less expensive to business than trash collection. This includes looking at partnerships to provide service on trash, recycling, composting and food waste systems city-wide.

Increase/ease access to capital for small businesses
The City of Denver provides some support for small business - including a revolving loan fund - currently, but we can get more aggressive, and creative, in helping businesses in a new economy thrive. Working together with the business community, the City can:

* Adopt a “slow investment” approach based on a “slow money” approach that puts an emphasis on incubation of businesses, not simply return on investment. The slow investment strategy would focus on connecting both city resources and investors to local economies by marshaling resources into small enterprises and local systems, as well as social enterprises
* Identify opportunities to work with both city resources, local banks and investor groups to underwrite and/or guarantee small business, lower-interest loans, longer-term loans
* Explore more grant and foundational support to invest in small-business startups

Encourage women, entrepreneurs of color, veterans and others traditionally underrepresented in this area of the economy to launch new businesses
To help everyone in Denver thrive, I believe the city has a role to play in reaching out to traditionally under-represented communities to help them in their efforts to launch their own small business. This requires the city to meet people where they are and help them overcome their unique challenges in small business startup. We can achieve these goals through:

* Mentoring support which connects new business owners with seasoned business veterans
* Targeted small business training and support, as well as access to job training and apprenticeships to develop skills necessary to succeed
* Support these small business owners with access to capital and low-interest, long-term loans

Embrace changes in minimum wage and healthcare costs and help small businesses absorb those costs
Wages and benefits improve the quality of life of employees and help boost productivity in small businesses, but they can also put a strain on the bottom line for small businesses when they face so many other operational expenses. I am committed to exploring ways to reduce costs where the city can - through reduced fees and requirements, expedited permitting processes, and tax relief - for small businesses who invest in employees.

Thriving Schools, Supported Teachers, Strong Children
“Education is the is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” - George Washington Carver

Denver has unlimited potential. The people here, the ideas they have, the talents and skills they possess. There is no limit to what we can do in the future.

Unless we limit ourselves.

To avoid this, and to prepare our next generation so Denver’s spirit thrives into the future, we want to support Denver Public Schools as they continue to improve and to meet the changing needs of Denver’s residents. We want each and every one of our children to grow up with the idea that there is no limit to what they can be or achieve. And we want Denver’s schools to help them get there.

Denver’s schools play a central role in Denver’s future. As mayor, I will reach out to Denver Public Schools teachers, parents, the Board of Education, and to the Superintendent, and help use the mayor’s office to champion the long-term goals of education that is in all our interest. I will open lines of communication so that we are working in a true partnership.

There are so many advantages to developing a strong relationship between the city government and the city’s educators. We all feel a sense of responsibility for the success of our students, and want a Denver education to be the highest quality anywhere. And, in our fast-changing culture, this is an ongoing challenge. Education must be responsive to our diverse community and our changing needs. It must be equitable, and must develop individual talents and skills in individual students. It must work in partnership with the larger community. It must be inclusive, and celebrate the diversity of the student population--and be flexible enough to speak to individual learning styles, individual learning challenges, and individual talents. It must adapt to the changing economy and culture. It must be fun, and it must challenge each student to be the best they can be. As Mayor I will:

* Formalize an ongoing and productive relationship between the City of Denver and Denver Public Schools (DPS), as well as directly between the Mayor and the Denver School Board. This partnership is critical as we have an overlapping interest in successful schools. As Mayor I will be directly involved in DPS as an ally, advocate and assistant.
* Recognize, respect and retain our teachers. Our schools are only as good as our teachers and we want the very best, most talented teachers working with Denver’s children. This means we will:
* Continue to advocate for increases in the pay scale as well as pay raises for ongoing training and education;
* Identify funding to support ongoing teacher and administrator training;
* Address affordable housing for teachers via creative partnerships between the City of Denver and DPS.
* Encourage restorative justice. Support DPS in moving towards a restorative justice system of discipline. We need to reduce the use of suspension, detention and in school tickets which keeps students out of class and reduces opportunities for success. The City can provide resources and support to help DPS as a whole as well as individual schools.
* Ensure our schools have functional facilities and needed supplies. There is significant inequity in our school facilities throughout the city. Lack of appropriate heating and cooling in older schools make for challenging teaching and learning environments. Lack of up-to-date learning materials and tools puts kids in some neighborhoods at a disadvantage to others. The City of Denver needs to work with DPS and the State of Colorado to advocate for funds directed towards the things we know help our children succeed. This might mean re-looking at the allocation of cannabis tax dollars to meet gaps.
* Provide opportunities for apprenticeships and school-to-work job training programs. Not every child will be ready for college coming out of high school, but every child will be looking for opportunity. We can assist by working with Denver Public Schools, unions and our city’s business community to provide apprenticeship and job training programs. These alternative opportunities to college can address different learning styles and different interests, and together we can work to ensure opportunities for all children, including targeted programs to get women and children of color into the trades and support entrepreneurial opportunities.
* Ensure we have strong neighborhood schools and differentiated learning opportunities. We must invest in bringing equity to our neighborhood public schools and provide them with the unique tools and resources they need to thrive. All schools, traditional and charter, must be held to the same standards.
* Provide opportunities for inter-generational mentoring programs for our elementary age children. Our older adults have so much to offer. Providing opportunities for tutoring and mentorship opportunities allow our children to tap into the wisdom and experience and to build inter-generational community.
* Support the implementation of all-day kindergarten for everyone. This effort will help to close achievement gaps and support working parents in Denver.
* Provide before and after school programming. The City of Denver can support DPS and our city’s families by providing free programs and care for children at recreation centers and at libraries including transportation. These programs could have an emphasis on arts, culture, and STEAM and other supportive services for children of all ages.
* Support the entire family. Creating a healthy environment for our kids starts with supporting the entire family, our neighborhoods and our communities. Kids learn best with they have a supportive environment outside of the classroom. Helping families address stress at home can improve outcomes for our children and help build community. I will commit to working neighborhood by neighborhood, and with our DPS schools, to analyze how the City can best fulfill basic needs - laundry facilities, meal services/healthy food, access to learning labs, child care, and other important amenities - to create the best environment for our families.

Elevating and Integrating Denver's Artists and Culturals
“If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.” - John F. Kennedy I am proud of the all the work I’ve gotten to do on behalf of Denver’s artists, and of the investments made in public art and cultural destinations – investments by both the public and private sector have added texture to the Denver experience. That said, we have more work to do – nurturing our local artists, fighting for cultural opportunities for all, and work to continue to embed art and culture in the neighborhoods via everything from urban murals to artist live-work spaces. Investments in art and culture bring tremendous community value: to advance equity through a local voice, to build attachment and pride for a neighborhood, and to add to the beauty of our built environment. Most promising, research going back a decade shows a link between these artistic assets and improved social infrastructure, which improves public safety and community connection at the most local level.

A Reimagined City of Denver Government
“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Denver’s Mayor sets the tone for how the City operates. Their approach to leadership guides how the city’s nearly 15,000 employees work for you. As our highest elected official, they also have the power to appoint the leadership of every major city department and set our municipal budget. So how would things look if the mayor used all their power and leadership to work for the people, first? I believe it’s time for us to bridge the gap between people and the city, to provide authentic citizen engagement, to open up the city’s doors to the people and implement public involvement into every city process from budget-setting to planning and zoning. And I feel, strongly, that we need to fight for a leader who is ethical and who can bring a culture of transparency and accountability back to city hall.

100 Day Action Plan
“To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream; not only plan but also believe.” – Anatole France The first 100 days of my mayoral administration will set the tone for how I will run the city. My commitment is to move swiftly on the issues that are important to you.

Frequently Asked Questions
Do you support Safe Injection Sites?
I do not support Safe Injection sites. No city across America, including Denver, has been untouched by the opioid epidemic and by the devastating losses experienced by those dealing with substance use disorder. However I believe that a more comprehensive approach to addressing this issue - one that deploys multidisciplinary treatment and support - is required.

Do you support the Right to Survive initiative?
I do not to support the Right to Survive initiative. While I’m a passionate advocate of efforts to end homelessness, I do not believe this initiative helps to solve this complicated issue.

Do you support conversion therapy?
I do not support conversion therapy, nor would I ever support public funds being used for it. Humans need love and care and support to be the best versions of their unique and diverse selves.

Do you support increasing the minimum wage to $15/hour at DEN?
Yes. We must pay our employees a living wage to help close the gap between wages and cost of living in Denver.

Do you support the Let Denver Vote ballot initiative?
Yes. I believe that allowing the citizens to pass a ballot measure to allow them future input on any municipal investment in bringing the Olympics to Denver is important.

Where do you stand on abortion?
I am pro-choice and feel strongly a woman should have rights to decisions regarding her body.

Where do you stand on Ban the Box?
I support efforts to Ban the Box, ending discrimination against people with conviction and incarceration histories, primarily in the areas of hiring and housing policy.

Do you support the I-70 project?
I do not support the I-70 project as it is being constructed. I supported the Denver plan, which would have re-routed the highway to I-270 and I-76. This would have allowed for the reconnecting of historically disadvantaged neighborhoods in Denver. If elected, I will continue to advocate for an improved solution, and hold the city, CDOT and all partners accountable to do right by Denver’s citizens.

What challenges do you think first responders (inc. fire, paramedic and dispatch + police) face in Denver and how are you prepared to support them?
It starts with resources, support and leadership. I know for example the fire department was supposed to have paramedic dispatch years ago, but it never happened, so they end up taking their big trucks out as first responders, when a paramedic dispatch was more appropriate. I'd like to make that collaboration actually happen so our fire resources are directed where they make sense.

As for policing - we need more personnel, and we are headed that direction. We will be staffed up in the next couple years after Chief Pazen asked for a budget increase. But again we need to pair our police with more mental health providers and work on diversion from the jails. 25% of the people in jails really shouldn't be there, and the sheriffs and jail system are another place we need to work to complete reforms and have good leadership. Jails are overcrowded, and new deputies aren't being appropriately trained. They've seen constant recommendations for changes that leaves our deputies in a constant state of flux. Public safety is a core service of our community, and we need a safe city in order to be a high quality of life city.

Where does Jamie stand on immigration?
I have committed my support to the Denver Public Safety Enforcement Priorities Ordinance which was approved by Denver City Council in 2017. My commitment is as follows:

* Ensuring the welfare of our immigrant community is important to me.
* I will comply with federal law but will not - as the Ordinance states - assist with civil federal immigration enforcement beyond what the law requires. The means I will abide by existing city policy which prohibits the detention of individuals beyond their sentence, unless a judicial warrant is presented.
* In addition to the above, I support the other provisions of the Ordinance which prohibit City employees from collecting information on immigration or citizenship status, prohibit the sharing of any other information about individuals for purposes of immigration enforcement, and prohibiting access to secure city areas or facilities by federal officials absent a judicial warrant.
* I recognize that when immigrants fear city involvement in immigration enforcement, they are less likely to trust the city, to report emergencies, or to testify or appear at court. Our entire city is safest when everyone trusts the city and utilizes law enforcement agencies.

Finally, it's important to note that I have met with staff of the City's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs to understand current issues and opportunities, among them the need to provide more support to individuals working to obtain citizenship. I am committed to this effort and to ensuring quality of life for all in Denver.

What was your role with the Tiny Homes Village?

* In August of 2016, I met Don Burnes, of the Burnes Center on Homelessness and Poverty at DU. He and I met because we were both speakers at TedX RiNo.
* During and after the TedX event, we spoke about collaborating together on a homelessness summit and some other efforts. Don told me he was part of another group that had been brainstorming some ideas to advance homeless solutions in Denver, including tiny homes, and wondered if we could partner. He came back to me after speaking with them and said indeed we could, and that the idea was to host a forum in RiNo in December 2016 to discuss this topic. The organizers began pulling together the forum, and I worked on logistics. I got Andy Feinstein to donate EXDO Event Center, and the RiNo BID donated money to cover the costs of the event.
* The event - called Move Along to Where - brought in more than 600 people. I opened the event and it was a panel discussion with questions from the audience. Tiny homes were mentioned.
* Following the event, a new group formed with the idea of making the tiny homes happened. They had spoken with the Urban Land Conservancy - who had the land across from the 38th and Blake Station - about putting the village there, but they had work to do with the neighborhood to get support and with the city to get zoning addressed.
* They came to me to discuss this - I was very supportive - but knew I'd need to first get my Exec committee behind it and then the board and then the community. Our first step was to have me and my exec board meeting with ULC and the organizers of the village to get questions answered and work out a Good Neighbor Agreement. We did that, and then proceeded to sign a letter of support after getting my full board on board.
* Part of the requirement of the GNA was that we had to hold public meetings and engage with immediate neighbors. RiNo hosted the meeting - we had well over 100 people there and have video of the whole thing - as well as engagement with surrounding property owners - most of whom were none too pleased at the beginning.
* Meanwhile, I was working with the City - Brad Buchanan and the Mayor's office - on the zoning challenges, and had conversations with both expressing our support and working on solutions.
* When we eventually got the green light, the organizers sent me an application/process to get appointed to the advisory council for the Tiny Home Village. The council I applied to be on was not initially the residents council, but the resident's invited me to sit on their council, and so in those initial months of moving in I met with them weekly to help them address issues, concerns, get resources, etc.
* I also led an effort to create them an art fence that was a community effort, funded by the BID. This came from them telling me they felt like they were living in a fish bowl with the chain link fence. We also helped a couple folks get to employment, resources, etc. We also had the villagers sell their art and works in our retail store.[71]

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—Jamie for Denver[74]

###  Michael Hancock[edit]

Hancock's campaign website stated the following:

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Delivering a Thriving Economy
Denver’s economy is one of the strongest in the nation with record low unemployment, 100,000 new jobs and 8,000 businesses created in the last seven years. Mayor Hancock has worked to expand our workforce by creating job trainings, apprenticeships, and new programs that prioritize hiring local, disadvantaged individuals so everyone has an opportunity to build a future in Denver.

Making it Easier to Get Around
Mayor Hancock is taking smart and bold steps to make it easier to get around town. His administration is providing more transportation options, improving intersections and sidewalks, expanding our bike network, and deploying new technologies to make our trips easier and faster.

Improving Sustainability
Mayor Hancock has made Denver more environmentally friendly by expanding composting and free recycling to more neighborhoods, adding more electric vehicles to city fleets and charging stations to city streets, reducing carbon emissions, and striving to make Denver 100% renewable in the next ten years.

Ensuring Equity
Mayor Hancock is working to protect Denver’s most vulnerable people and communities from displacement by expanding financial empowerment centers, strengthening job-placement efforts for local residents and improving business opportunities for women and people of color.

Making Denver More Livable
Mayor Hancock doubled the amount of money dedicated to affordable housing to create and preserve more than 6,000 units within the next five years. Michael’s work with partners in the community has placed 6,300 people experiencing homelessness in housing, opened three new shelters and launched innovative programs like Denver Day Works and Social Impact Bond housing.

Modernizing City Services
Mayor Hancock is delivering a city that works. His administration has eliminated a $100 million budget deficit that slashed city services. Since 2011, Michael has established the globally recognized Peak Performance program to drive innovation, efficiency and savings, which has reduced wait times, put more services online and saved taxpayers $31 million.

Protecting Kids & Seniors
As mayor, Michael has expanded opportunities for Denver’s children and seniors to thrive. All Denver children and seniors now have free access to our recreation centers. Preschool and early childhood education programs have been expanded. And Denver residents enjoy more parks, playgrounds and longer hours at the library.[71]

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—Hancock for Denver[75]

###  Kalyn Heffernan[edit]

Heffernan's campaign website stated the following:

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Kalyn Rose Heffernan is leading Denver's first disabled artist / activist campaign for the Denver's mayor seat 2019.

Kalyn was born and raised in the Denver metro area where she has been advocating for herself and other marginalized, vulnerable communities most of her life. Kalyn fronts the internationally acclaimed band Wheelchair Sports Camp and represents the DIY (Do It Yourself) arts scene in the city and across the country. Kalyn is an activist educator working with underserved youth who is well known for fighting for access, health care, and calling out those in power who protect capital interests over humans.

Platform

* Make More Art
* Art is truth. Art is freedom. Together, we're going to MAKE MORE ART! Art goes beyond politics and beyond activism. Art allows us to grieve, escape, educate, celebrate and be our best selves. Art gives us a creative outlet to deal with change in better ways. When shape our surroundings to look and feel the way we want, we are empowered to make the changes we see necessary for our survival and stability.

* Take Care of Ourselves So We Can Take Care of Each Other
* Self care is the revolution. This work is hard, heavy, exhausting, and frustrating. In order to care for others we must care for ourselves first and always.

* Feature Creative Problem Solvers Who Are Fighting the Good Fight
* Show love, build relationships. Let's support the creative people who are tirelessly working everyday to dismantle systems of oppression.

* Listen to Each Other and Our Guts

* Nothing about us without us. WE KNOW BEST what is working for our communities and what is not. We learn from each other's experiences to find the intersections.

* Call Out the Scumbags Who Benefit from Our Systematic Inaccessbility to Safety and Basic Human Rights. Hold the People in Power Accountable.
* Educate. Agitate. Organize. Call out, challenge, and take action against the people, organizations and structures who profit from our inequity.

Access
No matter our background, ability, race or ethnicity, gender, zip code, family support system, income level, country of origin, music preferences — WE ALL deserve ACCESS to quality public education, housing, art, transportation, safety, health care, mental wellness, the right to work, the right to rest, inclusion, dignity, and expression... Duh DENVER!

* End the Urban Camping Ban
* Affordable/Accessible Housing
* Accessible Public Transportation
* Income. Wealth. Power.
* Health Care for All
* Equity in Education
* Free the Internet
* Clean Air. Clean Water. Clean Energy.

Accountability

* De-Militarize the Police
* Reparations
* Protect Immigrants
* Unionize
* Divest from Prison Pipeline

Laundry List
Things preventing us access + things preventing us quality life

* Stairs
* Hate
* Politics
* Ego
* Money + Greed
* Stairs
* Fear
* Doubt
* Shame
* Status quo
* Racism + White supremacy
* Ableism
* Classism
* Elitism
* Sexism+ Patriarchy
* Stairs
* Homophobia + Transphobia
* Fear
* Violence
* Colonization
* And the list goes on
* and on
* and on
* and on
* and on...............

The Hard Truth

Over 232 Homeless People Died in Denver - 2017

* That's more than any year documented.
* Many of them were disabled.

Denver Rent is 3rd Highest in the Country - 2017

* Well actually 2nd highest to the Bay Area
* The cost of living continues to increase exponentially while wages and average income remain stagnate.

Denver Public Schools are the Most Segregated by Race & Class as they've Ever Been

* Gentrification is pushing low income families out of Denver's neighborhoods.
* The achivement gap in Denver Public Schools is one of the largest in the nations.[71]

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—The Voice Project[76]

###  Penfield Tate[edit]

Tate's campaign website stated the following:

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Fixing Our Transportation and Infrastructure
Denver has grown exponentially but in a way that did not take our limited and fixed infrastructure –roads- into consideration. Our roads are very congested. Driving in this city is a nightmare. Few viable transit options exist for most Denver residents. To address this, I will create a cabinet-level Department of Transportation to focus on Denver’s mobility needs, relying on technology and innovation. In most instances, we cannot and should not build more roads or widen the ones we have – we need to be more creative. Denver needs its own mobility solutions “driven” by the city, its businesses, and neighborhoods.

I will create a cabinet-level Department of Transportation to focus on Denver’s mobility needs, relying on technology and innovation. In most instances, we cannot and should not build more roads or widen the ones we have – we need to be more creative. Denver needs its own mobility solutions “driven” by the city, its businesses, and neighborhoods. Our Denver-centric mobility solutions must be compatible with and complement RTD’s efforts. Our mobility situation has become so acute that we cannot afford to wait for RTD to rescue us. RTD’s mandate is properly regional.

Simply making it more difficult to park your car will not get more people out of their cars. Making driving downtown miserable will not stop people from driving – it will stop them from visiting downtown. We have grown without implementing a real transit plan. We need a forward-thinking, multi-modal transit plan that makes transit options other than a single occupancy vehicle accessible, equitable, affordable, convenient, and attractive to Denver residents. All decisions in my administration will be made through the lenses of being an environmental steward and an ally to working people in Denver. Air quality must be preserved and we must move aggressively to do so.

A number of solutions are obvious like talking with neighborhoods about the flow of traffic in their community and how it can be improved and/or reduced. But this is our starting point. As your Mayor, I will:

* Evaluate shuttle services downtown and shuttle services within and between downtown and in other neighborhoods;
* Install sidewalks in communities that don’t have them;
* Evaluate the effectiveness of bus-only lanes all of the time and consider modify restrictions to alleviate congestion;
* Explore technology such as vehicle-to-vehicle communication; smart signs, and road conditions and construction mobile applications;
* Reduce the minimum cost of parking – $1.00 is too much;
* Increase the ability to walk and bike by incentivizing these modes of transportation;
* Build strong partnerships with environmental and planning organizations who focus on environmentally responsible transit;
* Explore flex lanes to expedite traffic during rush hours;
* Evaluate the expanded use of one-way streets;
* Re-time traffic lights;
* Encourage and incentivize carpooling and ridesharing;
* Improve and expand our current bike lane and trail system with an emphasis on consistent approaches and an extensive educational effort;
* Work with RTD and discuss their plans to be a strategic partner with RTD and craft transportation solutions in the city of Denver.
* Be an environmental steward as we only get one planet and need to do all we can to protect it;

Denver must be a leader in addressing our transportation and infrastructure crisis. We must be innovative and willing to consider new ideas for all modes of transportation the possibility of shuttles on Colfax and other main thoroughfares, and how to direct traffic in a way that cuts congestion. We have to be prepared to accept that new solutions may require new funding sources. Although state voters recently turned down two transportation funding measures, we must explore additional funding sources to address these issues. I will work to find new revenue in ways that don’t harm families who are already struggling in a city that’s becoming rapidly more unaffordable for working people. We need to explore all available options, as we cannot build more roads or widen the ones we have, and most importantly, we only get one planet and need to do all we can to protect it.

Climate Change
My goal is to make Denver the greenest city in the country. Denver ranks 7th in cities most at risk due to climate change. Denver’s current climate plan is inadequate to address this very real threat. We must do better. Our way of life and economic well-being demand that we take much more aggressive action. I will implement an aggressive city climate plan that includes accelerating Denver’s transition to renewable energy sources, converting to an all-electric city vehicle fleet, improving recycling and composting programs and increasing the number of certified green buildings.

Denver government should and needs to be a leader in preserving our environment and this planet – the only one we have. As we make this necessary and inevitable transition, we must not leave anyone behind. Responding to climate change requires that we also take advantage of the new opportunities. A fair and equitable transition for those currently working in the fossil fuel industries is necessary and good business. The working men and women in the industry now have a unique skill set and are ideal to be retrained to work in the new energy economy. Moreover, previously under-served communities have scores of people underemployed or unemployed who can and should be trained to work in these coming jobs.

Today I announce a bold plan for Denver:

* All city buildings will be 100% powered by renewable energy by 2024.
* All electric vehicle city fleets by 2024
* Carbon neutral by 2030
* Develop a more aggressive city climate plan.
* The entire City powered by wind and solar by 2030
* All new commercial buildings to emit zero energy by 2028
* Reducing the energy use of commercial buildings by 80% by 2030.
* Requiring every contractor to have plans that reduce their carbon footprint and increase their usage of renewable energy.
* My plan will not offer a date many years in the future while nothing is done today. My plan will be transparent with clear annual goals and targets. These will be tracked monthly on the City’s website so everyone can see that progress is being made and where more work needs to be done.
* However, we cannot address the issue of renewable energy without addressing transportation.
* Cars idling in blocked intersections in the middle of bumper to bumper traffic can no longer be accepted. Therefore my climate plan will include:
* Incentives to take mass transit and bicycles to work.
* Encouraging entrepreneurs to offer innovative transit ideas.
* Giving incentives at DIA and other municipal buildings to taxis and ride sharing options that use Electric vehicles (In Amsterdam electric vehicles get to cut the cab queues).
* Build more parks and open space – we haven’t built a major park in 10 years.
* Developing non-RTD shuttle options to better serve Denver businesses and communities.

Smarter Development/Development that Works for People
My goal is to completely overhaul the permitting process by which new growth and development gets approved. We must be smarter about the way Denver grows. That starts with reining in developers and ensuring that our neighborhoods are consulted and advised on new growth plans. I will hire an urban planner who knows how to work with, not against, our neighborhoods. Developers must pay their fair share for the impact they are having on public schools and public services and we need aesthetic requirements that preserve neighborhood character.

Growth and the development it brings is inevitable. How we manage, design and direct growth and development is the key. Development should work for and with Denver’s people and our communities — not be done to us. To protect what we all love about Denver, we have to enact smarter growth plans. That means reigning in developers. Denver is a city that prides itself on doing things better. So many great neighborhoods have withstood the test of time because of first-rate planning and design. Stapleton and Lowry are recognized nationally as new developments that got it right – But, much of the stuff built in recent years – not so much.

This is because we have a City Government that puts the interests of developers ahead of those of neighborhoods – too much density, not enough parking, not enough green space or parks, failure to live up to commitments for affordable and attainable housing, for sale and rent, and architecture that ruins the character of neighborhoods. I will change Denver’s course by:

* Revamping the permitting process so neighborhoods are consulted and advised at the earliest point possible.
* Eliminate the loophole that lets developers buy out of affordable housing requirement.
* Strong arm developers to make sure projects throughout the City contain an affordability component.
* I will hire the best urban planner in American to run my planning department – one who knows you work with not against neighborhoods
* Making certain that developers pay their fair share for the impact they are having on schools, our infrastructure, and public services.
* Aesthetic requirements that preserve neighborhood character

Other cities have announced a desire to stop the “Denverization” of their communities. We need to stop the “Denverization“ of Denver.

Affordable Housing/Housing Policies that Work
We can double the production of affordable housing units in Denver. Too many people in Denver are getting priced out because this administration has not made affordable housing a priority. We must address the housing crisis to protect our legacy as a city of economic opportunity for all. I will require that all new developments have an affordable housing component. We must close the loophole that allows developers to buy their way out of affordable housing requirements and strong-arm developers to increase affordability components in their buildings.

There is no one answer to our lack of affordable housing – What is now lacking today is a commitment to a solution – We are mired in the policies of the past as the debacles over the tiny homes and the deed-restricted “affordable” homes showed.

Here are some ideas that will move us in the right directions:

* Work collaboratively with Denver Public Schools to offer affordable housing options for teachers and other DPS employees. We need to be creative
* Explore acquiring closed and abandoned DPS schools to convert to transitional housing for the homeless or affordable units for working people.
* Encourage churches and non-profits where possible to offer some housing. Messiah Community Church, for example, has one family renting space – this has the added option of having someone at the Church thus discouraging vandalism. We will make sure the City staff works with these groups to have a quick approval process. We will make sure the neighborhoods are heard and are part of the solution.
* Make it easier for businesses to allow employees to live on site – let’s explore creative options that do not negatively impact neighborhoods. We will work with neighborhood associations and business improvement districts and other stakeholders.
* If there is no neighborhood opposition, allow businesses to have small mobile homes on site for rental.
* Consider changing zoning and building codes to allow appropriately sized properties to accommodate tiny homes.
* Require and more importantly enforce requirements to provide affordable housing in new developments.
* Develop a program to allow subsidized housing residents an ability to purchase their own home.
* Use City dollars and land or acquire and donate land to incentivize affordable housing development.

Every option must be thoroughly vetted and supported by the neighborhoods – however, Denver has shown an openness to innovation and creativity.

Solving Denver's Homeless Problem
My goal is to get all homeless people off Denver streets during my first 100 days in office. Homelessness is no longer just a downtown problem, it’s become a neighborhood problem. We must approach the problem with humanity and compassion while ensuring that our citizens can use Denver’s parks and places of recreation. It’s time we take bold action.I will bring together facilities that are safe, warm and secure that offer an option for every person living on the streets. They will have access to showers, a place to store valuables and a place to sleep in peace.

In my first 100 days in office, I will prioritize tackling our homeless problem in Denver.

Homeless sweeps and camping bans are not the answer. They only got the City sued by the homeless. Similarly, Initiative 300 is not a solution. Both continue a debate that does not solve anything. And homelessness is no longer just a downtown issue. It’s become a city-wide problem, manifested in all of our neighborhoods and it’s an issue that we must address. Homelessness is one of the moral issues of our time and it’s time we take bold action. The sweeps of the homeless will end immediately.

Two challenges:

1. Treating this problem with humanity and compassion
2. Assuring that all of Denver can use and enjoy their parks and places of recreation

Within 100 days, working with non-profit and private providers and services in the city, we will have facilities that are safe, warm and secure that offer an option for every person living on the streets. They will have access to showers, other services, a place to store valuables and a place to sleep in peace. My administration will:

* Accelerate the permitting of temporary and permanent shelter space.
* Work with existing providers to identify new shelter space.
* Work with Denver Public Schools to consider using closed school buildings as temporary shelter space.
* Evaluate using public spaces, with neighborhood input, for outdoor encampments with restroom, shower and laundry facilities, security and other wrap around services.

However, that is just step one – at these facilities there will be evaluation in conjunction with Denver Health, the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and other organizations. We will ensure:

* They will have access to health care
* There will be mental health counseling and access to programs that work
* We will have drug and alcohol counseling. When needed there will be safe detox facilities.

I will also direct a study of those who are now under contract to provide these services – I will make damned sure that the City and County of Denver is getting full value for the massive expenditures now being made – and if we are not there will be changes.

Fair Wages Define a Great City
My goal is for every worker in Denver to be paid a minimum of $15 per hour with health coverage and every contractor with the city pay every employee not only $15 an hour but offer reasonable health and sick leave benefits. I will work with Denver Health and other providers to make this a reality. If you want to be part of Team Denver than you need to understand that you must adhere to certain core values. Decent wages and health care is one of those values. Frankly, it is also good fiscal stewardship as folks without health care end up using facilities such as Denver Health and Denver taxpayers end up bearing the burden of those companies who do not do right by their employees.

* Every City Worker should be paid a minimum of $15 per hour with health coverage.
* Every contractor with the city should pay every employee not only $15 an hour but offer reasonable health and sick leave benefits. I will work with Denver Health and other providers to make this a reality. If you want to be part of Team Denver then you need to understand that you must adhere to certain core values. Decent wages and health care is one of those values. Frankly, it is also good fiscal stewardship as folks without heath care end up using facilities such as Denver Health and Denver taxpayers end up bearing the burden of those companies who do not do right by their employees.
* Support City employees being represented by a union with collectively bargained for rights.

Standards of Ethics and Transparency
We deserve a renewed commitment to ethics and transparency in city government. Denver has developed a reputation as a pay-to-play city and we’re seeing the scandals pile up as a result. We’ve paid millions – or what I call a corruption tax – to pay for cover ups and to pay for misconduct on the part of the top officials at City Hall up to and including the Mayor. Simply put, too many have not lived up to the high standards we have a right to expect from our elected officials. I will work to change the way city government conducts business so we give power back to the people, rather than the well-connected. I will appoint an independent ethics monitor to investigate official misconduct and report back to the people. The passage of 2E was a great first step on campaign reform, but, as I said when I endorsed 2E, we must continue to raise the bar to create a fair, ethical city government.

Denver has developed a reputation as a ‘Pay to Play’ City and that must end. Millions of our tax dollars (or what I call a corruption tax) has gone to pay for cover-ups and to pay for misconduct on the part of the top officials at City Hall up to and including the Mayor.

Simply put too many have not lived up to the high standards we have a right to expect from our elected officials.

Passage of 2E was a great first step on campaign reform – but as I said when I endorsed it, 2E is only the beginning. Here’s what I will do:

* Appoint an Independent Ethics Monitor with the resources to investigate official misconduct and report to the public.
* A $100 limit on donations to any Denver Political Committee by any company or the principal of any company doing business with the City.
* Transparency in every aspect of City Government – Citizens should not have to file expensive and cumbersome open record acts request – I will have every non-privileged City document online.[71]

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—Tate for Mayor[77]

## Campaign ads[edit]

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

###  Lisa Calderón[edit]

#### Support[edit]

"Building communities, making change" - Calderón campaign ad, released April 6, 2019

"Meet Lisa Calderón for Denver Mayor" - Calderón campaign ad, released March 7, 2019

"It's time." - Calderón campaign ad, released March 7, 2019

"It's time for a new direction for Denver. It's time for Dr. Lisa Calderón." - Calderón campaign ad, released March 7, 2019

"Lisa Calderón Speaking at the Womxn's March 2019" - Calderón campaign ad, released March 7, 2019

* "My Story" - Calderón campaign ad, released February 18, 2019
* "Womxn's March Denver 2019" - Calderón campaign ad, released January 20, 2019
* "It's Time for Lisa" - Calderón campaign ad, released November 14, 2018
* "A New Direction" - Calderón campaign ad, released October 24, 2018

###  Jamie Giellis[edit]

#### Support[edit]

"People Come First" - Giellis campaign ad, released November 30, 2018

"All Together Now" - Giellis campaign ad, released November 29, 2018

###  Michael Hancock[edit]

#### Support[edit]

"Progress" - Hancock campaign ad, released April 18, 2019

"What is Denver" - Hancock campaign ad, released April 8, 2019

"Blessed" - Hancock campaign ad, released March 24, 2019

"Obstacles" - Hancock campaign ad, released February 20, 2019

"We Are All Denver" - Hancock campaign ad, released February 11, 2019

* "Michael's Story" - Hancock campaign ad, released January 17, 2019

###  Kalyn Heffernan[edit]

#### Support[edit]

"Kalyn 4 Mayor - SMEAR" - Heffernan campaign ad, released May 6, 2019

"Kalyn 4 Mayor - VOTE MAY 7TH!" - Heffernan campaign ad, released May 2, 2019

"Kalyn 4 Mayor - Money in Politics MATH CLA$$" - Heffernan campaign ad, released April 20, 2019

"Kalyn 4 Mayor - TINY HAPPY TRAINING wheels" - Heffernan campaign ad, released April 17, 2019

"Kalyn 4 Mayor - VOTE MAY 7TH!!" - Heffernan campaign ad, released April 16, 2019

"Kalyn 4 Mayor - we need SHELTER PARTY!" - Heffernan campaign ad, released February 13, 2019

"Kalyn 4 Mayor - House Party $igns" - Heffernan campaign ad, released August 23, 2018

"Kalyn 4 Mayor ...but why?" - Heffernan campaign ad, released April 1, 2018

###  Penfield Tate[edit]

#### Support[edit]

"Truth" - Tate campaign ad, released October 1, 2018

## Debates and forums[edit]

### April 30, 2019[edit]

Hancock, Calderón, Giellis, and Tate participated in a debate hosted by the Intermountain Jewish News on April 30, 2019. The four discussed growth, transit, and responses to hate crimes.

* Find the Intermountain Jewish News round-up of the debate here.

### April 18, 2019[edit]

Calderón, Evans, Giellis, Heffernan, and Tate participated in a debate hosted by The Colorado Independent on April 18, 2019. The three discussed allegations of misconduct among city officials, homelessness, and policing policy.

Denver mayoral debate, April 18, 2019

### April 17, 2019, debate[edit]

Hancock, Calderón, Giellis, and Tate participated in a debate hosted by 9NEWS on April 17, 2019. The candidates discussed growth and development, homelessness, and responses to drug use.

* Find the 9NEWS round-up of the debate here.
* Find the 9NEWS recording of the debate here.

Denver mayoral debate, April 17, 2019

### April 16, 2019, candidate forum[edit]

Calderón, Giellis, and Tate participated in a candidate forum at the Alamo Drafthouse hosted by GoodCinema on April 16, 2019. Chief Housing Officer Britta Fisher attended in place of Hancock. The topic of the forum was housing.

* Find the Denverite round-up of the debate here.

### April 13, 2019, debate[edit]

Hancock, Calderón, Evans, Giellis, Heffernan, and Tate participated in a debate at the Southwest Improvement Community Center on April 13, 2019.

* Find the Colorado Politics round-up of the debate here.

Denver mayoral debate, April 13, 2019

### April 1, 2019, debate[edit]

Hancock, Calderón, Giellis, and Tate participated in a debate hosted by The Denver Post on April 1, 2019. The candidates discussed their backgrounds as well as their positions on development.

* Find the Denver Post round-up of the debate here.
* Find the Colorado Politics round-up of the debate here.
* Find an audio recording of the debate here.

### March 25, 2019 candidate forum[edit]

Hancock, Calderón, Giellis, and Tate participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Republican Party of Denver and the Lincoln Club of Colorado on March 25, 2019.

* Find the official recording of the event here.

### March 21, 2019, candidate forum[edit]

Hancock, Calderón, Giellis, and Tate participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Alliance Center on March 21, 2019. The candidates debated the pace and management of development within the city as well as transit management and environmental issues.

* Find the Westword summary of the forum here.

Denver mayoral candidate forum, March 21, 2019

## Timeline[edit]

* May 1, 2019: The candidates submitted a fourth round of pre-election campaign finance reports covering all raising and spending through May 1.
* April 30, 2019: Hancock, Calderón, Gillies, and Tate participated in a debate hosted by the Intermountain Jewish News.
* April 30, 2019: Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg (D) endorsed Hancock.
* April 18, 2019: Calderón, Evans, Giellis, Heffernan, and Tate participated in a debate hosted by The Colorado Independent.
* April 17, 2019: Hancock, Calderón, Giellis, and Tate participated in a debate hosted by 9NEWS.
* April 17, 2019: The candidates submitted a third round of pre-election campaign finance reports covering all raising and spending through April 14.
* April 16, 2019: Calderón, Giellis, Tate, and a Hancock surrogate participated in a candidate forum hosted by GoodCinema.
* April 13, 2019: Hancock, Calderón, Evans, Giellis, Heffernan, and Tate participated in a debate hosted at the Southwest Improvement Community Center.
* April 12, 2019: The Denver Post endorsed Hancock.
* April 3, 2019: The candidates submitted a second round of pre-election campaign finance reports covering all raising and spending through March 31.
* April 1, 2019: Hancock, Calderón, Giellis, and Tate participated in a debate hosted by The Denver Post.
* March 25, 2019: Hancock, Calderón, Giellis, and Tate participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Republican Party of Denver.
* March 21, 2019: Hancock, Calderón, Giellis, and Tate participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Alliance Center.
* January 16, 2019: Incumbent Mayor Michael Hancock launched his campaign for re-election to a third term.[78]
* November 1, 2018: River North Art District President Jamie Giellis launched her mayoral campaign.[79]
* October 15, 2018: Criminal justice professor Lisa Calderón launched her mayoral campaign.[80]
* October 1, 2018: Former state Sen. Penfield Tate launched his mayoral campaign.[81]
* May 29, 2018: Musician and disability rights activist Kalyn Heffernan launched her mayoral campaign.[82]
* September 22, 2017: Citizen activist Stephan "Seku" Evans launched his mayoral campaign.[83]

## Mayoral partisanship[edit]

At the end of 2019, Democrats held mayorships in 63 of the 100 largest cities in the country. Out of the 31 mayoral elections that were held in 2019 in the 100 largest cities, four partisan changes occurred. Democrats gained three mayorships, two from Republicans and one from an independent. Republicans gained one seat previously held by an unaffiliated mayor.

In the elections in Phoenix, Arizona and Wichita, Kansas, Democrats won seats with Republican incumbents. In Wichita, Democrat Brandon Whipple defeated Republican incumbent Jeff Longwell. In Raleigh, North Carolina, a Democrat won a seat previously held by an independent. And in Aurora, Colorado, a Republican succeeded an unaffiliated mayor. Incumbents did not seek re-election in Phoenix, Raleigh, or Aurora.

Click here to learn more.

## Election history[edit]

### 2015[edit]

See also: Denver, Colorado municipal elections, 2015
The city of Denver, Colorado, held elections for mayor and city council on May 5, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 11, 2015. In the mayoral race, incumbent Michael B. Hancock defeated Seku, Paul Noel Fiorino and Marcus Giavanni.[84][85] Mayor of Denver, 2015

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Michael B. Hancock Incumbent | 80.2% | 75,774
Marcus Giavanni | 8.5% | 8,033
Paul Noel Fiorino | 5.7% | 5,379
Seku | 3.1% | 2,973
Write-in  | 2.5% | 2,366
Total Votes | 94,525
Source: City of Denver, "Official general election results," accessed May 19, 2015

### 2011[edit]

On June 7, 2011, Michael Hancock defeated Chris Romer in a runoff election.[86]

Mayor of Denver runoff, 2011

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Michael Hancock | 58.1% | 70,780
Chris Romer  | 41.9% | 51,082
Total Votes | 121,862
Source: Denver Post Election Results 2011

Mayor of Denver, 2011

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Chris Romer | 28.6% | 31,901
Michael Hancock | 27.1% | 30,314
James Meija  | 25.8% | 28,823
Doug Linkhart  | 9.5% | 10,577
Theresa Spahn  | 3% | 3,332
Carol Boigon  | 2.1% | 2,344
Thomas Wolf  | 1.9% | 2,106
Danny Lopez  | 0.9% | 1,030
Jeff Peckman  | 0.7% | 781
Ken Simpson  | 0.5% | 519
Total Votes | 104,947
Source: The Denver Post

## About the office[edit]

See also: Mayor-council government

The city of Denver uses a strong mayor-council system. In this form of municipal government, an elected mayor serves as the city's chief executive officer while an elected city council serves as the municipal legislature. Mayor-council systems are often described as strong or weak based on how much power is given to the mayor. Denver is a strong mayor-council city, with the mayor's powers including proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations.[87]

Denver's city council consists of 13 members, including 11 elected from districts and two elected to at-large seats. All Denver elected officials are elected to four-year terms in nonpartisan elections and may not serve more than three consecutive terms.[88]

## About the city[edit]

Denver is a city in Colorado which is coterminous with the county of the same name. It is the 19th-largest city in the United States and the largest in Colorado. The Denver metropolitan area, which also includes Aurora and Lakewood, was the nation's 19th-largest in 2017.[89] As of 2017, Denver's population was estimated at 678,467.[90]

### Demographics[edit]

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographic data for Denver County, Colorado (2015)

| Denver County| Colorado| U.S.
Total population:| 649,654| 5,448,819| 316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):| 153| 103,642| 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity[91]
White alone:| 76.1%| 84.2%| 73.6%
Black/African American:| 9.7%| 4%| 12.6%
Asian:| 3.6%| 2.9%| 5.1%
Native American:| 1.1%| 0.9%| 0.8%
Pacific Islander:| 0.1%| 0.1%| 0.2%
Two or more:| 3.5%| 3.5%| 3%
Hispanic/Latino:| 30.9%| 21.1%| 17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:| 86.1%| 90.7%| 86.7%
College graduation rate:| 45%| 38.1%| 29.8%
Income
Median household income:| $53,637| $60,629| $53,889
Persons below poverty level:| 12.8%| 13.5%| 11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)

## State profile[edit]

See also: Colorado and Colorado elections, 2019

### Partisan data[edit]

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

* Colorado voted for the Democratic candidate in three out of the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016.

Congressional delegation

* Following the 2018 elections, one U.S. Senator from Colorado was a Democrat and one was a Republican.
* Colorado had four Democratic and three Republican U.S. Representatives.

State executives

* Democrats held 11 and Republicans held five of Colorado's 25 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
* Colorado's governor was Democrat Jared Polis.

State legislature

* Democrats controlled the Colorado State Senate with a 19-16 majority.
* Democrats controlled the Colorado House of Representatives with a 41-24 majority.

Colorado Party Control: 1992-2021
Nine years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year  |  92  |  93  |  94  |  95  |  96  |  97  |  98  |  99  |  00  |  01  |  02  |  03  |  04  |  05  |  06  |  07  |  08  |  09  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16  |  17  |  18  |  19  |  20  |  21

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Governor |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D
Senate | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |  D |  D | R | R |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D | R | R | R | R |  D |  D |  D
House | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D | R | R |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D |  D

Colorado quick stats

* Became a state in 1876
* 38th state admitted to the United States
* Colorado was the first state to legalize medicinal and recreational marijuana.
* Members of the Colorado State Senate: 35
* Members of the Colorado House of Representatives: 65
* U.S. senators: 2
* U.S. representatives: 7

|  More Colorado coverage on Ballotpedia:

* Colorado elections, 2019
* Presidential voting trends in Colorado
* United States congressional delegations from Colorado
* Public policy in Colorado
* Influencers in Colorado
* Almanac of American Politics state profile
* More...

|

Demographic data for Colorado

| Colorado| U.S.
Total population:| 5,448,819| 316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):| 103,642| 3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:| 84.2%| 73.6%
Black/African American:| 4%| 12.6%
Asian:| 2.9%| 5.1%
Native American:| 0.9%| 0.8%
Pacific Islander:| 0.1%| 0.2%
Two or more:| 3.5%| 3%
Hispanic/Latino:| 21.1%| 17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:| 90.7%| 86.7%
College graduation rate:| 38.1%| 29.8%
Income
Median household income:| $60,629| $53,889
Persons below poverty level:| 13.5%| 11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Colorado.

* * *

**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

## Pivot Counties[edit]

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Four of 64 Colorado counties—6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008

County  |  Trump margin of victory in 2016  |  Obama margin of victory in 2012  |  Obama margin of victory in 2008
Conejos County, Colorado | 3.56% | 9.22% | 12.93%
Huerfano County, Colorado | 6.61% | 8.27% | 11.23%
Las Animas County, Colorado | 15.60% | 2.65% | 7.04%
Pueblo County, Colorado | 0.50% | 13.99% | 14.97%

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Colorado with 48.2 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 43.3 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Colorado voted Republican 63.3 percent of the time and Democratic 36.7 percent of the time. Colorado voted Republican in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, but voted Democratic in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 elections.

#### Presidential results by legislative district[edit]

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Colorado. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[92][93]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 37 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 27.3 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 40 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 24.8 points. Clinton won four districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.

In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 28 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 21.2 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 25 out of 65 state House districts in Colorado with an average margin of victory of 25.8 points. Trump won one district controlled by a Democrat heading into the 2018 elections.

2016 presidential results by state House district

District |  Obama |  Romney |  2012 Margin |  Clinton |  Trump |  2016 Margin |  Party Control
1 | 63.79% | 34.04% | D+29.8 | 59.82% | 32.28% | D+27.5 | D
2 | 72.48% | 24.78% | D+47.7 | 75.22% | 16.32% | D+58.9 | D
3 | 52.36% | 45.33% | D+7 | 53.90% | 37.16% | D+16.7 | D
4 | 79.17% | 18.39% | D+60.8 | 76.84% | 15.60% | D+61.2 | D
5 | 76.41% | 21.06% | D+55.3 | 74.82% | 16.97% | D+57.9 | D
6 | 66.55% | 31.98% | D+34.6 | 70.34% | 23.22% | D+47.1 | D
7 | 82.54% | 16.11% | D+66.4 | 79.82% | 14.64% | D+65.2 | D
8 | 84.00% | 13.75% | D+70.2 | 83.59% | 9.56% | D+74 | D
9 | 63.82% | 33.80% | D+30 | 64.82% | 26.84% | D+38 | D
10 | 79.29% | 17.98% | D+61.3 | 80.62% | 12.47% | D+68.2 | D
11 | 58.66% | 38.84% | D+19.8 | 58.25% | 33.00% | D+25.3 | D
12 | 65.33% | 32.47% | D+32.9 | 66.50% | 25.52% | D+41 | D
13 | 68.88% | 28.33% | D+40.5 | 66.61% | 25.99% | D+40.6 | D
14 | 29.31% | 68.47% | R+39.2 | 28.41% | 61.02% | R+32.6 | R
15 | 35.17% | 62.29% | R+27.1 | 30.23% | 59.27% | R+29 | R
16 | 38.44% | 58.69% | R+20.3 | 33.98% | 55.52% | R+21.5 | R
17 | 58.28% | 38.66% | D+19.6 | 46.07% | 43.39% | D+2.7 | D
18 | 55.69% | 41.03% | D+14.7 | 50.76% | 39.01% | D+11.8 | D
19 | 23.20% | 74.75% | R+51.5 | 21.00% | 70.64% | R+49.6 | R
20 | 36.90% | 61.07% | R+24.2 | 36.13% | 54.67% | R+18.5 | R
21 | 44.76% | 52.44% | R+7.7 | 33.08% | 56.35% | R+23.3 | R
22 | 43.22% | 54.92% | R+11.7 | 41.43% | 49.83% | R+8.4 | R
23 | 56.59% | 40.48% | D+16.1 | 53.37% | 37.35% | D+16 | D
24 | 56.97% | 40.27% | D+16.7 | 54.87% | 35.95% | D+18.9 | D
25 | 45.68% | 52.27% | R+6.6 | 46.55% | 44.77% | D+1.8 | R
26 | 56.52% | 41.35% | D+15.2 | 55.34% | 36.27% | D+19.1 | D
27 | 47.59% | 50.20% | R+2.6 | 45.58% | 45.51% | D+0.1 | R
28 | 56.14% | 41.40% | D+14.7 | 52.88% | 38.13% | D+14.7 | D
29 | 55.15% | 41.90% | D+13.3 | 49.23% | 40.65% | D+8.6 | D
30 | 58.12% | 39.53% | D+18.6 | 50.98% | 40.69% | D+10.3 | D
31 | 57.57% | 39.68% | D+17.9 | 49.47% | 41.26% | D+8.2 | D
32 | 68.41% | 28.79% | D+39.6 | 59.50% | 32.00% | D+27.5 | D
33 | 54.04% | 43.63% | D+10.4 | 54.79% | 35.90% | D+18.9 | D
34 | 58.24% | 38.92% | D+19.3 | 50.21% | 40.46% | D+9.8 | D
35 | 56.93% | 40.57% | D+16.4 | 53.11% | 37.98% | D+15.1 | D
36 | 58.93% | 39.04% | D+19.9 | 53.58% | 37.59% | D+16 | D
37 | 46.74% | 51.56% | R+4.8 | 48.68% | 42.60% | D+6.1 | R
38 | 45.32% | 52.68% | R+7.4 | 46.96% | 43.84% | D+3.1 | R
39 | 33.46% | 64.72% | R+31.3 | 31.36% | 61.02% | R+29.7 | R
40 | 57.39% | 40.16% | D+17.2 | 53.06% | 37.39% | D+15.7 | D
41 | 62.83% | 34.95% | D+27.9 | 60.91% | 31.42% | D+29.5 | D
42 | 72.27% | 25.31% | D+47 | 66.99% | 25.31% | D+41.7 | D
43 | 40.49% | 58.15% | R+17.7 | 42.44% | 48.85% | R+6.4 | R
44 | 37.59% | 60.64% | R+23 | 37.16% | 53.68% | R+16.5 | R
45 | 32.91% | 65.51% | R+32.6 | 32.80% | 58.30% | R+25.5 | R
46 | 55.76% | 42.01% | D+13.8 | 45.78% | 46.05% | R+0.3 | D
47 | 47.31% | 50.40% | R+3.1 | 37.98% | 54.19% | R+16.2 | R
48 | 37.53% | 60.27% | R+22.7 | 30.35% | 61.19% | R+30.8 | R
49 | 41.56% | 56.12% | R+14.6 | 36.54% | 54.81% | R+18.3 | R
50 | 55.50% | 41.23% | D+14.3 | 45.81% | 43.71% | D+2.1 | D
51 | 43.13% | 54.07% | R+10.9 | 36.83% | 53.48% | R+16.7 | R
52 | 57.53% | 39.81% | D+17.7 | 55.70% | 34.08% | D+21.6 | D
53 | 61.38% | 35.23% | D+26.1 | 59.03% | 29.59% | D+29.4 | D
54 | 28.39% | 69.43% | R+41 | 22.69% | 70.10% | R+47.4 | R
55 | 36.10% | 61.61% | R+25.5 | 32.32% | 59.26% | R+26.9 | R
56 | 40.95% | 56.94% | R+16 | 36.37% | 55.99% | R+19.6 | R
57 | 38.90% | 58.78% | R+19.9 | 34.52% | 58.25% | R+23.7 | R
58 | 36.91% | 60.52% | R+23.6 | 31.94% | 61.10% | R+29.2 | R
59 | 50.62% | 46.33% | D+4.3 | 47.02% | 43.47% | D+3.5 | D
60 | 39.26% | 57.98% | R+18.7 | 31.71% | 60.43% | R+28.7 | R
61 | 55.13% | 42.35% | D+12.8 | 52.90% | 39.28% | D+13.6 | D
62 | 58.86% | 38.59% | D+20.3 | 47.77% | 43.64% | D+4.1 | D
63 | 40.61% | 56.65% | R+16 | 33.06% | 58.29% | R+25.2 | R
64 | 31.01% | 66.64% | R+35.6 | 22.78% | 70.74% | R+48 | R
65 | 29.29% | 68.33% | R+39 | 20.30% | 74.27% | R+54 | R
Total | 51.49% | 46.13% | D+5.4 | 48.16% | 43.25% | D+4.9 | \-
Source: Daily Kos

## See also[edit]

Denver, Colorado | Colorado | Municipal government | Other local coverage

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* 2015 Denver elections
* Denver, Colorado
* Cities in Colorado

* 2019 Colorado elections
* Public policy in Colorado
* Influencers in Colorado
* Colorado

* Top counties
* 100 largest cities
* Current mayors
* Current council officials

* 2019 municipal elections
* 2019 school board elections
* 2019 local ballot measure elections
* 2019 local judicial elections

## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic
* City of Denver

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Denverite, "What candidates have to do to win Denver’s May 2019 race for mayor," March 14, 2019
2. ↑ Denverite, "Denver Mayor Michael Hancock tapped to lead National Conference of Democratic Mayors," January 26, 2018
3. ↑ Youtube, "Lisa Calderon at Denver Mayor Forum, HD8 Democrats, 1.26.19, Timestamp 00:26," January 26, 2019
4. ↑ Reddit, "Hi Reddit! I'm Jamie Giellis, and I'm running for Mayor of Denver, AMA!" December 17, 2018
5. ↑ The Colorado Sun, "'There’s a sense of being unsettled': Former state lawmaker Penfield Tate will run for Denver mayor in 2019," October 1, 2018
6. ↑ Denver Public Library, "Richard Y. Batterton papers," accessed March 27, 2019
7. ↑ Denver City Charter, Sec. 2.2.1-9, accessed September 15, 2014
8. ↑ Denver City Charter, Sec. 8.2.6, accessed March 20, 2019
9. ↑ Westword, "Lisa Calderón Running for Denver Mayor," October 15, 2018
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Denver Post, "Lisa Calderón will enter Denver mayor’s race to challenge Michael Hancock, and she’s already suing him," October 15, 2018
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Westword, "Lisa Calderón: Why You Should Elect Me Mayor of Denver," March 1, 2019
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lisa Calderón for Denver Mayor, "Home," accessed March 20, 2019
13. ↑ Committee to Elect Seku, "About Me," accessed April 22, 2019
14. ↑ Committee to Elect Seku, "Gentrification impacts Denver Metro making affordable housing for middle and low income folks a requirement." accessed April 22, 2019
15. ↑ Committee to Elect Seku, "Open Carry in Denver," accessed April 22, 2019
16. ↑ LinkedIn, "Jamie (Licko) Giellis," accessed March 20, 2019
17. ↑ Denverite, "Jamie Giellis of the RiNo Art District is running to be Denver’s next mayor," November 1, 2018
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Westword, "Jamie Giellis: Why You Should Elect Me Mayor of Denver," March 6, 2019
19. ↑ Jamie for Denver, "Balanced Growth that Respects Our Neighborhoods," accessed March 21, 2019
20. ↑ Jamie for Denver, "Bold Action for Attainable Housing," accessed March 20, 2019
21. ↑ LinkedIn, "Kalyn Heffernan," accessed April 22, 2019
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Kalyn for Mayor, "The Campaign," accessed April 22, 2019
23. ↑ National Civic League, "Who We Are," accessed March 21, 2019
24. ↑ Urban League of Metro Denver, "Our History," accessed March 21, 2019
25. ↑ Partner America, "Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Denver, CO," accessed March 21, 2019
26. ↑ The Denver Post, "Denver mayoral candidate profile: Michael Hancock running on reputation, enthusiasm," April 6, 2011
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Westword, "Michael Hancock: Why You Should Re-Elect Me Mayor of Denver," March 7, 2019
28. ↑ City of Denver, "Denveright," accessed March 21, 2019
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 The Denver Post, "“We suck in Denver, huh?” Here’s how development is shaping the mayor’s race in 2019," September 25, 2018
30. ↑ Colorado Politics, "Hancock unveils proposal for $15 minimum wage for Denver city employees (VIDEO)," February 14, 2019
31. ↑ The History Makers, "Penfield W. Tate III," accessed March 21, 2019
32. ↑ Colorado Politics, "Penfield Tate: Denver's poor planning drove him to run for mayor," October 3, 2018
33. ↑ Tate for Denver, "Climate Change," accessed March 21, 2019
34. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
35. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
36. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
37. ↑ The Denver Post, "Denver election goes negative: Outside group spends $100,000 as it trashes Giellis, supports Hancock," April 26, 2019
38. ↑ Lisa Calderón for Denver Mayor, "Endorsers," accessed April 23, 2019
39. ↑ Jamie for Denver, "Endorsements," accessed April 23, 2019
40. ↑ Michael Hancock for Denver, "Supporters," accessed April 23, 2019
41. ↑ Tate for Denver, "Endorsements," accessed April 23, 2019
42. ↑ The Denver Post, "Endorsement: Michael Hancock deserves your vote for a third and final term as Denver mayor," April 12, 2019
43. ↑ Colorado Politics, "Democratic presidential hopeful Buttigieg endorses Hancock in Denver mayoral race," May 1, 2019
44. ↑ Lisa Calderón for Denver Mayor, "In the News," accessed May 6, 2019
45. ↑ Google Cache, "Facebook - Stonewall Democrats of Colorado," April 17, 2019
46. ↑ Census Bureau, "American FactFinder," accessed March 21, 2019
47. ↑ The preceding figures were calculated by comparing population figures from the 2010 census with 5-year American Community Survey population estimates for 2013-2017.
48. ↑ Colorado Public Radio, "Denver Construction Is A-Boomin’, But For How Long?" April 4, 2017
49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 The Denver Post, "'We suck in Denver, huh?' Here’s how development is shaping the mayor’s race in 2019," September 25, 2018
50. ↑ The Denver Post, "Outside California’s Bay Area, metro Denver had biggest rent increases this decade," March 19, 2018
51. ↑ CNN, "How Colorado became one of the least affordable places to live in the U.S.," November 1, 2017
52. ↑ Denverite, "Denver’s plan to double affordable housing funding just cleared critical hurdles," August 27, 2018
53. ↑ Westword, "Denveright's Plans to Guide Growth Over 20 Years Moves Ahead Before Election," March 20, 2019
54. ↑ The Denver Channel, "Denver City Council approves plans for responsible growth over the next 20 years," April 23, 2019
55. ↑ Colorado Politics, "Hancock vows to push ahead on 'Denveright' 20-year master plan," March 19, 2019
56. ↑ Lisa Calderon for Denver Mayor, "Community-Driven Planning and Growth," accessed April 12, 2019
57. ↑ Jamie for Denver, "Balanced Growth that Respects Our Neighborhoods," accessed April 12, 2019
58. ↑ Tate for Denver, "Smarter Development/Development that Works for People," accessed April 12, 2019
59. ↑ The Denver Post, "Denver's mayoral challengers propose construction moratorium, rezoning restrictions as Hancock pushes 2040 vision," March 21, 2019
60. ↑ Westword, "Michael Hancock: Why You Should Re-Elect Me Mayor of Denver," March 7, 2019
61. ↑ Lisa for Denver Mayor, "Housing Affordability & Attainability," accessed April 12, 2019
62. ↑ Jamie for Denver, "Bold Action on Attainable Housing," accessed April 12, 2019
63. ↑ Tate for Denver, "Affordable Housing/Housing Policies that Work," accessed April 12, 2019
64. ↑ 64.0 64.1 64.2 KDVR, "Denver leaders might not implement rent control if bill passes," April 10, 2019
65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 Westword, "Lisa Calderón: Why You Should Elect Me Mayor of Denver," March 1, 2019
66. ↑ Colorado Politics, "Denver Mayor Hancock's 1st campaign ad features homelessness (VIDEO)," March 25, 2019
67. ↑ Westword, "After Audit, Hancock Proposes New Homelessness Department," April 19, 2019
68. ↑ Lisa for Denver Mayor, "Homelessness," accessed April 12, 2019
69. ↑ Jamie for Denver, "A Compassionate Plan to Help our Homeless and Most Vulnerable," accessed April 12, 2019
70. ↑ Tate for Denver, "Solving Denver's Homeless Problem," accessed April 12, 2019
71. ↑ 71.0 71.1 71.2 71.3 71.4 71.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
72. ↑ Lisa Calderón for Denver Mayor, "The Issues," accessed April 23, 2019
73. ↑ Committee to Elect Seku, "Home," accessed April 23, 2019
74. ↑ Jamie Giellis for Denver, "Vision and Values," accessed April 23, 2019
75. ↑ Michael Hancock for Denver, "Accomplishments," accessed March 20, 2019
76. ↑ Kalyn for Mayor 2019, "The Campaign," accessed March 20, 2019
77. ↑ Tate for Denver, "Issues," accessed April 23, 2019
78. ↑ 9 News, "Hancock wants to be Denver's mayor again," January 16, 2019
79. ↑ 9 News, "Denver mayor’s race picks up another candidate," November 1, 2018
80. ↑ Westword, "Lisa Calderón Running for Denver Mayor," October 15, 2018
81. ↑ The Denver Post, "Former Democratic lawmaker Penfield Tate to challenge Hancock in Denver mayor’s race," October 1, 2018
82. ↑ KDVR, "May 29, 2018
83. ↑ [0=68.ARDm45i6pmmCqR-XAoIkwJ-O2OrFYpIaYrox2r25moQIvAlgFcNDkP-AjGD-JsxbauXdC8twE7oGX4wHgMPP1dqqyG_IR49sS8c5tpO3YfS07Huz36Duaw6oh3ChKB7rnoFm0ggChl92CEuxBzf-eIB_qX1TrhGKcKWs62dUYzJeT_aYoG_XTfAANQ1jMliLnH-fttdcvRWaztRmWE_gPAv_ZZpZqtebUd-fnJM3d_Qi2bhxpYmDmsNbS5CsVQe2TFRWQXwXTdWoiRqVKrM07WhicH7ZfcOloBrR7p4yOysNPwwIXxPWrBJVG6azClVNvT9mWc9irPoI9-U79dw&__tn__=-R Facebook, "Chairman Seku," September 22, 2017]
84. ↑ City of Denver, "2015 Unofficial Election Results," accessed May 5, 2015
85. ↑ City of Denver, "Municipal Candidate Information Packet," accessed December 4, 2014
86. ↑ Denver Post, "2011 General Election Results," accessed September 9, 2014
87. ↑ Denver City Charter, Sec. 2.2.1-9, accessed September 15, 2014
88. ↑ Denver City Charter, Sec. 8.2.6, accessed March 20, 2019
89. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "County and Metro Area Population Estimates," March 22, 2018
90. ↑ American FactFinder, "Denver city, Colorado," accessed March 20, 2019
91. ↑ Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
92. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
93. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017

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