ANH sent a questionnaire to candidates in the Denver municipal election. Answers are lightly edited.
Briefly describe the single most urgent issue facing the city of Denver and how it should be addressed.
One of the biggest risks Denver faces is the risk of a doom loop that other cities have entered where increased homelessness and crime drive businesses and individuals out of downtown. Decreased visits downtown shutter restaurants and bars, reducing commercial occupancy which in turn reduces tax revenue, decreases our tax base, and decreases the public services. This can lead to a decrease in safety and disincentivizes residents to revitalize a city that is struggling. However, the first hurdle that Denver faces is the belief that these problems can’t be solved. We not only know these problems can be solved, but we should expect that they will be solved, and as the next mayor I will solve them.
What should Denver leaders do to address the city’s lack of affordable housing?
I spent the last two years building a coalition of 260 organizations to support passage of Proposition 123, which will provide Denver with $50 million a year to solve this problem. Here is how I will do it:
1) build 25,000 permanently affordable units where no Denverite will pay more than 30% of their income to rent and rent can’t go up unless your income goes up;
2) eliminate the red tape that slows housing development by requiring that affordable housing permits get approved within 90 days;
3) help renters build wealth and buy homes by directing up to $100 a month of their rent check into a savings account;
4) expand the Dearfield Down Payment Assistance Program.
Do you support redevelopment at the Park Hill golf course property? Why or why not?
Yes. I had an office in North Park Hill for 10 years, and saw the two most urgent issues in Park Hill are the gentrification driving out Black residents through the disappearance of affordable housing, and the fact that the neighborhood is currently a food desert that needs better access to groceries. Park Hill deserves open space, affordable housing, and a grocery store, and this project can provide all three. This project allows us the chance to create a public park larger than Central Park with more than 500 units of affordable housing, outdoor and indoor recreation space, local businesses, and transit adjacent housing. Voting no provides neither housing nor open space, it only returns use to a golf course, which everyone agrees we don’t need.
What should Denver leaders do to revitalize downtown Denver?
As the CEO of a business located at Union Station, I have seen this problem firsthand over the last three years. Denver needs to revitalize downtown by solving our crises of homelessness and crime. In addition, the next mayor needs to lead the charge to encourage businesses to return to working in-person by first doing the same with city workers and then encouraging other businesses to follow suit. We can do this by encouraging workers to come downtown through incentives for downtown childcare facilities and discounted and free public transit.
What is Denver’s greatest public safety concern and what should be done about it?
Denver’s greatest public safety concern is the city-wide increase in crime and the feeling that downtown is inhospitable. Solving this issue requires four concrete steps:
1) focusing on prevention through early intervention with diversionary courts like mental health, drug, and gun courts;
2) putting 200 additional first responders on the streets, including mental health workers to support those in crisis and beat cops walking the streets;
3) converting two pods of the jail into mental health and addiction units that can provide services people badly need;
4) after providing permanent supportive housing for those who are homeless, enforcing the law on those who are committing crimes or harassing residents downtown.
Should neighborhoods help absorb population growth through permissive zoning, or do you favor protections for single-family neighborhoods?
We know we need to add more housing supply to make Denver affordable. To meaningfully achieve housing abundance in Denver, we must add density in select areas of the city. This should be prioritized around transit oriented development and other places where we can prioritize density and reduce parking requirements. We also know we want to preserve the unique identity of each of our neighborhoods by not erecting skyscrapers in the middle of residential neighborhoods. However, in many neighborhoods, it is effective and consistent with the architecture and planning to add gentle density in the midst of single family neighborhoods.
Should the city’s policy of sweeping homeless encampments continue unchanged? Why or why not?
We know the current policy of sweeping is not working because people who are experiencing homelessness have no place to go. I would solve this problem by building 10-20 micro-communities that would include permanent supportive housing for 1,400 individuals. Then we can move communities of encampments together to safe, satable, dignified housing where they can get the addiction, mental health, and workforce services they need. Once we meet that obligation to make sure everyone has a place to sleep, we must also ensure all Denver residents can enjoy our public spaces, businesses, and sidewalks. Once dignified housing is available people should not need or have the right to sleep outside someone’s home or business.
Should Denver change its snow plowing policy? Why or why not?
As climate change leads to harsher winters and snow storms like the ones we’ve experienced this winter become more frequent, effectively plowing roads and side streets will become more necessary. But this is a fixable problem and we cannot tolerate another winter like this one. As mayor, I will ensure that we expand our snow plowing reach and frequency, particularly on side streets, to make sure streets are clean and we are not plowing snow into bike lanes and sidewalks that increase hazards for Denverites.
What’s your vision for Denver in 20 years, and what would you do to help the city get there?
I believe that one of the biggest obstacles Denver faces is believing our current problems are unfixable. I deeply believe that we can make Denver America’s best city. In 20 years, my vision for Denver is to be the best city to raise a child, start a business, train for a job, and experience diverse art, culture, and food. Denver can also be the first big city in America where no one sleeps on the street at night, where teachers and nurses can still afford to live in the city they serve, and where you can eat on a patio while your kids run around the 16th Street Mall without worrying for their safety.
How better can city officials protect Denver’s environment — air quality, water supply, ground contamination? And should the city take a more active role in transit?
Denver’s most pressing environmental issue is the city’s reliance on nonrenewable energy. I am committed to transforming the city into a national leader in clean energy and climate sustainability by committing to have 100 percent of Denver’s electricity sourced from renewable sources by 2040. This requires electrifying our fleet and electrifying our buildings while reducing vehicle emissions by providing incentives to increase the use of public transit, increase ridership, and increase route frequency and ride quality. We must also take a more aggressive approach to preserving water by incentivizing turf and xeriscaping wherever possible.
Briefly describe the single most urgent issue facing the city of Denver and how it should be addressed.
Living on the streets is neither safe nor humane – for people experiencing homelessness or community. I will eliminate unsanctioned encampments in year one. Additionally, I will:
• Take a regional, data-driven approach: Work with regional governments to establish a coordinated strategy and strengthen our data system to ensure it is complete and sophisticated.
• Invest in prevention: Support those at risk of homelessness by ensuring access to job supports and stabilizing services.
• Evolve sheltering and build housing: Evolve our shelters to ensure we have safe beds to serve the diverse unhoused population. Build the housing needed to best support people exiting homelessness.
What should Denver leaders do to address the city’s lack of affordable housing?
We need housing solutions that benefit people across the income spectrum, particularly the “missing middle” who earn too much to qualify for most public assistance but struggle to make ends meet. My plans to ensure more housing – for rent and sale, market-rate and subsidized – include:
• Building more housing on underutilized, publicly owned land and rethinking and revitalizing downtown and surrounding neighborhoods by converting commercial space to residential.
• Increasing density on major transportation corridors and at transit stations and working with neighborhood groups to find appropriate approaches for their communities.
• Fundamentally restructuring how development is reviewed and regulated in Denver.
Do you support redevelopment at the Park Hill golf course property? Why or why not?
State law states that only a judge has the authority to lift a conservation easement. Remainder of candidate’s answer was not responsive to the question.
What should Denver leaders do to revitalize downtown Denver?
Making sure our residents and visitors feel safe is the first step toward revitalizing Downtown and it’ll be among my highest priorities. If employees and visitors don’t feel safe, stores don’t stay open and hotels close. Our entire region depends on a thriving downtown and my plan to end unsanctioned camping within my first year in office has been endorsed by four sitting metro area mayors. We will begin immediately working with property owners to convert some existing downtown office space to residential, and focus on retaining businesses and attracting new jobs and investments to restore the vibrancy of downtown.
What is Denver’s greatest public safety concern and what should be done about it?
I will take a comprehensive approach to community safety. My safety priorities include:
• Strengthening the Denver Police Department, so we can attract and retain more officers to the force, particularly women and people of color.
• Working with our public safety officials – leaders, officers, and staff – to create a stronger culture built around national best practices, transparency, and accountability.
• Increasing investment in civilian response units to ensure we provide appropriate resources (e.g. – mental health support) and free up officers to focus on true crime.
• Address crime prevention by investing in housing, health care, education, and economic development.
Should neighborhoods help absorb population growth through permissive zoning, or do you favor protections for single-family neighborhoods?
From a planning and zoning perspective, a “one size-fits-all” approach doesn’t work. If we are going to bring down the cost of housing, we need to promote smart density. Smart density has benefits: it reduces cost of living, improves water efficiency and air quality, promotes efficient transportation, creates economic opportunity, furthers social integration. And, there are many ways to achieve smart density – ADUs, duplexes, townhouses, condos. I will work with City Council and neighborhood groups to promote smart density in ways that make sense for each neighborhood so those who work in Denver can afford to make their home here.
Should the city’s policy of sweeping homeless encampments continue unchanged? Why or why not?
No. It is a tremendous waste of resources to move people down the block or around the corner. We need real solutions to ending homeless encampments. I will expand and evolve our shelter capacity and build more housing. While doing that, I’ll temporarily expand the use of sanctioned, supported camping. We must provide more humane and safer alternatives. If people refuse services and supports, I will use the legal authority to intervene to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the individual and the broader community. Unsheltered living in public spaces is not an acceptable option.
Should Denver change its snow plowing policy? Why or why not?
No. The current city policy is to clear side streets when the forecast calls for 6” or more of snow accumulation. That is reasonable and possible to implement. Unfortunately, earlier this winter, the city’s decision not to clear side streets was made based on an inaccurate forecast and then the temperatures remained below freezing for much of January, preventing melt-off. It was a frustrating situation – and for many people a costly one too – but plowing side streets every time it snows would not be financially responsible not to mention the challenge of having enough drivers.
What’s your vision for Denver in 20 years, and what would you do to help the city get there?
I see a city of promise: a place where all people have access to shelter and housing. Where we all feel safe and take pride in our neighborhoods. Where parents can age in the houses they raised their kids – and those kids can afford to buy homes and plant roots, too. A city with a world class education system and a set of strong civic and arts institutions that nurture community. A region working together to address transportation and climate change. I’ll work collaboratively – across sectors and with regional partners – with urgency and purpose to restore the promise of Denver.
How better can city officials protect Denver’s environment — air quality, water supply, ground contamination? And should the city take a more active role in transit?
I’ll make Denver a national and global leader on climate by capitalizing on recent federal funding and promoting policies that ensure communities most impacted by air and water pollution benefit from new investment. Priorities will include:
• Promoting housing density, particularly along transportation corridors and at transit sites, and supporting the conversion of vacant office space to housing.
• Supporting the education and training necessary to prepare Denver residents, particularly people of color, for green economy sector jobs.
• Fostering partnerships with RTD, DPS and DRCOG to reduce emissions from our publicly-owned fleets and promoting regional action on air quality and water conservation.
