Denver Votes: It’s Showtime!
Mayoral And Council Candidates Hit The Campaign Trail. Voters, Get Ready For The April 4 Election
By Cara DeGette
Editor, GPHN
An ongoing crisis of homelessness. Spiking crime. A city that is increasingly unaffordable for families and the middle class to live and thrive.
On the campaign trail, these have been the buzzwords describing a nagging malaise that seems to have settled over the Mile High City. Add to that the perception that developers and lobbyists and other special interests are running amok at city hall, while neighborhoods and the regular people who live in them have been left to languish.
In February Michael B. Hancock and a cadre of his top appointees took what might be the mayor’s final junket — a trip to Egypt and Ethiopia partially funded by taxpayers — before getting ready to call it a wrap after 12 years in that office.
Meanwhile, the 17 candidates who are vying to replace Hancock have hit the debate circuit in earnest, unveiling various plans to fix what is ailing us. Some advocate a tough-love approach, while others are more pragmatic. All of them agree that Denver’s government is in serious need of an overhaul.
This election season, Denver’s 13-member city council is also in the spotlight. Many current members are term-limited — including the two at-large representatives and the councilman who currently represents Park Hill.
And on the April 4 ballot — again — is the future of the Park Hill Golf Course. Only a little more than a year ago Denver voters resoundingly supported a measure to protect green space in general, and specifically the conservation easement on the property. Despite that vote, Westside Investment Partners, assisted by the Hancock administration, has continued its push for a high-density development project there.
This year Westside is sponsoring a campaign — 2 O on the ballot — to convince voters to remove the easement and clear the path for development. (A majority of the current city council approved a rezoning of the property in January. That decision is now being challenged in court.)
Related Stories Here:
• Lawsuit Alleges City Acted Illegally In Park Hill Golf Course Vote
• Greater Park Hill Community, Inc. Votes To Oppose Developer-Sponsored 2 O
• Mayoral Hopefuls: What Park Hill Has That Should Be Copied Citywide
• At-Large Council Candidates Make Their Cases To The Voters