Denver Votes: On The Campaign Trail
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Integration, A Great Tree Canopy And 4th Of July Parade: Here’s What Inspires Mayoral Candidates About Park Hill
What does Park Hill have that the rest of the city of Denver should have too?
Last month 10 of the 17 candidates running for mayor of Denver answered questions ranging from the best thing about Denver to their biggest frustration with city hall — and why they should be the one voters pick to be in charge.
This month we asked them to describe what inspires them about Park Hill. Our neighborhood has a rich history of a generally feisty citizenry that has over the years successfully fought for equality and integration, as well as school desegregation and forcing the closure of Stapleton International Airport in the 1990s.
Several candidates submitted their own favorite historical facts about Park Hill, and their favorite anecdotes about campaigning in the neighborhood. (Note: All candidates were invited to participate; the following submitted responses by the newspaper deadline.)
Our February mayoral candidate Q&As can be read at this link: greaterparkhill.org/news-and-opinion/denver-at-a-crossroads/.
Kelly Brough
KellyBrough.com
What does Park Hill have that the rest of the city of Denver could benefit by having and/or replicating? Why? (This can be a tangible or intangible asset.)
There are several “destination assets” – parks, schools, faith institutions, cultural facilities, restaurants, and small businesses – in Park Hill that attract people from all parts of Denver. My connection to Park Hill started when my daughter enrolled at Denver School of the Arts (DSA). We spent six years of her life there as a family, attending performances, poetry readings and art shows. Park Hill is fortunate to have many such places that attract people from across the city, adding vitality, vibrancy and driving economic activity.
Describe your best campaign moment so far in Park Hill (be specific about where you were and why it was meaningful).
In the early days of the campaign, we met with a group of Park Hill neighbors at Cake Crumbs. As a first-time candidate, I was learning to introduce myself and how to both listen and learn from community, while also sharing my vision for Denver. Park Hill neighbors were warm and welcoming, direct and honest and willing to engage in meaningful conversation in a respectful and constructive way.
What is your favorite historical fact about Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood?
In 1964 Dr. Martin Luther King preached at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church. At the time, Park Hill was considered a national model community for racial integration. I respect that the neighborhood has continued to struggle and strive for integration, equity and racial justice.
Debbie Ortega
DebbieOrtega.com
What does Park Hill have that the rest of the city of Denver could benefit by having and/or replicating? Why?
Park Hill is a wonderful place to live with a rich cultural history. One aspect of the neighborhood that should be replicated across Denver is its large-scale events, such as the Park Hill Parade for Fourth of July and the Park Hill Arts Festival. These events bring community members together while activating the neighborhood, leading to safer streets and a true sense of pride in its residents.
Describe your best campaign moment so far in Park Hill.
At the start of the campaign, I attended a Rosh Hashanah dinner at my staff member’s home in North Park Hill. It was a special opportunity to take part in the traditions and celebration of the joyous Jewish New Year while making meaningful connections and memories with several neighbors and friends.
What is your favorite historical fact about Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood?
Several Colorado leaders were raised in Park Hill, including former Secretary of State of Colorado Victoria Buckley and Mary Mullarkey, the first female Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice.
Chris Hansen
ChrisForDenverMayor.com
What does Park Hill have that the rest of the city of Denver could benefit by having and/or replicating? Why?
I love riding bikes with my family down the beautiful tree-lined streets of Park Hill to drop my son off at McAuliffe International School. I think the rest of the city would benefit from planting more trees and managing traffic better to ensure there are safe streets for cyclists of all ages, like we enjoy in Park Hill.
Describe your best campaign moment so far in Park Hill.
On Jan. 4, we had a great campaign event hosted by Eileen and Bill McCarron in Park Hill. I’ve worked with Eileen for years on reducing gun violence and I was so proud to earn her support in this campaign for mayor.
What is your favorite historical fact about Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood?
My favorite historical fact about Park Hill is that 17th Avenue Parkway was designed by Fredrick Law Olmsted, Jr., whose father is regarded as the founder of American landscape architecture and is best known for designing the grounds of New York City’s Central Park, the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Mike Johnston
MikeJohnstonForMayor.com
What does Park Hill have that the rest of the city of Denver could benefit by having and/or replicating? Why?
I had the opportunity to spend 10 years representing Park Hill in the state senate, had an office in Park Hill on Holly, and know just how vibrant and unique this neighborhood is. I think one of Park Hill’s greatest strengths is its rich diversity and culture.
Describe your best campaign moment so far in Park Hill.
My best campaign moment in Park Hill so far was walking through the 28th and Fairfax neighborhood with Marcus Pope, the owner of House of Hair, and talking with small business owners in the neighborhood. It was a great opportunity to learn about how we blend the historic Park Hill with new development while creating walkable, community-based retail where all Park Hill residents can gather.
What is your favorite historical fact about Park Hill?
Park Hill was one of the first integrated neighborhoods in Denver, and continues to fight to preserve that balance. Rachel Noel was one of my early mentors when I first began my career as a school principal. The desegregation of Denver Public Schools started with Park Hill, when Rachel Noel was elected to the school board and introduced the “Noel Resolution” which called for public schools to provide equal educational opportunity for all children, and eventually led all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court with the Keyes case that pushed for court-enforced desegregation even in western states like Colorado.
Leslie Herod
LeslieForMayor.com
What does Park Hill have that the rest of the city of Denver could benefit by having and/or replicating? Why?
Park Hill has been my home for many years and I love it here! It’s like a small town in a big city. My favorite time of the day is walking my dog Clinton and saying hi to neighbors at Honey Hill Cafe. But hands down the best part of Park Hill is its neighbors. Whether it’s helping to shovel a neighbor’s sidewalks or making a multi-family grocery run to Spinellis, our Park Hill neighbors are one of a kind. I know many neighborhoods around Denver have this same “hometown” feel. We have to preserve that and make it stronger again.
Describe your best campaign moment so far in Park Hill.
The annual Park Hill July 4th Parade has always been a memorable time with neighbors and friends. In my first run for the statehouse, we walked the parade route after winning the Democratic primary election. I really felt then that I could lead and represent this community that I love so much because of the support of everyone around me.
What is your favorite historical fact about Park Hill?
In the 1960s, Park Hill residents Helen Wolcott & Anna Jo Haynes brought the community together to talk through race relations and work in tandem to create solutions. Together, they picketed segregated institutions, and fought for fair housing and desegregation in DPS. Today, Haynes’ grandson, Max, is a member of my campaign.
Ean Thomas Tafoya
EanTafoya.com
What does Park Hill have that the rest of the city of Denver could benefit by having and/or replicating? Why?
Park Hill is a fantastic neighborhood. What stands out to me and friends who live there is the sense of strong community, especially between working people who have successfully resisted gentrification and cared for one another. Park Hill is famous for its old growth trees and friendly design, including walkable small businesses, bike lanes and bus lines. I used to ride the No. 20 to my first job at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Describe your best campaign moment so far in Park Hill.
I loved participating in the Park Hill Parade on the 4th of July last year! It was such a joy to march and ride our bikes through the neighborhood and connect with people.
What is your favorite historical fact about Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood?
Park Hill is a diverse community of working families that exemplified resilience and the determination to thrive. The neighborhood’s history of community events is incredible. Another fun fact is that it was once called a streetcar suburb, thanks to the streetcar that used to run through it and today lies underneath our roads. It was called a place to escape the busy-ness of city life, and if you walk there now you feel the same way.
Trinidad Rodriguez
Trinidad4Denver.com
What does Park Hill have that the rest of the city of Denver could benefit by having and/or replicating? Why?
Park Hill has a very high rate of owner-occupied housing units in a diverse housing stock, affording it conditions to be a stable community for families and generational wealth building. The diversity of the residents makes greater Park Hill a feeder for schools, churches and we know that homeownership can support the fabric of community: neighbors who know each other; support for local small business; and culture and traditions (4th of July parade, Halloween, etc). The highly-engaged community is a boon to Denver, and is a model the city can learn from for how the city supports neighborhoods.
Describe your best campaign moment so far in Park Hill.
On Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day, I met an incredibly special person at the Park Hill Golf Course Clubhouse for the Colorado Black Roundtable meeting. She is a Black physician, unsung hero and true servant of people who are medically underserved. She practiced at Denver Health for a long career. She told me about being a difficult colleague, challenging her leaders about different and better ways. Her recounting honored both her Denver Health managers who fostered her leadership and resolved practices with better information by someone who truly sees her patients. Even though she now lives in Aurora, she represents the people of Denver who have inspired me to run for mayor and build my vision for this city.
Thomas Wolf
wolfdenvermayor.com
What is the best thing about Denver in five words or less?
Climate, eclectic, active, majestic, oasis.
List any previous public service positions that you’ve held (feel free to include elected and appointed positions).
I was appointed to the maintenance district for a portion of Larimer Street where I owned commercial property.
Identify the top three issues you want to tackle — in order of priority — if you are elected mayor.
Encampments, encampments, encampments. Encampments are our root problem and require our tough love. Encampments are destroying Denver physically, mentally, and financially. If you have seen, smelled, or heard an encampment, I am sure you can quickly join me in acknowledging this as a humanitarian crisis. Shelter is the answer, provided by your city on its land and within its surplus buildings. To not shelter Denver’s neediest is inhumane and inexcusable.
What is your biggest frustration about Denver’s municipal government right now?
Over three years and counting, into the humanitarian crisis that is encampments, and it has not been confronted and controlled. Due to absentee incompetent leadership, this crisis is now compounding and eroding our urban commercial property values and the rule of law.
What is your position on the city and Westside Investment Partners’ plan to develop the Park Hill Golf Course property?
I am pro parks, pro green space, pro transit-oriented development, and pro affordable housing woven into the fabric of all appropriate neighborhoods, and this project seems to offer all of the above. But clearly the devil is always in the details of execution and enforcement, and citizens are rightfully concerned with their city’s ability to uphold this responsibility. If the development delivers and maintains a 100-acre public park in perpetuity, at no cost to the city, that seems like an attractive deal versus the city bearing the expense of repurchasing the land, getting the easement changed, building the park, and maintaining it. I look forward to being your mayor and carrying out the voters’ decision either way.
On April 4, will you personally vote to lift the city-owned conservation easement on the Park Hill Golf Course property?
Yes.
Aurelio Martinez
amfdm.com
What is the best thing about Denver in five words or less?
The weather, all four seasons.
List any previous public service positions that you’ve held (feel free to include elected and appointed positions).
None.
Identify the top three issues you want to tackle — in order of priority — if you are elected mayor:
Housing, gentrification, crime, residents in control of their neighborhood.
What is your biggest frustration about Denver’s municipal government right now?
Lack of listening to residents needs.
What is your position on the city and Westside Investment Partners’ plan to develop the Park Hill Golf Course property?
Against.
On April 4, will you personally vote to lift the city-owned conservation easement on the Park Hill Golf Course property?
No.
Campaign Cash
This is the first year that voter-approved Fair Election Funding has kicked into gear in Denver. The FEF provides a 9-1 match in public financing for candidates who agree to fundraising limitations and to participate in public debates.
The following is how much each candidate has raised as of Jan. 31 — a star next to their name indicates those who are participating in the FEF this year. For updated numbers, check out the Clerk & Recorder’s new handy search engine at denver.maplight.com/public/. The site allows you to easily research the names of people who have contributed to individual candidates and committees.
