On May 7, ballots are due, and Denverites will vote for mayor, clerk and recorder, councilmember at-large and on two ballot initiatives. The candidate for auditor and the candidate for councilmember for District 6 (the city district encompassing DU and University Park) are running uncontested.
In roughly a week, two councilmembers at-large will be elected from a group of six candidates. When elected, they will join the 13-member Denver City Council. Eleven of those councilmembers represent specific Denver districts, and the two councilmembers at-large represent the entire city. They share power over the city with the mayor, who will also be decided on May 7. They make Denver laws, allocate the budget and administer investigations into the city.
Debbie Ortega is an experienced city councilmember, with more than two decades of experience. She, like almost every other candidate this year, wants to tackle homelessness and housing affordability. Her platform priorities economic strength with “sound fiscal policies” and strong jobs. She is one of the incumbents.
The other incumbent, Robin Kniech, has spent the last eight years with the City Council trying to help marginalized communities. She has made significant efforts for a higher minimum wage and addressed Trump policies regarding immigration. She too emphasizes a better economy that helps those with less income. She also priorities keeping Denver green and sustainable.
Tony Pigford is running on a platform that emphasizes the need of a large, diverse Denver community that has been neglected in favor for a few elite. He ran in response to the ink! Coffee scandal. He opposes gentrification and the construction of new roads that would destroy inhabited neighborhoods. He has many of the same priorities as the other candidates, such as affordable housing and a strong, green economy, but he puts more of an emphasis on the civil rights on black and brown people in Denver.
Jesse Paris has been very active in Denver City Council as a constituent, as a member of Denver Homeless Out Loud. He attends many meetings, lobbying for the rights of the poor and homeless in Denver. He wants to create laws that help the Deverites stricken by poverty, having experienced it himself. He bemoans the wealth gap of Denver and hopes to change it.
Johnny Hayes is a self-described “civil rights activist, actor, artist, musician, volunteer and advocate for children & the deaf community.” He says that he wants to help give voice to Denverites who have previously been barred from politics.
Lynne Langdon is a resident of Cherry Creek and has previously worked in real estate. She does not have a specific platform but wants to improve on what she likes about Denver. She opposes safe injection sites and supports the urban camping ban.
