Most candidates remaining in the 16 person field took part in the Denver Gazette's Mayoral Forum today, March 22. During one segment, moderators asked candidates their approval for certain policy measures in a rapid fire round. Interestingly, only two candidates emphatically approve of the job Mayor Hancock is doing in office, while the vast majority disapprove or took issue with specific policies of Hancock's administration.
In one of the last forums before election day, some of Denver's mayoral candidates sharply diverged on their approach to the city's most pressing issues, notably over homelessness, with a few arguing against "decriminalization" and others saying the laws are too lenient.
The forum, sponsored by the Denver Gazette, took place at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. At times it took on a somber tone, particularly as news spread of a shooting that wounded two deans in a Denver high school.
Indeed, the crime wave gripping Denver permeated the conversation.
At-large Councilmember Debbie Ortega said she has a very specific mission if elected as mayor: "I want to get the guns out of our streets."
"We just had another shooting this morning at East High School," Ortega said.
Many of the candidates also said they have been victims of property crime, notably car theft.
Denver is among the worst American cities when it comes to car theft. Last year, 13,000 cars stolen were stolen in the city - up from 11,000 the previous year.
Andy Rougeot blamed the crime spike on policy coming out of the state Capitol, particularly a law that reduced the penalties for stealing cars under a certain value.
Ortega agreed, saying the decriminalization has "opened the floodgates" to crime.
While many of the candidates agree that a tougher stance on crime is warranted, one candidate wants to view crime through a different lens.
James Walsh, a professor at the University of Colorado at Denver, insisted that more policing doesn't lead to more safety.
"Safety is the presence of economic and social justice. The spike in crime that we're seeing is because of economic desperation," he said, highlighting a report from a task force that seeks to "reimagine" policing. "So, if we had more economic justice in society, if people have access to more resources, we would not see this happening."
State Sen. Chris Hansen pushed back against the notion, saying many car thefts and other crimes are perpetuated by "organized criminal elements," not the result of economic desperation. He said organized crime rings have taken advantage of major staffing shortages at both DPD and the Denver Sheriff's Department.
These shortages — 200 police officers and 300 sheriff's deputies — mean the city struggles to enforce its laws.
"I'm going to concentrate heavily on rebuilding our public safety department," Hansen said. "We need to rebuild the officer corps on both the sheriff's side and the DPD side. That means having a mayor who's going to help recruit (and) is going to get a diverse pool of new candidates to come into the department and help retain the ones we have now."
Terrance Roberts also balked at the idea of increasing penalties for car theft, saying a young person who stole a vehicle for the first time should not face felony charges.
Define housing 'affordability'
While they sharply diverged on how to approach crime, some candidates agreed on solutions to Denver's woes, particularly in the area of housing.
"What we need is more affordable housing and we have to define affordable," Aurelio Martinez said. "We have to focus on housing that's going to house the people that live in Denver, the people that work in Denver and the people who want to come back to Denver."
Affordable housing refers to units or shelter that does not cost any more than 30% of a household's monthly income, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Martinez said "affordable" in Denver means an individual making six figures may qualify for an income restricted unit, while a family making $50,000 is left behind.
The Denver Housing Authority uses a matrix of family size and area mean income (AMI) to create affordable housing income and rent limits. For example, for an area with a 50% AMI restriction, a family of three may make no more than $52,750 per year to qualify for housing. In that same range, a three-bedroom housing unit may cost a maximum of $1,523 per month. The median household income in Denver stood at $78,177 between 2017 and 2021, according to U.S. Census data.
Mike Johnston, who earlier unveiled a strategy to end homelessness in his first term as Denver mayor, said he is committed to building or converting 25,000 permanently affordable housing units within eight years.
"We'd pay for it using the $50 million per year that Proposition 123 allocates to these units," he said. "This provides the funding for those units and the capacity for those units to stay affordable because they have that public financing to reduce the cost."
Proposition 123, which voters passed last November, created the State Affordable Housing Fund and dedicated 0.1% of state income tax revenue for housing programs statewide.
The $254 million question
Despite spending $152 million on homelessness in 2022 and authorizing $254 million on the problem in 2023, Denver has struggled to address it.
The 2021 point in time count, which tallies the total number of Denverites living on the streets, identified 3,752 homeless people in Denver shelters. The city, using this data, estimates there were more than 5,000 homeless people in Denver on any given day last year. Not all of them find their way to shelters, opting instead to erect tents and camp on city sidewalks.
The city imposed an urban camping ban in 2012, whose enforcement remains controversial.
Some of the candidates said the homeless swept up in the camping ban are just being moved elsewhere, while the core problem persists, leading to a constant cycle of sweeps and citations.
"When encampments pose a public health or public safety concern ... we sweep them across the street, down the block or to the next neighborhood," Kelly Brough said. "We don't improve the living conditions for anyone. So, we have to stop sweeping people and we have to move people to safer locations."
Brough said she would immediately sanction safe outdoor sites to give people an alternative to camping, while the city builds housing and other long-term options. She said her plan has received regional support, including from several metro area mayors. The mayor of Wheat Ridge, Bud Starker, who backs her campaign, specifically called attention to her "data-driven and collaborative" approach.
Similarly, Robert Treta wants to erect a temporary site with 7,000 available units using 17,000 acres near Denver International Airport.
This may be difficult, as the FAA needs to approve any housing near the airport and the idea would need the buy-in of Adams County, according to Debbie Ortega.
Andy Rougeot, the sole registered Republican in the nonpartisan mayoral race, disagrees with any solution that provides a "single unit for somebody" solution.
"If someone is dealing with a severe mental health or a drug addiction issue, we are not helping that person by putting them behind a locked door," he said. "If you overdose behind a locked door, you're going to die."
He added: "I do not think it is a solution to put somebody in a safe camping site."
Denver has more than enough shelter beds to enforce the camping ban, Rougeot maintained, saying service providers, such as Step Denver, which helps men end their cycle of addiction, has "tons of capacity."
Ortega said many of the shelter beds Rougeot is talking about are funded with federal dollars, in particular from the American Rescue Plan Act, which will be "going away."
"This is why I want to help move people to self sufficiency by helping them get employed. We've been housing people in our motels and our 24/7 shelters for two years," she said. "We need to help connect them to our workforce division that has relationships with employers who are re-skilling and up-skilling individuals, ensuring we don't wait until the end and then just tell everybody they have to leave."
Economic outlook: Bleak or bright?
With downtown Denver, notably the 16th Street Mall, facing crime and homelessness, the candidates offered ways they would persuade business CEOs to move the city.
Some candidates, such as Al Gardner and James Walsh, said they would highlight the Denver residents' level of education. Gardner noted that Denver is among the cities with the highest levels of education among residents.
More than 50% of Denverites hold a bachelor's degree or higher, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Additionally, 90% hold a high school diploma.
But education isn't all that can help Denver stand out, Gardner said.
"There are a lot of great things around the city of Denver that you can point to, such as quality of life and future growth," he said. "Denver is one of the healthiest cities in the United States, and with the universities that surround the city, there are a lot of things that we can point to."
Not everything in the business world is rosy, however, according to some candidates.
Ortega noted what she called "regulatory gridlock," which makes opening a new business in Denver very difficult. Treta said businesses consider the cost of living in their decisions to locate or expand, regardless of how good the quality of life may be.
Rougeot, Brough and Ortega highlighted Denver International Airport, the third busiest airport in the nation, as an economic driver. Rougeot said Denver has a "pioneer spirit." Brough added she'd work hand in hand with businesses, CEOs and workers to make sure all three can thrive in Denver.
"There is not a mayor in this nation who is going to be more committed to your success than the one you have sitting right here," she said.
Ean Tafoya on the other hand, wants a resident-focused approach from city hall, suggesting businesses must also have something to offer to Denverites.
"If we're going to talk about coming to Denver, I'm going to say, 'What are you planning on contributing?'" he said. "'If you're unwilling to be a partner, and instead all you're saying is 'what tax incentives are you going to give me,' then I don't think Denver is the right city for you."
