Who and what will drive the city’s 2019 elections

Mail ballots go out Monday, April 15, for Denver’s 2019 municipal election.

It’s a major event, since many voters want a turning point for the city, in terms of who becomes mayor and who goes on Denver’s City Council.  And more.

What do I want?  Change. Less development. More transit. Less gentrification. More affordable housing, including for homeless citizens. Better design guidelines and overlays, and smarter zoning. Less fractured planning. More input from the neighborhoods that have made Denver strong.

That list could go on and on, but to make a change means you have to vote.

The election is May 7, with a back-up run-off election in June. There are six mayoral candidates on the ballot, and numerous races that involve a lot of potential city council members, the auditor, the clerk and recorder, and two ballot initiatives. Initiative 300 – the Right to Survive – has stirred up a lot of discussion, but not as much on Initiative 301, which would decriminalize psychedelic psilocybin mushrooms.

Most of this post is links to stories.

• The first one is an eye-opener about three lobbying firms that have relationships with the mayor and the city government. Ben Markus of Colorado Public Radio did major reporting on a story you can’t stop reading.

https://www.cpr.org/news/story/denvers-big-3-lobbyists-have-deep-relationships-with-city-government-and-mayor-michael?mc_cid=177a4cb870&mc_eid=41cc6690bf

• Denverite has been in the trenches covering the upcoming election, and today has a link to its Denver election guide, with access to earlier coverage. It’s huge.

https://denverite.com/2019/04/11/2019-denver-election-guide-what-you-need-to-know-to-vote-for-mayor-city-council-and-more/?mc_cid=177a4cb870&mc_eid=41cc6690bf

• This week, The Denver Post has been profiling mayoral candidates, and as of today, four in the race have made the front page. That leaves two more, and I’m hoping they also get that space.

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/04/11/penfield-tate-denver-mayor-race/

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/04/10/michael-hancock-denver-mayor-race/

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/04/09/jamie-giellis-denver-mayor-race/

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/04/08/lisa-calderon-denver-mayor-race/

• Colorado Politics recently has beefed up its Denver coverage, and has brought on board two experienced reporters — smart move. The links lead to stories that involve Initiative 300.

https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/neil-westergaard-pro-tactics-in-denver-are-pure-political-thuggery/article_82c38f98-559c-11e9-bce3-a79f0b36a5bf.html

https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/cover-story-debate-over-denver-s-streets-as-homelessness-grips/article_25857eac-4f1d-11e9-906e-ef2f329a6df2.html?fbclid=IwAR0N9z1VQBVg1wc-fXox_8fxokyswD03SZTIEo_tPDPirnAFjrHbPLFQAiU

• Denver Decides is organized by the League of Women Voters of Denver, Inter-Neighborhood Cooperation (INC), Historic Denver, and Denver 8 TV.

Denver Decides recently has sponsored numerous candidate forums that can be viewed on Denver 8 TV or accessed via http://www.denverdecides.org.  Their final forum will be held live for mayoral candidates and District 3 candidates, at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in Sandos Hall of SWIC, 1000 S. Lowell Boulevard.  The monthly INC meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. This forum also may be viewed later on Denver Decides via YouTube.

• But wait, there’s more: Yes, there are upcoming forums, but Denver’s Mayoralpalooza Anti-Forum seems to be taking a different tack. It’s at 6:30 p.m. on Monday at the Sie Center Denver. Reservations are required.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/denvers-mayoralpalooza-anti-forum-tickets-57034995206