Change is Coming to Denver

Although Michael Hancock’s substantial victory Tuesday night secures his final term as mayor, he will deal with a city council full of new community activists, much more skeptical of the growth than the incumbents they replaced. All three incumbents forced into the May 7 runoff lost and their replacements were strongly hostile to the developer culture that they believe controls City Hall.

Denver is a strong mayoral system of government, with control over appointments, the budget and a high threshold of votes needed for a veto. But, councilpersons with agendas and constituencies can have considerable influence. The Mayor’s lobbyist and the business and development community will play more defense then they have had to for the last several years.

No doubt, the Mayor and his allies will adapt, but change is coming. As I said in a Denver Post article to John Aguilar:

“From the swearing-in on, there’s going to be a new tone with these members,” political analyst Floyd Ciruli said.

Read The Buzz: Denver Council Incumbents Dealing With Growth in Runoff