Even though he wears only a size 10, Michael Bennet’s beat-up wingtips are going to be hard to fill.
The chief of staff for Mayor John Hickenlooper is taking the reins of Denver Public Schools later this month.
Bennet, who has been called everything from the smartest guy in the room to the man behind the curtain, is slated to leave by the end of July.
“Michael is a supremely competent guy. He and the mayor seem to have a personal simpatico and an intuitive trust,” said political analyst Eric Sondermann. “The trick to replacing him is finding someone the mayor has a personal rapport with but who can also get the job done.”
The city also may be looking to replace Bennet’s deputy, Sarah Kendall.
“She will be helping me out on the transition,” Bennet said Wednesday, declining to say if her departure from the city would be permanent.
The departure of one or both could leave a large gap in the city’s brain trust. Among other things, Bennet has been credited with reforming the city workers’ pay system, which helped balance the budget, and negotiating a critical gate-access deal between major airlines at Denver International Airport.
The mayor has said he is “absolutely” willing to look outside both his Cabinet and the state to find a new chief of staff, but some political observers said that opening the search to a competitive process would be unusual at this midpoint of Hickenlooper’s term.
“They need someone who they already have a relationship with,” said Denver pollster Floyd Ciruli. “They don’t have a lot of time. They need to be up and running quickly because they have a million irons in the fire.”
For instance, a significant budget deficit looms, and the mayor’s budget is due in September. Additionally, the mayor is expected to take a visible role in helping pass the Professional Compensation System for Teachers, which goes to voters in November.
Hickenlooper’s office, however, insists there is no hurry in naming Bennet’s replacement.
“By the time Michael leaves, we will have a clear timeline in place as well as a transition team in place,” said spokeswoman Lindy Eichenbaum Lent.
And because of the many qualified staffers on the mayor’s team, Lent said, the administration has “the luxury to take three months if we want to find the right person.”
Staff writer Karen Crummy can be reached at 303-820-1594 or kcrummy@denverpost.com.
