The two candidates vying to represent west Denver on the City Council are both anchoring their campaigns on change.
District 3 is home to some of Denver’s poorest neighborhoods.
Disputes over scrape-offs, where old houses are bought just to raze and build new ones, that permeate the rest of the city would be welcomed in the district. Graffiti, crime and houses abandoned by foreclosures mark the area. No one seems interested in buying properties.
But both JoAnn Phillips and Paul Lopez hope to help the neighborhoods turn around.
The two candidates are in a runoff for the District 3 seat after receiving the most votes in a seven-person race in the May 1 general election. The runoff election culminates Tuesday.
“There’s a lot of folks that want to see change,” Lopez said. The graffiti “has gotten to the point where it gets painted over and it’s back the next day.”
Lopez said the next council member needs to steer more city services west.
“We’re poor; not stupid,” he said, referencing a feeling among residents that the community is overlooked by the city.
JoAnn Phillips said she has seen the graffiti in the neighborhood worsen since her campaign began. “It’s all over the place,” she said. “That is the biggest issue for everybody.”
Phillips said she wants to be an advocate for District 3 on the council.
She said she plans on being steadfast in saying “this is what my community wants, and this is what I’m going to fight for.”
While they agree on the problems facing the district, Phillips and Lopez have tried to set themselves apart in their approach.
Phillips is touting her experience in the district.
“I know the district,” she said. “I was a council aide (to former Councilwoman Ramona Martinez), so I worked in the district. I worked on the issues that interest them.”
Her campaign has also drawn attention to questions about whether Lopez met residency requirements to run in the district. Phillips’ campaign manager, Alfonso Suazo, last week asked the Denver Election Commission to examine whether Lopez was a resident of the district since last May, as the rules require.
Phillips referred questions about Lopez to Suazo on Tuesday, saying she is focusing on her campaign.
Lopez has dismissed those claims, saying he was born and raised in the district. “I think it is a desperate attempt to erode the support I have,” said Lopez, who won 45 percent of the vote in the general election.
He said he has tried to build on his experience as a community organizer for his campaign.
“It’s not about just this campaign,” he said. “It’s about the future. … It’s about plugging residents in, educating them about how we can make changes.”
Mail ballots have already been sent to voters in the district. Ballots must be returned to the Election Commission by the end of the day Tuesday.
Staff writer George Merritt can be reached at 303-954-1657 or gmerritt@denverpost.com.
Ballot drop-off sites
These locations will be open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today through Friday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday; and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday:
Denver Election Commission headquarters, 303 W. Colfax Ave., will also be open for ballot drop-off 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today through Friday; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday; and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday.
