Bill Ritter’s surprise withdrawal from November’s gubernatorial race has local political junkies focused on Colorado’s statehouse. By throwing his hat into the ring, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has made his ambitions clear. Even if he loses in November, he will still have to convince Denver voters that he deserves a third term.
Hickenlooper will take some flack for not resigning his mayoral post, but his decision is the right one. A special, winner-takes-all election is costly and serves no interest — other than for the candidate with the highest name identification. That’s no way to pick a mayor.
In the meantime, there are critical issues for the voters of Denver and mayoral wannabes to consider:
1. Denver’s historic revenue base — sales and use tax — will remain vulnerable as consumers retrench, growth lags and development patterns change.
The catalyst for development has been a combination of factors: demographic (empty nesters moving back to the city), luck and political purpose (the closing and successful redevelopment of Lowry and Stapleton Airport); and, most important, public investment. For the past 20 years, voters have supported civic infrastructure — baseball fields, the convention center, libraries, museums and park expansion.
Will future Denver voters have an appetite for substantial civic investment? Are there new and more efficient tools to support the public/private partnerships that characterized the transformational investments of previous decades?
2. Structural changes in Denver’s revenue model will trigger changes in expenditures, requiring a hard look at privatization, new partnerships and new models for service delivery. Personnel costs eat nearly 80 percent of Denver’s general fund budget. The tension between privatization, innovation and garnering the support of public employees by protecting the status quo will challenge mayoral candidates.
3. Just like the country, Denver has become more polarized. The chasm between rich and poor is greater. The gentrification of several older neighborhoods has often pitted equity of services with market-based decision-making. What is the right balance between the growing disequilibrium between inefficient, under-utilized recreation centers, libraries and schools and the public amenities of newer and wealthier neighborhoods?
4. Denver Public Schools is moribund. Despite decades of substantial taxpayer investment, dismal student test scores, high dropout rates and fractious leadership persist. The district’s governance structure is obsolete and lacks accountability. Radical systemic change is needed and the next mayor must have the courage and focus to evaluate what Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York have done: mayoral control of the district.
5. Hickenlooper excels at advancing regional cooperation. Future economic conditions will require more partnerships and shared revenue models. The next mayor must have the disposition and the chops to play well with others without abdicating leadership, and address transportation, revenue sharing and service delivery.
For Denver to be economically and physically sustainable, the next mayor must be innovative, capable of critical thinking and listening and possess an ability to attract and work with a strong team of proven professionals. Political hacks, pander bears and self-important narcissists need not apply.
Susan Barnes-Gelt (sbg13@comcast.net) served on the Denver City Council and worked for Mayor Federico Peña.
