After a handful of early stumbles, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has pushed hard in his first 100 days to deliver on the bulk of a blueprint he originally put forward on the campaign trail.
Most of the stumbles — paying staff $1 million more than his predecessor did, having aides talk about a desire to build the mayor’s national profile, and his choice of retreat location — were largely of the public-relations variety.
When it comes to substance, Hancock deserves credit for tirelessly touring the city in order to reach out to voters, businesses and employees. All totaled, the mayor told us, he has held more than 130 community events and meetings.
Hancock also delivered a balanced budget, started his Denver Education Compact to work with Denver Public Schools officials on reforms, and revamped the city’s Office of Economic Development with the help of experienced hands from both the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. and the Aurora Economic Development Council.
And he has landed prominent and proven public servants who will serve Denver well, including former Supreme Court justice Alex Martinez as public safety manager, former state Treasurer Cary Kennedy as chief financial officer and Denver Public Schools board member Theresa Peà a for his schools compact.
But Hancock also knows that tougher tasks lie ahead.
Undone but not unimportant are at least three significant near-term challenges: naming a new police chief and working with that person to restore public trust in the police department; acting on recommendations from a fiscal stability task force that, at this early stage, seem heavy on increased taxes and fees; and balancing various interests while weighing in on a proposed move of the National Western Stock Show.
And those are just the issues we know about.
Hancock’s 100-day tenure has included several surprises, including the abrupt departure of famed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava from the Denver International Airport south terminal expansion; working with the governor, State Patrol and Denver police to oust the Occupy Denver protesters from Lincoln Park; and a boom in people sleeping outside on the 16th Street Mall and downtown that has led some to call for an ordinance to address the issue, which Hancock said he supports.
Hancock’s leadership in each of those instances has largely been even-handed and thoughtful. Those traits will serve him well in coming months as he takes on tougher issues.
Even though he’d served previously on the City Council, Hancock acknowledged last week that he’s been learning on the job.
“Once you get into that car and start driving it, it’s different from always being the passenger,” he told us. “Now, after driving this automobile for a bit, I understand it more.”
We look forward to seeing where he drives Denver moving forward.
