The most interesting moments of a joint DPTV interview of the Denver runoff candidates for the City Council’s District 11 seat this week came when each addressed issues they’d face if they win the June 2 election.
Denver City Council District 11 for the 2015 election, including Denver International Airport (not shown).
Sean Bradley said during the “On the Spot,” The Denver Post’s political show, that he had made a decision about whether he’d stay on as the new president and CEO of the Urban League of Metro Denver — but he would not reveal the answer. He said it’s between him and the organization’s board as part of a “transitional process” they have worked out.
“The decision has been made,” Bradley said. “And itap not between The Denver Post and the Urban League. Itap between Sean Bradley and the Urban League.”
Stacie Gilmore, his opponent, addressed several questions about potential conflicts of interest she would have to navigate, saying she would abide by ethical boundaries and abstain from votes if needed. Her husband, Scott, is a deputy parks director for the city, a mayoral appointee. (That was the subject of .)
Watch the full interview of the far-northeast district’s candidates above or . (You also can .)
Bradley, pressed about his plans at the Urban League, explained what he meant by calling his agreement with the organization’s board a “transitional process”: “It means that our board, and Sean Bradley, as CEO, have an agreement on what that is going to look like on June 2 (and) whether or not we stay at the Urban League, or not. It is a transitional process and itap a human resources deal.”
The Urban League affiliate has face a couple lean years and management troubles. Bradley says ensuring the group regains its fundraising strength is a passion of his.
He is running for a council job that is considered full time and will pay a $87,623 salary starting in July. But council members are not barred from working other jobs. Bradley said after the interview that his Urban League salary is set at $72,000, but he voluntarily is accepting less than that as the organization regains its footing.
Asked if voters should know if he plans to work another job, Bradley said: “I think our constituents are smart enough to make their own decisions.”
Part of his job is to raise money for the Urban League, but he said the group has no current city contracts, so “there are no conflicts of interest” if he were to stay on.
He pointed out that some city council members in other cities also lead Urban League branches. He cited one in Tacoma, Wash., a city where council members work part-time.
On to Gilmore: She has said she would abide by advice she plans to seek from the Denver Board of Ethics if she wins. She plans to resign from her job as executive director of Environmental Learning for Kids, a Montbello education nonprofit she and her husband founded that has obtained city grants, which critics say poses another conflict. Her ELK job pays $69,274 a year.
But could voters trust her independence on the council?
“You know, I stand on my 20 years of professional work,” Stacie Gilmore said, “as having a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology, having my master’s in nonprofit management, (and having) 20 years of managing foundation and government grants with integrity, and making sure there’s transparency.”
She added later: “I think this is a great opportunity for a professional woman, (and) a professional couple, to chart this uncharted territory in this uncharted water. … I am a public servant of the voters of District 11 — first and foremost, always.”
District 11 now is represented by council President Chris Herndon, but after the election he will represent District 8.
