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Briefly describe the single most urgent issue facing the city of Denver and how it should be addressed.
Climate change — it impacts homelessness, affordable housing, our healthcare, clean water, and our city’s infrastructure. The climate emergency is already happening, and we need to focus on being resilient to its inevitable effects by having a plan for those who are most vulnerable and working to reverse the harm currently being inflicted on people. When we are talking about expanding transportation, access to healthcare, affordable housing all these issues are intersectional with this impending disaster, we no longer have the luxury of time.
Climate change — it impacts homelessness, affordable housing, our healthcare, clean water, and our city’s infrastructure. The climate emergency is already happening, and we need to focus on being resilient to its inevitable effects by having a plan for those who are most vulnerable and working to reverse the harm currently being inflicted on people. When we are talking about expanding transportation, access to healthcare, affordable housing all these issues are intersectional with this impending disaster, we no longer have the luxury of time.
What should Denver leaders do to address the city’s lack of affordable housing?
Denver is facing a homelessness and housing affordability crisis, people are being forced out of Denver to find more affordable places to live, wages are not rising while costs are, and attainable units are not being built in a quantity to keep up with the rising need. We need to expand accessory dwelling unit zoning so more families can grow and stay together. We need to have more first-time home-buying grants. We need to build more attainable units around public transit. We must also support the funding of tenant education programs, legal counsel for tenants, and enforcement of state tenant and housing laws.
Denver is facing a homelessness and housing affordability crisis, people are being forced out of Denver to find more affordable places to live, wages are not rising while costs are, and attainable units are not being built in a quantity to keep up with the rising need. We need to expand accessory dwelling unit zoning so more families can grow and stay together. We need to have more first-time home-buying grants. We need to build more attainable units around public transit. We must also support the funding of tenant education programs, legal counsel for tenants, and enforcement of state tenant and housing laws.
Do you support redevelopment at the Park Hill golf course property? Why or why not?
I strongly oppose the project being worked on by the city and Westside Investment Partners! Residents of Denver spoke loud and clear when they passed 301 in 2021. I commit to fighting to keep the golf course 100% open space. The developers want to convince us the only way we can get a grocery store and affordable housing is through this project, but we can bring more of both into the district and keep our open space. It is a lie that the land must remain a golf course. Once the space is gone, it will be lost forever!
I strongly oppose the project being worked on by the city and Westside Investment Partners! Residents of Denver spoke loud and clear when they passed 301 in 2021. I commit to fighting to keep the golf course 100% open space. The developers want to convince us the only way we can get a grocery store and affordable housing is through this project, but we can bring more of both into the district and keep our open space. It is a lie that the land must remain a golf course. Once the space is gone, it will be lost forever!
What should Denver leaders do to revitalize downtown Denver?
We must transform underutilized commercial space into more residential housing. The pandemic has transformed how our city works and we must keep up with those changes by reimaging large swaths of our commercial space downtown.
We must transform underutilized commercial space into more residential housing. The pandemic has transformed how our city works and we must keep up with those changes by reimaging large swaths of our commercial space downtown.
What is Denver’s greatest public safety concern and what should be done about it?
We should redirect large portions of their budget to the STAR program and other similar measures and devote more resources to community-based violence interruption, housing, education, and substance and mental health treatment programs so we are using more of our resources on helping people and preventing crime and less on enforcement of a broken system. We must remove law enforcement as the default first responders when individuals are experiencing mental health or substance use crises, or other medical emergencies best addressed by health professionals.
We should redirect large portions of their budget to the STAR program and other similar measures and devote more resources to community-based violence interruption, housing, education, and substance and mental health treatment programs so we are using more of our resources on helping people and preventing crime and less on enforcement of a broken system. We must remove law enforcement as the default first responders when individuals are experiencing mental health or substance use crises, or other medical emergencies best addressed by health professionals.
Should neighborhoods help absorb population growth through permissive zoning, or do you favor protections for single-family neighborhoods?
We should rezone as much single-family zoning as possible to allow accessory dwelling units so families can grow and stay together. As we develop our city I would want the homeowners to see the benefit of this increase in density over the developers. I would not like to see it go further than that because what we are seeing in East Colfax where luxury condos are being built out of character of the current neighborhood is causing gentrification and is displacing our neighbors. We must develop more transit-oriented developments around our RTD lines to meet the needs of Denver.
We should rezone as much single-family zoning as possible to allow accessory dwelling units so families can grow and stay together. As we develop our city I would want the homeowners to see the benefit of this increase in density over the developers. I would not like to see it go further than that because what we are seeing in East Colfax where luxury condos are being built out of character of the current neighborhood is causing gentrification and is displacing our neighbors. We must develop more transit-oriented developments around our RTD lines to meet the needs of Denver.
Should the city’s policy of sweeping homeless encampments continue unchanged? Why or why not?
We need to end the sweeping of homeless encampments. We must support programs that care for homeless individuals with dignity and respect through direct shelter, job placement, and mental health services; while opposing policies that harass and marginalize individuals in need.
We need to end the sweeping of homeless encampments. We must support programs that care for homeless individuals with dignity and respect through direct shelter, job placement, and mental health services; while opposing policies that harass and marginalize individuals in need.
Should Denver change its snow plowing policy? Why or why not.
Absolutely, we must plow every street! I live in Montbello and we seem to be forgotten in most situations (and even sometimes the maps) and the plows seems to be no exception. If we can send the trash trucks down every street I’m sure we are capable of accomplishing the same thing with our snow plows.
Absolutely, we must plow every street! I live in Montbello and we seem to be forgotten in most situations (and even sometimes the maps) and the plows seems to be no exception. If we can send the trash trucks down every street I’m sure we are capable of accomplishing the same thing with our snow plows.
What’s your vision for Denver in 20 years, and what would you do to help the city get there?
I want to live in a Denver where people my age are able to buy homes and afford to build a family. A Denver where our air is clean, our streets are safe, and my neighbors in mental health emergencies can find an inpatient bed to receive treatment and are not left with an unaffordable health care bill by doing so. I want to live in a Denver where the developers are not the ones calling the shots in our city government and those decisions are returned to the people. We must fight for this future.
I want to live in a Denver where people my age are able to buy homes and afford to build a family. A Denver where our air is clean, our streets are safe, and my neighbors in mental health emergencies can find an inpatient bed to receive treatment and are not left with an unaffordable health care bill by doing so. I want to live in a Denver where the developers are not the ones calling the shots in our city government and those decisions are returned to the people. We must fight for this future.
How better can city officials protect Denver’s environment — air quality, water supply, ground contamination? And should the city take a more active role in transit?
We must expand key programs we already have such as the heat pump program to help buildings and homes offset energy cost. We must prioritize meeting the renewable standards set for our governmental buildings running on 100% renewable energy by 2025 and currently we are far from that important benchmark. We must create an envelope program that certifies that structures are 100% energy efficient. RTD, Denver Department of Transportation, and DPS must work on electrifying buses. Lastly, I would work to expand the newly created Denver Department of Transportation, to aid in inequitable access of transportation.
We must expand key programs we already have such as the heat pump program to help buildings and homes offset energy cost. We must prioritize meeting the renewable standards set for our governmental buildings running on 100% renewable energy by 2025 and currently we are far from that important benchmark. We must create an envelope program that certifies that structures are 100% energy efficient. RTD, Denver Department of Transportation, and DPS must work on electrifying buses. Lastly, I would work to expand the newly created Denver Department of Transportation, to aid in inequitable access of transportation.
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