America has lost her way, and Denver could be the compass home in 2028.
Whatever political direction Democrats plan to take their party in two years at their National Convention to elect a presidential nominee, Denver offers a shining example of what a city looks like when governance goes right for many decades, led by heart and hard work.
And we don’t mean to brag, but the results have been a lot of fun. Denver boasts one of the nation’s finest cities with the perfect mix of outdoor adventure and recreation; entertainment and world-class dining; easy transit and walkable downtowns, and the business utility of a fully renovated convention center all within a mile of the city’s urban core.
A long successive line of Denver mayors — all Democrats — have helped get the city to this point. None of these men has been perfect; like all politicians, they made mistakes. But the remarkable thing is even the mistakes — the airport’s abandoned automated luggage transit system, the commuter rail’s hiccups and headaches upon opening, the 16th Street Mall’s reconstruction coinciding with COVID — have helped create something unrivaled.
When members of the Democratic National Committee land in Denver on Tuesday, their journey from the airport to downtown will tell the story of success. The story begins in 1983 with Mayor Federico Peña, the city’s first Latino mayor, having the gumption to create a stunning work of art that rises from the Eastern Plains like snow-capped mountains, welcoming more than 80 million travelers a year.
The story continues in 2014 at Union Station, where Mayor Michael Hancock, the city’s second Black mayor in less than a decade, oversaw the public-private partnerships needed to finally get fast commuter rail service from the airport to a Union Station saved from dereliction and decay.
The story ends in a safe walk from Union Station to hotels, the convention center, Ball Arena or any of our restaurants, bars and other venues — a walk that could have felt much different without Mayor Mike Johntson’s leadership in 2023.
But members of the DNC should not let Denver’s glistening new infrastructure and bustling nightlife convince them that Denver is nothing but the next urban renewal nightmare, concrete stamped into existence by private equity at the expense of the people who live here and love it.
Just a few blocks from Union Station sit Denver’s largest homeless shelters, which have remained steadfast in their mission even as the community gentrified around them. Then, farther north, there are Five Points and Elyria Swansia, nearby neighborhoods that have held fast to their historically Black, Latino and blue-collar roots in the face of housing inflation and economic pressure to change. And a few blocks farther north is the National Western Stock Show, where our hard-working agricultural families gather every year to show off the bounty of their work at a new taxpayer-funded venue.
Denver is an authentic city that has struggled alongside this nation. We bled with America during the destructive George Floyd protests, and our police force reckoned with its own legacy of police brutality and instances of violence during the protests.
Vandalism took its toll downtown, but worse were the hundreds of people who remained in the city as homeless campers, at first gathering in protest, and then staying through the COVID lockdowns.
The city elected Mayor Mike Johnston on his promise to house the homeless, clean up the encampments with compassion and handle the refugee crisis from Venezuela with a humane and fearless approach.
Much to our surprise, and despite our deep skepticism, Johnston has rescued downtown Denver from a dangerous out-of-control spiral. Denverites spent millions on housing the homeless, we backed the mayor as he helped asylum seekers obtain work permits so they could begin their new lives in Colorado, and we did it all while continuing to be a bustling economic hub. We are a city that never lets go of its true North in the grip of challenging times.
Certainly, for the members of the DNC who visit the city this week, the pitch will be about Denver’s incredible infrastructure — the airport, the light rail, the Convention Center’s new rooftop space, the reimagined 16th Street Mall and our countless unique restaurants, bars and entertainment venues.
But for us, the pitch is about a city with authenticity and heart, a city that will never waver in our beliefs and our resolve, a city that can help America find its way through this deeply trying era of politics.
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