Denver
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denver]]
Contents
Denver Demographics
| Population | Median Age | Median Household Income | Registered Voters | Presidential Results (Denver County) | Religion (Denver County) | Poverty | Cost of Living Index | Median House Value | Median Rent | Race | Age | Education | Foreign Born | Marital Status | Unemployment | Air Quality Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 663,862 (Female: 50%) (Male: 50%) |
34.1 years (-2.3 years to CO) |
$58,003 (-$820 to CO) |
412,174 (Republican: 60,206%) (Democratic: 202,090%) (Unaffiliated: 141,332%) |
2016: Clinton 73.69% Trump: 18.89% 2012: Obama 73.4% Romney: 24.4% 2008: Obama 75.15% McCain: 23.41% 2004: Kerry 69.61% Bush: 29.29% |
186 (+86 to US) |
$316,700 (+$76,200 to CO) |
$1,094 | White: 53.6% Hispanic/Latino: 30.5% Asian: 3.4% Two or More Races: 2.5% Black: 9.2% Native American: .5% Other Race: .3% Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander: .05% |
Younger Adult 22-39: 34.1% Older Adult 40-64: 29.4% Children 0-17: 21.2% Senior 65+: 10.5% College 18-21: 4.75% |
Bachelor's: 26.2% Some College: 18.8% High School: 18.5% Master's: 11.0% Some High School: 7.7% Less than High School: 5.4% Professional: 4.0% |
15.7% (+6.2% to CO) |
Never married: 38% Now married: 35% Divorced: 14% Widowed: 7% Separated: 3% |
6.2% (+2.9% to CO) |
See also https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/city-of-denver-home/government.html
Elected Positions
Denver holds municipal elections every 4 years. The last election was May 2015 and next election is May 2019 (a runoff is in June 2019 should no one in their respective election reach a 50% threshold).
Mayor, all of City Council (11 district and 2 at large total 13 positions) plus Clerk and Auditor are included in the municipal elections.
| Title | Name | Party | Next Election November |
Contact | 2019 Margin | 2017 Margin | 2015 Margin | 2013 Margin | 2011 Margin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Michael Hancock | Democrat | 2019 | 720-865-9000 | 77.16% (80.15%) | X | 16.28% (58.14%) Chris Romer got 41.86% in Runoff election Chris Romer highest in the general |
X | ||
| Auditor | Timothy O'Brien | Democrat | 2019 | (720) 913-1311 auditor@denvergov.org |
6.04% (53.02%) Chris Nevitt 46.98% |
X | X | X | ||
| Clerk and Recorder | Debra Johnson | Democrat | 2019 | 720-865-8400 clerkandrecorder@denvergov.org |
77.16% (84.21%) Joan Poston 15.79% |
X | 2% (51%) Sarah McCarthy got 49% in Runoff election Sarah McCarthy highest 4-way general |
X |
Sheriff is not an elected position in the city and county of Denver. It is by mayoral appointment.
Special Interests
May/June 2019 Election
The regular general election will be on Tuesday May 7th, 2019. Ballots will begin being mailed to voters Monday April 15th, 2019 and ought to be in voters' hands in about a week's time.
Should no candidate achieve 50% of the vote, it will go to an instant runoff, which will be Tuesday June 4th, 2019. (No word yet on when runoff ballots will be mailed.)
Candidates
As of January 1st, 2019, these candidates are filed and declared. Ballot access will be via petition. The petitions for signature will circulate between Tuesday February 5th and Wednesday March 13th, 2019.
Operational Electeds
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditor | Timothy O'Brien (i) | |||
| Clerk & Recorder | Paul Lopez | Current Denver City Councilor (District 3) | ||
| Clerk & Recorder | Peg Perl | |||
(i) = incumbent
Mayor and City Council
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Michael Hancock (i) | |||
| Mayor | Lisa Calderón | |||
| Mayor | Marcus Giavanni | |||
| Mayor | Kalyn Heffernan | |||
| Mayor | Danny Lopez | |||
| Mayor | Leatha Scott | |||
| Mayor | Kenneth Simpson | |||
| Mayor | Penfield Tate |
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| At-Large | Robin Kniech (i) | |||
| At-Large | Deborah Ortega (i) | |||
| At-Large | Jesse Parris | |||
| At-Large | Tony Pigford | |||
| At-Large | Ralph Tingle Jr. | |||
| At-Large | Lynne Watchendorfer-Langdon |
(i) = incumbent
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 1 | Victoria Aquilar | |||
| District 1 | Raven Porteous | |||
| District 1 | David Sabados | |||
| District 1 | Amanda Sandoval | |||
| District 1 | Michael Somma |
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 2 | Kevin Flynn (i) |
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 3 | Veronica Barela | |||
| District 3 | Annamarie Martinez | |||
| District 3 | Raymond Montoya | |||
| District 3 | David Roybal | |||
| District 3 | Jaime Torres |
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 4 | Kendra Black (i) | |||
| District 4 | Colleen Zahradnicek |
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 5 | Mary Beth Susman (i) | |||
| District 5 | Michele Fry | |||
| District 5 | Amanda Sawyer |
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 6 | Paul Kashmann (i) |
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 7 | Jolon Clark (i) | |||
| District 7 | Mark Kelley |
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 8 | Christopher Herndon (i) | |||
| District 8 | Miguel Ceballos-Ruiz | |||
| District 8 | LaMone Noles | |||
| District 8 | Erik Penn | |||
| District 8 | Blair Taylor | |||
| District 8 | Patrick Thibault |
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 9 | Albus Brooks (i) | |||
| District 9 | Candi CdeBaca | |||
| District 9 | Jonathan Woodley |
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 10 | Wayne New (i) | |||
| District 10 | Christopher Hinds | |||
| District 10 | Patrick Key | |||
| District 10 | Antonio Mendez | |||
| District 10 | Tony Smith |
| Seat | Name | Party | Endorsements/Info | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District 11 | Stacie Gilmore (i) | |||
| District 11 | Christine Alonzo | |||
| District 11 | McKael Grayson | |||
| District 11 | Shayla Richard |
Previous Elections
2017
There were no City Council seats up for vote in Denver. As elections are in May of odd year with runoffs in June.
Ballot Measures
Denver Green Roof Initiative
The initiative was certified for the November 7th, 2017 ballot on August 29th. A total of 4,771 signatures were declared valid, a mere 45 more than the threshold required.
The core of the initiative is, should it pass, would require any new buildings (or subsequent replacements of roofs) of over 25,000 square feet to dedicate 20% of their roofs to gardens, solar panels, or other green energy equivalent equipment. Contained in the sliding scale is the upper level of roofs over 200,000 square feet being required to do so for 60% of their roofs. Industrial roofs will have other requirements, and multifamily buildings four stories or less will be exempt. There are provisions for other such exceptions or arrangements.
This would be the second such building code change in the entire country (the first being San Francisco, which went into affect January 1st, 2017 after a unanimous Board of Supervisors vote). The city of Toronto (via the Toronto City Council) was the first North American city to have such a requirement, going into effect in 2010 (with the largest buildings being required up to 60% of their roofs be compliant).
Ballot Language
[Awaiting language]
Arguments For
Official Website for Petitioners and Proponents.
The prominent reason cited is increased concern over climate change, coupled with the Trump administration stripping away the EPA and environmental regulations in the context of climate change skepticism. The argument is if the Trump administration won't do anything, then every citizen has a responsibility to care for their neighborhoods at the very least.
Brief Overview of listed reasons:
- Denver is the 3rd-ranked city in the nation for "Urban Heat Island", which is a phenomenon where cities absorb more heat, making the city up to 5 degrees hotter than than surrounding areas. Plants can absorb this energy.
- Resolves storm drainage issues, including snowmelt (Cached copy in case it is scrubbed from the EPA website).
- This will assist in fulfilling Denver's goals for sustainability in 2020, which includes growing 20% of their own produce and improving air quality standards. Roofs can be rented out by owners for gardens, plus plants will help filter the air via the carbon cycle (while using photosynthesis to absorb the sunlight from the Urban Heat Island effect and convert the carbon dioxide and water into the byproduct of oxygen).
- Gardens help improve biodiversity, and also last 2-3x longer than a black roof.
- Return on investment. Despite the upfront cost, the fact that it's a green roof ups it's market value to either recoup their investment or profit from it.
- Energy generated from solar panels can be sold to energy companies.
- Operating costs are lowered from energy generated, plus the reduced effect of the Urban Heat Island.
- Reduced fire risk.
Arguments Against
Building owners and developers contest the potential costs involved and argue this will discourage either new constriction or put off necessary repairs due to such additional costs. Some municipalities offer incentives for incorporating green roofs. This ballot initiative does not address such incentives, so it leaves that open question.
In lieu of incentives, proponents argue that while it is a great idea, the market will sort it out due to costs needing to be shouldered by those responsible for costs in the absence of incentives.
