The Aaron Harber Show

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THE DENVER MAYOR'S RACE
02-12-03

The race for Mayor in Denver offers more excitement that many have seen for almost a dozen years – when then City Auditor Wellington Webb donned his athletic shoes and pounded the pavement for votes in an upset bid over popular District Attorney Norm Early to become the Mayor of the City & County of Denver. With Webb term-limited after three consecutive, successful elections, candidates have been pouring out of the woodwork to replace him. Not surprisingly, they all have professed to have the experience, skills, and knowledge to lead the City.

Recently, in a wide-ranging set of two sessions with the top eight mayoral candidates, I was able to ask questions and hear them discuss a number of issues amongst themselves. Everyone seemed to agree there are very tough times ahead for Denver. I already can imagine the next Mayor invoking the name of Wellington Webb as he or she curses her ill fortune.

All eight were impressive and acquitted themselves well in the discussion. It became obvious that each candidate brings a different set of experiences and perspectives to the race. What surprised me the most was watching them interact and having the sense that all had something to contribute. Whether it be Susan Casey, Elizabeth Schlosser, John Hickenlooper, Don Mares, Phil Perington, Jeremy Stefanek, Penfield Tate, or Ari Zavaras, each of them made a solid showing and good points during their debate. What none of them did, however – which is rare in a race which has such a short timetable – is distinguish themselves that much from the rest of the pack. Next week in this column, I will try to summarize my sense of what each candidate offers but, again, irrespective of who wins, what I was struck by the most was the extraordinarily difficult set of issues the next Mayor will have to address.

The primary issues will range from a City budget which is under revenue pressure (meaning expenditures will have to be proportionately pared down in tight times) to a State budget which is wilting quickly and will not provide any comfort to the citizens of Denver to a possibly even longer-term slowing of retail sales and other sources of tax revenues (which could have multi-year implications) to the Drought across the State of Colorado – which could turn a once lush, green Denver park system into a dry and dusty environment.

While the participants also touched on other matters such as the state of the public schools, the "Spy Files" situation, the handling of the Ismael Mena case (who was killed in a mistaken raid by Denver Police), downtown parking, and transportation, these may all be dwarfed by the previous set of far less sexy and much tougher-to-solve issues. And while many candidates wanted to address long-term planning and design issues, it rapidly became apparent that the next Mayor is going to have his or her plate full with major problems only moments after taking office. In 2003, the next Mayor of Denver won’t have a traditional "honeymoon" or grace period. It will be the ultimate case of needing to "hit the ground running."

And these difficult conditions will prevail regardless of the status of other issues which could worsen the situation further. What if United Airlines does not make it out of bankruptcy and is liquidated? A possible crisis at DIA is the last item a new Mayor will want to have added to the already existing list of challenges. Yet even that potential crisis might look better in comparison to the impact of a War In Iraq, if it begins either before or at the beginning of the new Mayor’s term (as appears likely today).

I don’t know what Mayor Webb’s plans are but the timing of his departure couldn’t be better from the perspective of making a "clean cut." Perhaps term limits worked in Webb’s favor more than he realized. He has led Denver successfully in many ways but the City’s greatest challenges may only be beginning as he prepares to leave office. No matter who becomes his successor, winning the Denver mayoral race may not be a blessing. It certainly will be a test of real leadership. We all will find out in less than 120 days.