The Two Left Standing

Denver Mayor Candidates Kelly Brough And Mike Johnston Emerge As Top Vote-Getters, Scramble To Shore Up Support Ahead Of June 6 Runoff

By Cara DeGette Editor, GPHN

Headed into the April 4 mayoral election, Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston both supported Westside Investment Partners’ massive development plan for the Park Hill Golf Course.

press conference on April 24, announcing that state Rep. Leslie Herod — who came in fifth in her bid for mayor — is supporting him. Their backdrop was city hall downtown.

Denver votes

In an Election Day blowout, 99,905 Denver voters rejected Westside’s development plan. That was more votes — far more votes — than the combined 76,900 votes that Brough and Johnston received in their bids for mayor.

Running against 15 other mayoral candidates, Brough and Johnston emerged the winners on April 4. That means they are now battling for the top prize in the June 6 run-off election. Given the overwhelming 59-41 percent defeat of the Park Hill Golf Course development plan, it’s not all that surprising that both have since changed their positions. They now say they support preserving the city-owned conservation easement that protects the property. And both say that as mayor, they would buy the 155-acre parcel for a regional park.

At least one candidate running for the Denver City Council — Darrell Watson — has also switched his position on the golf course. Watson, a favorite of Westside in his bid against incumbent Candi CdeBaca in District 9, says he now supports preserving the easement.

After conversations with both mayoral candidates, former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb threw his support firmly behind Brough at an April 18 press conference, with the golf course as the backdrop. For his part, Johnston followed up with his own

Council District 8

Denver City Council District 8 includes a swath of northeast Park Hill that includes the golf course, as well as the Central Park, East Colfax and Montbello neighborhoods.

Shontel Lewis, who received 35.71 percent of the vote, and Brad Revare, who received 33.47 percent of the vote, will face off in the June 6 runoff election.

Shontel Lewis

Endorsements listed on her website and social media include:*

• Former Mayor Wellington Webb

• YIMBY Denver

• Democratic Socialists of Denver

• Jane Fonda Climate PAC

• SEIU Local 105

• Tiya Trent

• Ashlee Wedgeworth

• Midian Holmes

• MJ (Maleeka Jihad)

• Portia Terrell

• Shanea Mckelvin

• Dr. Auset Miryam Ali

Position on the Park Hill Golf Course:

Before the April 4 election, Lewis initially refused to take a position on the Park Hill Golf Course, but eventually became a strong opponent of 2 O and efforts by Westside to develop the property.

Brad Revare

Endorsements listed on his website and social media include:*

• Current District 8 C ouncilman C hris

Herndon

• Councilwoman Debbie Ortega

• The Republican Party of Denver

• Local 858 Firefighters

Position on the Park Hill Golf Course:

Strongly supported 2 O and Westside Investment Partners’ development plan for the golf course.

Brough and Johnston spent much of the month of April shoring up supporters — as have candidates in the other races that will be decided in the June 6 runoff election. The following is a partial list of who’s backing whom.

Denver Mayor

Kelly Brough

Former CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce; former Chief of Staff for Mayor John Hickenlooper; most recently Chief Strategy Officer at Metro State university of Denver.

On April 4 Brough received 34,627 votes — 20.03 percent of the vote. Her campaign co-chairs are outgoing Denver Councilman Chris Herndon and Denise Maes, the former public policy director at the ACLU of Colorado. Campaign manager is Sheila MacDonald, who has run many Colorado campaigns, including Bill Ritter for governor and Jamie Giellis for Denver mayor.

Endorsements and supporters listed on her website and in media reports so far include:*

Groups

• Denver Metro Association of Realtors

• Metro Housing Coalition

• Denver Gazette

• La Voz

• Marijuana Industry Group (this endorsement was announced on 4/20 at 4:20 p.m.)

Council District 9

Denver City Council District 9 includes much of south and north Park Hill, as well as Whittier, Cole, Globeville/Elyria and a portion of the RiNo neighborhoods. Incumbent Candi CdeBaca, who received 44.24 percent of the vote in April, is being challenged by Darrell Watson, who received 42.93 percent of the vote.

Candi CdeBaca

Total votes 7,398 — 44.24 percent

Endorsements listed on her website and social media include:* Groups

• Sierra Club

• Jane Fonda Climate PAC

• National Association of Social Workers (CO chapter)

• Blueflower Fund

• Colorado Independent Drivers United

• UFCW Local 7

• Workers United CMRJB

• International Union of Painters and Allied Trades

• Colorado NORML

• CIRC Action Fund

• Democratic Socialists of Denver

• Working Families Party

• SEIU Local 105

• El Semanario

Individuals

• Former Mayor Wellington Webb

• State Board of Ed. Comm. Wanda James

• Councilwoman-elect Sarah Parady

• Former State Sen. Penfield Tate III

• State Rep. Javier Mabrey

• State Rep. Elisabeth Epps

• State Rep. Iman Jodeh

• State Rep. Lorena Garcia

• Former state Rep. Joe Salazar

• DPS board member Scott Esserman

• Unsuccessful Mayor candidate Lisa Calderón

Position on the Park Hill Golf Course:

A consistently strong opponent of 2 O and Westside Investment Partners’ development plan. Did not accept campaign donations from the developer. Post-election,

Individuals

• Former Mayor Wellington Webb and former state Rep. Wilma Webb

• Former Gov. Bill Ritter

• Former Denver Mayor Bill Vidal

• Rabbi Steven Foster

• Former Councilwoman Joyce Foster

• State Board of Ed. Comm.Wanda James

• Former mayor candidate Kwame Spearman

• Former mayor candidate Thomas Wolf

• Councilwoman Kendra Black

• Former Councilwoman Marcia Johnson

• Former Councilwoman Carol Boigon

• Retired Denver Fire Chief Larry Trujillo

• Former Manager of Safety Al Lacabe

• Former Colorado Democratic Party Chair Rick Palacio

Mike Johnston

Former Colorado state senator; ran for governor in 2018, losing to Jared Polis; ran for the U.S. Senate in 2020, but backed out when John Hickenlooper entered the race; most recently the president and CEO of Gary Community Ventures. Johnston’s campaign manager is Camilo Vilaseca, who has worked on past campaigns for John Hickenlooper, Michael Bennet and Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock.

On April 4 Johnston received 42,273 total votes — 24.45 percent.

Endorsements and supporters listed on his website and in media reports so far include:*

Groups

• AFSCME Council 18

• SMART Local 9 Sheet Metal Workers

• UFCW Local 7

• The Denver Post

• YIMBY Denver

Individuals

• Former Mayor Federico Pena

• Hon. Dottie Lamm

• State Rep. and former mayoral candidate Leslie Herod was quoted by Westword, of the new push to buy the land for a park: ”Denver certainly has the money to do it, and I believe the leverage, and therefore we should do it!”

Darrell Watson

Endorsements listed on his website and social media include:* Groups

• Denver Firefighters IAFF Local 858

• Pipefitters Local 208

• Denver Metro Association of Realtors

• Metro Housing Coalition of Denver

• Marijuana Industry Group

• The Republican Party of Denver

• YIMBY Denver

Individuals

• Former Councilman Albus Brooks

• Unsuccessful council candidate Kwon

At las

• Former Gov. Roy Romer

• Former House Speaker Terrance Carroll

• Former Councilor Elbra Wedgeworth

• Councilwoman Debbie Ortega

• Councilman Chris Herndon

• Former Councilor Mary Beth Susman

• Former Councilor Ramona Martinez

• Former Councilwoman Carol Boigon

• Former Councilwoman Joyce Foster

• Former Councilman Charlie Brown

• Former state Sen. Polly Baca

• Former Speaker Mark Farrandino

• State Sen. Tony Exum

• Attorney Michael Carrigan

• Kevin Marchman, NOAHH

Position on the Park Hill Golf Course:

Strongly supported 2 O and Westside Investment Partners’ plan to develop the golf course. Watson was heavily supported by Westside principals, who donated a total of $700 to his campaign. After the April 4 election, Watson told Westword he would now support buying the land for a park. “The voters clearly voted against development on PHGC and I will stand with the voters on that decision.”

*Not a complete list

• Former House Speaker Terrance Carroll

• Former Senate President Peter Groff

• Former Councilman Albus Brooks

• LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman

• Former DaVita CEO Kent Thiry

*Not

Let’s Get This Done

Denver’s Run-off Election

Is Tuesday, June 6

Will it be Mayor Kelly Brough or Mayor Mike Johnston?

Denver’s run-off election is June 6, and voters will decide who will lead the Mile High City for at least the next four years.

Depending on where you live in Park Hill, you’ll also have the opportunity to pick who will represent you (and the neighborhood) on the city council. In District 8, candidates Shontel Lewis and Brad Revare are on the ballot. In District 9, incumbent Candi CdeBaca is being challenged by Darrell Watson. Ballots will be mailed to all eligible Denver voters on May 15. All ballots must be returned by 7 p.m. on June 6. Park Hill voters have options for returning their ballots:

• By mail: The last d ay to return by mail is May 30.

• Drop completed a nd signed ballots at one of several 24/7 drop box locations around the neighborhood: Hiawatha Davis Recreation Center at 33rd and Holly Street, the Museum of Nature and Science in City Park and at East High School. After you’ve turned in your ballot, check denver. ballottrax.net/voter/, where you can track it like a package — from printing to acceptance for counting. Ballots much be dropped by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

• Old-school-style voters who want to c ast their ballot in person must be in line by 7 p.m. on June 6, Election Day. Find in-person vote centers at denvergov.org/Maps/map/electionservices.

How

Make the MOST When Selling

“Secure perimeter” means that the school locks all doors, but classes continue as normal. “Lockdown” is more severe, meaning students lock the classroom doors, turn off lights, and get out of sight from door windows.)

This process of ensuring the messages are accurate and verified before anything official is issued has proved detrimental to students’ mental well-being. Specifically, when something is actually happening at the school, students are in the dark.

Here’s an example: Back in September, when East was placed on lockdown for an active shooter threat, parents only received information from students hiding under desks, who believed the threat was real.

Teenagers are consistently told to stop spreading rumors and misinformation, but it’s a hard ask when they are victims of a faulty school system.

Devastated, and beyond angry

On March 1, just over two weeks after he was shot, Luis Garcia was taken off of life support. When the news was broken to the Angel community, students were devastated. We are also beyond angry at current gun laws and the ongoing lack of coordinated communication from Denver Public Schools.

That Thursday, students arrived at school and placed flowers on the “E” in remembrance of Garcia. The emotional tension in the crowd surrounding those flowers set the tone for the rest of the week. As unease and resentment for a community students once viewed as safe settled over, the only movement was when individuals grabbed their classmates for support. Teammates from Garcia’s soccer team wore their jerseys in solidarity. Some covered their number with Garcia’s: #11.

Once-rowdy high school hallways became dark and strained. Bathroom breaks became time for students to cry. Book learning became insignificant.

Instead of preparing for an upcoming exam, many students opted to march, a march to fight for their own lives. The action was not for East administrators; it didn’t have school board member Tay Anderson’s name attached. The action was for one young man and friend and teammate named Luis Garcia, and the safety of surviving East Angels.

Students hoisted signs and posters bearing Luis’s name, and messages: empowered; however, most were unsatisfied. Because, at the end of the day, East students still walk around with a recurrent and immediate fear: Will I be next? And, wherever I am, what is my exit plan? Who will be next? our journalism class, especially, students and teachers have had many discussions about school shootings and gun violence in other states.

In a news story published before Garcia was killed, the Washington Post reported that in the 24 years since Columbine, 338,000 students in the U.S. have experienced gun violence at their schools. On Feb. 13 that number climbed to 340,579 students, after adding in East High School’s impacted population.

After Luis was killed, we conducted an informal poll at the school to gauge the temperature of students. Of 119 students we talked to, 84 said they do not feel safe at school; 102 of 118 students said they do not feel heard by their school’s administration. Many choose to not attend their classes anymore — some students have opted to go back to all-online learning at least for the rest of the school year. Some parents have declined to send their kids back to East.

When sitting in class, many students are no longer worried about their upcoming test, but whether or not they or their friend will be the next victim. Sometimes, when innocent, careless shouts echo through the hallways from freshmen, some of the older students wonder, at least momentarily, whether they are cries of danger.

It is important to note that these students — these teenagers — are not only scared for their lives, but grieving as well.

We are grieving. We will be heard.

— “I would rather be writing an essay than my will”

— “Schools are for learning, not lockdowns”

— “If I die, put my body on the steps of Congress”

The crowd marched down 16th Avenue and gathered on the steps of Colorado’s Capitol building. Because as long as East students are still standing, they will fight to never lose another Angel. Some made their way inside the Capitol, through the metal detectors. They met with lawmakers and sat in the gallery.

At the end of the day, many left feeling

Gun control appears necessary for the safety of America, especially schools. The advocacy shown by students at East and surrounding communities seems admirable and universal.

However, there are still people, even students at a school that has experienced gun violence, who refuse to admit a change is needed. On the day of the march, a number of students remained at school for various reasons. Some chose to stay simply because they don’t believe gun control is needed.

What was inherently a march to honor Luis has turned into political division. In

On March 22, just weeks after Luis died, East student Austin Lyle shot two school deans during a routine bag check. Many students were in the auditorium at the time, just about 20 feet from the deans’ offices. They were still listening to the Latino Students United assembly; no one was aware of the shooting or that a lockdown was in place.

Friends listened intently, some browsed their phones — until the performance was finally halted. The auditorium doors were not locked during or immediately after the shooting. Many were left shaken, not purely because of the shots fired, but because of the shots that could’ve been fired if Lyle had chosen to detour a few feet into the auditorium.

Later that day, Lyle’s body was found in the mountains and an apparent suicide was reported to the already-reeling community. Grief was not only reserved for the wounded deans, Eric Sinclair and Jerald Mason, but for the 17-year-old boy who seemed to be the result of a defective school system.

Of 119 students we talked to, 84 said they do not feel safe at school.

The improving mental health resources and outreach faculty seems to be effective, except for students already labeled as dangerous.

One would hope that, along with mandated searches of his backpack, faculty would have required mental health checkups as well. After all, when someone is in possession of a weapon, there is a greater chance they will use it on themselves.

To this, a final note. A major revelation can be made about the East community:

op I n I on

We are resilient. From districtwide walkouts and the expansion of the gun control group Students Demand Action, to flowers on the steps of the Capitol, East will make its voice heard — or rather, we are demanding our voices be heard.

And as the school year comes to a close, the community is not only hoping, but begging, for a proactive solution to gun violence in schools.

Anna Boyle and Elin Lawrence are the co-editors of The Spotlight, East High School’s student publication. They both live in Park Hill, and wrote this retrospective analysis for the Greater Park Hill News

Bouquets of flowers cover the “E” in front of East High School, in honor of Luis Garcia.