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Denver City Government and Elected
Officials |
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The Speer Amendment shaped the current non-partisan city government. Those citizens who run for public office do not run under any specific political party. Its elected officials are divided between a strong mayor and city council arrangement. As a strong mayor, he or she has a variety of powers including appointment, budget, and veto abilities. Both council and mayor are elected to office. The council is divided into eleven districts with two at-large positions. One member is elected to each district, while the entire city votes for the at-large positions. The council as well designates a council president. |
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The Diverseness of Denver’s Elected Officials The racial and ethnic characteristics vary among Denver’s elected officials. By far, the representatives are of white, European descent. The offices that fit into this description are the mayor, auditor, the election commissioners, as well as many of the members on city council. However, there are several members on city council who are of African descent, which include one male and one female. The Latino community is also represented with one male and two female members on city council. As with which gender holds most of the political offices, female is the dominant figure.
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 Mayor The current mayor of Denver is John W. Hickenlooper. He was elected mayor on June 3, 2003, and inaugurated on July 21, 2003. Many of his accomplishment since taking office include overcoming the city’s budget deficit, implementing police reforms, building a partnership with Denver Public Schools, and initiating a city-wide campaign to end homelessness, just to name a few. He never previously ran for political office; however, he did partake in many community affairs such as serving on civic boards. They include Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Denver Civic Ventures, Colorado Business Committee for the Arts, the Denver Art Museum, the Association of Brewers, and the Institute for Brewing Studies. Mayor Hickenlooper has worked extensively to increase civic engagement and participation throughout the city as well as Denver’s metro area. As mayor, he has five main goals he wishes Denver to achieve by 2007: 1. Denver city government will achieve the highest customer service rating in the country 2. Denver city government will create 25,000 net, new private sector jobs 3. People will say Denver is an even better place than it was in 2003 4. People who work for Denver city government will say it is an even better place to work than it was in 2003 5. Denver city government will live within its means |
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City Council
City Council Administration The Denver City Council serves a variety of roles for the city. It makes laws, budgets city money, and investigates city agencies and employees. Since 1971, the Council has had thirteen representatives: eleven from equally populated districts and two elected at-large. To run for election, members must be twenty-five, U.S. citizens, and a two-year Denver resident. Council members are elected at the same time every four years. Committees are each assigned with various areas of city government, and meet regularly to discuss and prepare proposed laws. The entire Council meets every Monday night, except holidays, when the meetings are then held on Tuesday nights.
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City Council Members |
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 District One: Rick Garcia2785 Speer Blvd., Suite 246 Denver, Colorado 80211 Phone: (303) 458-4792 Fax: (303) 458-4791 rick.garcia@ci.denver.co.us |
Elected June 2003, he represents the city’s historic neighborhoods and commercial areas of northwest Denver. Councilman Garcia is a founding Community Advisor to the University of Colorado’s Latino/a Research and Policy Center. He serves as Chair of the Council’s Public Safety Committee and sits as a voting member on the Public Works, Blueprint Denver, Economic Development and Finance Committees. | |
 District Two:
Jeanne Faatz |
Also elected in June 2003, she represents southwest
Denver. Additionally, she was an educator for many years. She is
chairwoman of the Local Government, Education, and Transportation and
Energy Committees; Vice Chairwoman of .Finance, and a member of the
Judiciary, and State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committees.
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 District Three:
Rosemary E. Rodriguez |
Elected in June 2003, Councilwoman Rodriguez is the
Council President. She represents west Denver and is very active within
her Latino community. Ms. Rodriguez was cofounder of the Colorado
Hispanic League, and since been elected to City Council, she has
assisted her native community on such issues as alley paving, graffiti
cleanup, and creating economic opportunity.
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 District Four:
Peggy Lehmann |
Elected in 2003, Councilwoman Lehmann represents
southeast Denver. The area contains residential areas, small businesses,
parks, and Denver Public Schools. She is appointed to serve as Chair of
the Council’s Public Amenities Committee. Other committees she is a
member of is Blueprint Denver, Finance, and Public Works. Councilwoman
Lehmann is also part of the City-School Coordinating Committee, and the
South I-25 Urban Corridor Committee, and serves on the board of the
Urban Drainage and Flood Control District.
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 District Five:
Marcia Johnson |
Representing District Five is Marcia Johnson, elected in
2003. The district is located in eastern Denver and contains many unique
and diverse neighborhoods. She serves on several committees including
Safety, Public Amenities, Blueprint Denver, Public Works, Youth and
Community Services, and FasTracks.
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 District Six:
Charlie Brown |
Located in central southeast portion of Denver, District
six is represented by Charlie Brown. Elected in 2003, he is Chairman of
the Public Works Committee. He also serves on the Blueprint Denver,
Economic Development, FasTracks, and Finance Committees. Additionally,
Councilman Brown is a board member of the Metro Denver Wastewater Board
Commission and is specially assigned to the Denver Metro Convention &
Visitors Bureau and the Local Emergency Planning Committee.
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 District Seven:
Kathleen MacKenzie |
Elected in 2003, Councilwoman MacKenzie represents south-central Denver. She is very interested in mass transit and was compelled to start the grass-roots advocacy group UNCLOG (United Neighborhoods Committed to LightRail Over Gridlock). Councilwoman MacKenzie is currently the chair of the Technology Services Committee and the Charter Revision Committee. Additionally, she serves as Vice Chair on the Finance Committee and as a member on the Economic Development, Transit-Oriented Planning, and Blueprint Denver Committees. | |
 District Eight:
Elbra Wedgeworth |
Councilwoman Wedgeworth, elected in 2003, serves the
northeast Denver area. In 2001-2002, she assisted with organizing
Denver’s Racial Profiling Task Force. Additionally, she has served the
city as the prior Council President. Councilwoman Wedgeworth is
appointed to many commissions and committees including Boundary Control
Commission, Green Fleets Review Committee, and Mayor’s Commission on
Homelessness.
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 District Nine:
Judy H. Montero |
Elected in 2003, Councilwoman Montero represents
north-central Denver. She is active in her community by serving on the
Board of Directors for the Front Range Earth Force and the Ellen Torres
Bienvenidos Food Bank. In addition, she is the chair of the FasTracks,
Vice Chair of the Public Works Committee and of Youth & Community
Services, and a member of Blueprint Denver and the Safety Committees.
Councilwoman Montero is also on the Mayor’s South Platte River
Commission and the Mayor’s Commission to End Homelessness.
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 District Ten:
Jeanne Robb |
Elected in 2003, she represents central Denver. The
district contains many museums, schools, the police headquarters, and
Denver’s historic parkway system. Councilwoman Robb serves the interests
of zoning and planning issues in her district as Chair of the Blueprint
Denver Committee, Vice Chair for the Public Amenities Committee, and is
a member of the Safety, Public Works, and FasTracks Committees. She is
also on the Mayor’s Denver Commission on Homelessness and the Mayor’s
Parking Commission.
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 District Eleven:
Michael B. Hancock |
Councilman Hancock, elected in 2003, represents Denver’s
largest district. It is very diverse and has the greatest potential for
growth and economic development. He serves on a variety of committees
including the Chair of the Economic Development Committee, Vice Chair of
Safety, and a member of Human Capital Agenda, Finance, and City
Investment Advisory Committees.
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 At-Large:
Carol Boigon |
Elected in 2003, Councilwoman Boigon has the task to
represent the concerns and issues of all of Denver. She is the Chair of
the Finance Committee, Vice Chair of the General Government Committee,
and a member of the FasTracks, Youth and Community Services, and
Technology Services Committees. Additionally, she is on the Welfare
Reform Board, the Early Childhood Education Council, Urban Drainage and
Flood Control, Colorado counties Incorporated General Government and
Taxation and Finance Steering Committees, the Transit Alliance
Committee, and the National League of Cities.
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 At-Large:
Doug Linkhart |
Elected in 2003, Councilman Linkhart is the other
At-Large representative. He has prior experience serving as a Colorado
State Senator and Representative. Currently, he is the Chair of the
Youth and Community Services Committee and a member of the Safety,
Public Amenities, General Government, FasTracks, and Economic
Development Committees. Councilman Linkhart also serves on a variety of
boards such as Colorado Municipal League Board and Welfare Reform Board.
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Other Elected Officials
There are many other elected officials whose duties contribute to the city of Denver.
Auditor:
The Current auditor of Denver is Dennis J. Gallagher. He performs a number of tasks including receiving and preserving all accounts, books, vouchers, documents, and papers relating to the accounts and contracts of the City and County; providing and keeping tables of the finances, assets, and liabilities of the City and County; and signing all warrants, countersigning, and registering all contracts just to name a few.
Election Commissioner:
There are two elected Election Commissioners: Sandy Adams and Susan Rodgers. They are elected for four year terms at the general municipal election. There is another election commission member, which is not elected, who is the Clerk and Recorder of the City and County of Denver. Currently, this is Wayne E. Vaden. Under the terms of the City Charter, the Clerk and Recorder is an ex officio—automatic because of the office held—member of the Commission. Each Commissioner must be at least twenty-one years old, a registered elector in the City and County of Denver, and a citizen of the United States. The duties of the Commissioners include voter registration, maintaining voter recorders, and election statistics.
Commissioner Sandy Adams
Commissioner Susan Rodgers
Sources
Elected Officials retrieved from http://www.denvergov.org/jump_elected_officials.asp
Information obtained for Rodd Freitag's
Political Science 350
Group and Minority Politics
course
