Denver’s new mayor, Mike Johnston, is off to an impressive start.
He started his first week in office with an impressively short (yes!) inaugural speech that avoided a laundry list of promises in favor of a call to dream greatly, with a reminder that daunting problems can be overcome.
He named Jenn Ridder as his chief of staff, and while she may not be well known outside national and Colorado-based political circles, she has an exceptional reputation for managing people effectively, ethically and without the taint of corrosive ego that one often finds in politics. When I learned that I’d be cleaning out my office for her to move in, I was not only relieved, but joyous. In service to Mayor Johnston, she will do great things for Denver.
Leading up to his inaugural, Johnston organized a large and broadly-based transition organization that engaged Denver’s diverse neighborhoods and communities. The transition organization (Vitality Denver) also included people who were supporters of Johnston’s election opponent, Kelly Brough. Another smart and inclusive move.
Instead of rushing to replace experienced executive directors from the Hancock Administration, the new Mayor wisely extended the time frame for service from these individuals. That not only gives the new administration time to reflect on the talents and skills to name new leaders, it honors the depth of experience from people who have dedicated hours of service to Denver and have more to contribute.
The new mayor has shown that he knows how to use the bully pulpit, not only to be highly visible, but to demonstrate intense focus on the issues he wants to address — in particular, the issue of unsheltered homelessness. Spending time listening to people, including those experiencing homelessness, was an important way to inform himself and his team, but also to demonstrate the value of inclusivity.
Above all, there was a theme of urgency.
Mayor Johnston issued an emergency declaration and a stated goal of moving at least 1,000 people from life on the streets to housing by the end of the year. Activating emergency operations may help overcome some of the bureaucratic obstacles and NIMBY (“Not-in-My-Backyard) resistance to siting tiny homes and micro-villages that were a central part of his campaign promises. Moreover, establishing a numerical goal or “surge” on housing people is something we have seen before, and is part of the toolbox left from the Hancock Administration. Building on that muscle memory is a great start.
It was impressive that Johnston made these announcements with City Council standing beside him. Showing a united front linking the executive and legislative branches of city government on this issue was another very smart move.
Marshaling a significant number of his appointees to make this housing surge a success and as I understand it, led by Cole Chandler (who knows the homelessness problem well), is another interesting operational move. Breaking internal and external silos was always a perennial frustration for former Mayor Hancock and many of us who worked for him. Mayor Johnston and his team have this firmly in focus and turning more of the new administration’s personnel firepower to a singular audacious goal is a good move.
Perhaps most significantly, Mayor Johnston signaled that he fully understands that the challenge of housing people is not just a question of housing affordability or economic dislocation. He made clear that a significant amount of collaborative work needs to be done to better organize services, intervention, and recovery for the increasing number of people living on the streets because of untreated mental illness and drug addiction.
Ending homelessness in Denver, or any city, for that matter, is more than a Moonshot. Mayor Johnston seems to be making this an organizing principle of his administration, and there are no doubt political risks by doing so, but he’s demonstrated that he means to keep a commitment to Denver’s voters. My guess is that Denver residents will be wise enough to know that this challenge will require time, patience, resources and experimentation.
Newly elected executives are often given a so-called “honeymoon” period of 100 days or so (thanks to FDR), to make good. After that the cynics, and naysayers will arguably start throwing rocks. Public patience with difficult issues is thought to be short-lived.
In this case I hope it persists.
The underlying causes and complexity of homelessness in our country will not be resolved in a few months. On this difficult issue, I hope the “honeymoon” period will be well extended for a new administration that is putting fresh eyes to an old problem.
Alan Salazar was chief of staff for former Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. Salazar has served as chief strategy officer for Democratic former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper; as chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. and later U.S. Sen. Mark Udall; as deputy chief of staff and policy director for former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, and in key staff posts for former Colorado U.S. Sens. Tim Wirth and Gary Hart.
