This is probably going one of the shortest blogs I have ever written for this platform. Suffice to say, I don’t have much beyond the above to say. Cities such as Mexico City and Bogota have done similar programs to overwhelmingly success, Denverites came out overwhelmingly for the last two events, and a new administration should make the bold choice to make the May-August open streets event funded through the 2024 budget. If you are interested in this, I urge you to complete 2 items.
Taking the survey to indicate what you liked and didn’t like about the event. You may also win a prize!
2. Write to the mayor, your district councilmember, and at large members to permanently fund Viva Streets!
You can find your councilmember’s info here. If you are a member of District 7, District 10, and District 9, Definitely reach out, as the route is along their districts!
You can find the contact info for Mayor Johnston here.
Featured image is a scene from Viva Streets at Broadway and Bayaud
As the city and state starts to evaluate the legacy of the 12 years of soon to be former Mayor Michael B Hancock, the mayor himself entered into the conversation, releasing a hour and a half “documentary” called Denver Rising, about his term as mayor, owned entirely by him yet produced using taxpayer dollars. Available to view on YouTube in 26 parts, this “documentary” is cumbersome. To the best of my ability, here is a synopsis and short review of it. EDITORS NOTE: I unfortunately cannot include any images from the documentary, as the copywrite is owned by the mayor.
Mayor Hancock
The “substance” of the “documentary” begins with an interview with Scharlyne Hancock (Who passed previously this year), speaking to anecdotes from the mayor’s childhood and the struggles that he faced growing up. The big moment of this section is repeating a 1985 interview that Hancock wanted to be the “first black mayor of Denver”. His high school principal, and Wellington Webb, the first black mayor of Denver, are interviewed, emphasizing the passion he had and his time as president at the at the Urban League.
At the 12 minute mark we get to Hancock’s first election in 2003. Several former councilmembers, including Charlie Brown and Jeanne Faatz, are interviewed, along with former appointees and staff members, with a spotlight on Julia Gayles, a beloved former appointee.
The final longer section of the first part of the documentary talks about his governance. Janice Sinden, his former chief of staff, and former city attorney Kristin Bronson feature heavily, emphasizing Hancock’s so called humility, compassion, courage and ability to reach out everyone. Cabinet in the Community, a program where city appointees would come to neighborhoods for public forum, is a program that gets highlighted in this section along with creation of a Policy Review Committee. COVID gets alluded to in this section, with several interviewees emphasizing him showing up in times of crisis.
A Promotional Image from a previous “Cabinet in the Community”
Three slogans over his three campaigns are mentioned briefly, with the second act of the movie beginning with The Great Recession, and how raising taxes supposedly helped get Denver out. The most interesting part of this is how outgoing councilmembers Robin Kniech features heavy in this section. Most of this act is divided into smaller bite sized sections, with public safety, the growth of Denver International Airport, keeping the stock show in Denver, and the development of the MyDenverCard being the big components of the first part of this act. Failed initiatives, including the delayed renovation of the Great Hall and the lawsuit Denver Airport appointee Phil Washington had over gender discrimination are not talked about, with the 25% increase in flights coming out of it being highlighted. For me, the most interesting part of this section is the renovation of a former Civilian Conservation Corps facility at a Denver Mountain Park. South Platte River renovation, including the controversial cleanup in Globeville and building of Globeville Landing are in the middle part of the this second half.
Phil Washington during Senate confirmation hearings to become head of the Federal Aviation Administration. He nomination would ultimately be withdrawn
Marijuana regulation in the wake of the passage of Proposition 64, is briefly touched on, though it seems somewhat disingenuous to take credit for this because much of the regulation happened at all levels of government. Some initiatives, such as the so far failed attempt to create social use sites, are glossed over.
About halfway through the second act we get to the second term, touching briefly on gentrification in the context of economic growth. NEST is championed in this section, with no mention of the prolonged period without an executive director. The Championships of the Broncos in 2016, The Avalanche in 2022, and the Nuggets in 2023 are mentioned, with Vic Lombardi giving gushing praise of Hancock’s ability to “keep sports in Denver”. What is not mentioned is that the long term leases of were negotiated years before Hancock. This section ends with the mention of the MLB Allstar Game, glossing over the horrid condition of the Rockies and the fact the mayor has no bearing on the victories of the teams. Services and housing affordability get mentioned after sports, with Kniech featuring heavily again and emphasizing that investment has grown in housing affordability and former councilmember Albus Brooks emphasizing his own building of affordable housing.
The creation of the Department of Transportation of Infrastructure, and the bike lane buildout (which I have criticized previously here) and the Ebike rebate are mentioned. RTD’s buildout of the A-Line, along with the opening of the renovated Union Station, are also mentioned, despite the fact the A-Line buildout not being something Hancock had direct control over and the Union Station renovation beginning under Denver’s former Mayor, John Hickenlooper. The buildout of CASR and climate change initiatives ends this section for transportation. Minimum Wage increases end the second term, including raising wages of airport workers (which didn’t happen until after months of protest by the SEIU).
The Third Term section begins with Hancock justifying his run for a third term, and his victory over Jamie Giellis being a sign of his popularity. The COVID-19 pandemic, George Floyd Protest, and ongoing migrant crisis begin this term, which acts as the beginning of the Third Act of the “documentary”. COVID and his actions during it including the emergency operation center and stay at home orders are mentioned, with the omission of the missteps, including the 3 hour “prohibition” that lead to long lines at liquor and cannabis shops, and the fact that he left for vacation out of state while encouraging others to stay home. The George Floyd protests mention him walking a tightrope, showing images of him marching with the protestors during the daytime despite the fact that in the evening, Denver Police Department used flash grenades and pepper balls to such an extent that protestors sought and got an injunction against them for their violence, eventually having to pay out several settlements for the amount of violence against protestors.
George Floyd Portests, Photo Credit: Joe Rubino
Equity rounds out to the end of the “Third Term” section, with the recent immigration crisis and the “Denver Loves Immigrants” banner mentioned being this monumental moment. The city attorney comes back for this, emphasizing that immigrants had not been turned in by the city. One fact that isn’t discussed is how Denver has never identified as a sanctuary city, with the mayor skirting the question in 2017 shortly after Donald Trumps inauguration. The final bit of his term that is mentioned is voting access, and how Denver serves as a national model, despite the fact most of that has happened through the state legislature.
The final chunk of this 26 section documentary is dedicated to legacy. Former Mayors Hickenlooper and Webb laud praise on him, along with DIA CEO Washington coming back to lavish praise for nearly 14 minutes. The fact that many parts of his legacy are unsettled, that service is a big part of Hancock’s leadership, and underserved communities were invested in get lots of time during the close of this “documentary”.
Having lived in Denver for 7 years and written about urbanism for 5 years, it was hard to watch this, particularly about the section for multimobility. Vision Zero is not mentioned has objectively failed to live up to his promises, his administration outside of the “125 miles of bike lane” pledge deferred to department heads and experts who often got it wrong on traffic calming, and little has been done to supplement or buy up service from RTD to make it easier to get around on public transportation in the city. What got me as I finished the documentary was one image of Hancock riding a B-Cycle a Nuggets Game. B-Cycle, like many other things mentioned in the documentary, debuted in Denver in 2008 at the Democratic National Convention under John Hickenlooper and officially launched on Earth Day 2010. B-Cycle did last a majority of Hancock’s administration, expanding but having the valid criticism at the time that it did not serve neighborhoods of color nor working class neighborhoods devoid of transit. Instead of renewing the contract in 2019 after discussion of expanding stations in low income communities and improving B-Cycle as a whole, the city chose to drop the contract, rewarding it eventually in 2021 to private industry in the form of Lime and Lyft. Though ridership has been higher on these mobility devices according to some metrics, presiding over a docked bike sharing program be dismantled while highlighting him prominently riding a B-cycle feels like retreat, a theme that, unless this propagandistic puff piece, will be the the real legacy of soon to be former-mayor Michael B. Hancock.
Featured image is a promotional photofor “Denver Rising”
As the Denver mayoral and council elections start to ramp up, I am reaching out to candidates, both incumbents and challengers, to hear their thoughts on transit in Denver and the surrounding metro region.
This week, I reached out to Tim Hoffman. An at-large candidate based in Southeast Denver, Tim boasts both experience as a prosecutor in the Denver District Attorney office and experience in the bicycle advocacy sphere. I sat down with Tim on Monday to talk all things transit.
If you are a council or mayoral candidate and are interested in interviewing, you can contact me here to set up an interview.
Colorado Car Free 