350 Leaders Receive Commitments from Denver Mayoral Candidates to Work on CCG Agenda

Last Thursday evening, 350 leaders from 20 institutions met with Denver Mayoral candidates Mike Johnston and Kelly Brough to present the community's agenda and ask for firm commitments from the candidates to work with leaders on that agenda.

CCG leaders shared stories of eviction, wage theft, mental health issues, and attacks on workers' pensions. Candidates were then asked to answer yes or no to a series of 10 proposals addressing various aspects of affordable housing, mental health, gun safety, workers' rights, and immigrants' rights. Ms. Brough answered YES to all 10 proposals and Mr. Johnston answered YES to 9 of the 10. Notably, both candidates committed to extending subpoena power to the city’s Auditor to effectively investigate cases of wage theft and to working with CCG on community-controlled affordable housing in Globeville-Elyria-Swansea.  Continue reading to see how each candidate responded to the entire CCG agenda.

At the action, Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston were asked to answer YES or NO to the community's agenda. Here were the questions asked and each candidates responses:

Housing:

• Currently, over 40 acres of land sit vacant in Globeville/Elyria Swansea and the Tierra Collectiva Land Trust has a plan for developing that land into permanent affordable housing for residents. Will you commit to open a request for proposal on the land in the GES triangle that prioritizes development for land trusts with strong ties to the surrounding community? 
  • Mike Johnston - Yes
  • Kelly Brough - Yes

• Many Denver residents live in mobile home parks, but these dwellings are not currently listed as legal habitations under Denver code. Will you commit to adding mobile homes to the city of Denver’s code as legal places of residence and extend the mobile home park moratorium if this can’t be accomplished before April 2024?
  • Mike Johnston - Yes
  • Kelly Brough - Yes

• CCG leaders have worked with other housing service groups to develop a framework for ending unnecessary evictions in Denver. Will you commit to invest $55 million annually in rental assistance; $10 million annually in eviction legal defense, intake and navigation, and system-wide capacity building; and $3 million in an evaluation system to ensure dollars are reaching clients effectively?
  • Mike Johnston - No
  • Kelly Brough - Yes

Mental Health & Gun Violence

• DPS students and staff are in the midst of a mental health crisis. Will you commit to convening city and school district mental health leadership to meet with CCG leaders, including DCTA leadership, to discuss creative solutions to this crisis?
  • Mike Johnston - Yes
  • Kelly Brough - Yes
• The National Gun Safety Consortium offers a non-partisan, non-legislative avenue to make tangible progress on ending gun deaths, suicides, and gun thefts. Will you commit to convening and participating in a meeting with Denver’s Chief of Police, who you appoint, to meet with us for a discussion of having the Denver Police Department join the National Gun Safety Consortium
  • Mike Johnston - Yes
  • Kelly Brough - Yes

Workers’ and Immigrant Rights

• The potential merger of King Sooper’s and Safeway’s parent companies (Kroger and Albertsons) would likely result in closing of local stores, hurting consumers, workers, and retirees in Denver. Will you commit to publicly opposing this merger?
  • Mike Johnston - Yes
  • Kelly Brough - Yes

• Denver’s new wage theft law does not include necessary subpoena power for Denver Labor’s enforcement team, leaving the ordinance toothless. Will you commit to expanding subpoena power to Denver Labor?
  • Mike Johnston - Yes
  • Kelly Brough - Yes

• Additionally, we are concerned the law may not provide necessary protections for all workers. Will you work with CCG to ensure that the ordinance adequately covers all workers, whether employees or contractors?
  • Mike Johnston - Yes
  • Kelly Brough - Yes

• There is a need for a coordinated plan from the Denver Metro region to better integrate immigrants into our community. Will you work CCG to convene local leaders from the government, corporate, labor, and faith sectors throughout the Denver Metro region to discuss the integration of arriving migrants and long-term resident immigrants as productive members of our community?
  • Mike Johnston - Yes
  • Kelly Brough - Yes

Additionally, both candidates agreed, if elected, to meet with CCG leaders on July 12th.

Check out Westword's coverage of the action here!