Candidates debate various roles
The District 9 council in northeast Denver saw one of the closest results in the city’s elections, but the candidates have broad philosophical differences.
Councilman Albus Brooks, seeking a third term, took about 45 percent of the vote in the four-way race. First-time challenger Candi Cdebaca followed with about 43 percent. They were separated by fewer than 300 votes.
The challenger
Cdebaca, 32, was a central leader in the fight against the expansion of Interstate 70; she also has worked in education policy and schools administration.
The challenger has called for neighborhoods to take greater control of the development process, and she wants the city to speed the delivery of public- and community-owned resources.
“I think it’s about community decision-making. It’s not like (developers) are going to go away, or we don’t need them or we don’t want them. The community should be in control of defining what function they serve,” she said.
She gave the example of grocery stores: “If Safeway wants to open up any new stores, they need to open up where Denver needs them.”
Her other priorities include creating 24-hour homeless shelters, public restrooms and better transit.
She has criticized Brooks for his role in creating the urban camping ban, saying it robs “people of their civil rights by criminalizing homelessness.”
The incumbent
Brooks’ campaign is centered on “inclusive growth” — the idea that city government can shape private development to deliver community benefits.
Brooks, 40, is a two-term incumbent who previously worked in nonprofits.
“You just have a clear choice: An individual who has a vision, an inclusive vision to move Denver forward, who will implement that vision. And then you have someone who has literally opposed almost everything the city has done — grocery stores, swimming pools, pedestrian bridges,” he said.
He was referring in part to Cdebaca’s opposition to the city’s $937 million bonds package in 2017, which funded various amenities and infrastructure projects.
She argued that the bonds ignored affordable housing while creating significant new debt.
She also opposed a recent rezoning proposal, shepherded by Brooks, for a project that may include a grocery store.
Cdebaca wanted an ironclad legal promise of a grocery store in the project, rather than a memorandum of understanding, among other concerns. (The developer, Andrew Feinstein, said that the grocery store was on track, but he “certainly cannot guarantee a grocery store until the lease is signed.”)
Brooks also points to his work to create a “density bonus” system that will allow developers to build higher if they include affordable units at 38th and Blake.
The incumbent has the endorsements of both of the race’s former challengers, David Oletski and Jonathan Woodley.