Mayor's race reaches beyond Denver: "I think Denver sets the tone for the whole metro area"
With nearly a dozen and a half mayoral candidates on the ballot, Denver voters are making their choices to at least slim the pack for a second vote, if no candidate gets a majority in Tuesday's election.
"I think the stuff that happens in my own neighborhood that I see walking to work, walking here to vote is the stuff that's important. Politics is local," said voter David Farrell. It is, but what happens in Denver doesn't really stay in Denver.
"I think Denver sets the tone for the whole metro area. And I think it needs to be a mayor that knows how to work with all our suburban partners, because so many of our issues cross city lines," said voter Susan Aldretti.
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"This election also kind of sets the tone," said former mayor Wellington Webb. "Social issues don't stop at municipal boundaries. When there's a crime problem in Denver, there's normally going to be a crime problem in Aurora in Lakewood." Drug problems and homelessness expand outward.
When Civic Center Park closed during the pandemic, Miguel Lopez noticed something: "I started seeing the people from the homeless and unhoused sprawl out in different parts of the city like a hub and spoke system."
Webb believes there has been more cooperation in the past among local governments.
"It's metropolitan cooperation," he termed current relations among local governments.
But the mayors can get along, "to some degree."
"I think they've also been very competitive with each other," Webb added.
Homelessness and crime have been of top concern for many voters. Denver has not been the only city dealing with crime. There have been tragic incidents in cities like Aurora, Lakewood and Colorado Springs, which is still dealing with the aftermath of the Club Q shooting.
"All of these tragic incidents that have taken place. Some take place in Denver, some take place in other areas. But to solve those issues takes a collective effort. And I think everybody tries to do that, it's just not as easy as it sounds," said Webb.