The Contenders: Chris Hansen Wants Denver to Be America's Greenest City

This is the twelfth in our series on the Denver mayoral candidates, based on their responses to a Westword questionnaire sent to every contender on the ballot last month; see PBS12's "Humanizing" piece on Chris Hansen below.

Although he grew up in Goodland, Kansas, which is just across the border from Colorado, Chris Hansen says that he and his family rooted for the Broncos and read the Denver Post.

After studying engineering at Kansas State University, Hansen got degrees from MIT and Oxford. He's put his education to work in the renewable energy and electricity fields, as well as the financial sector.

Over the past seven years, Democrat Hansen has represented Denver in the Colorado Legislature, where he currently serves as a state senator. And now this lover of musical theater and former member of his college's glee club wants to take all of his experience in the public and private sectors to become Denver's next chief executive. As mayor, Hansen says, he would make Denver the greenest city in America.

Why are you running for mayor?

I am running for mayor because I am frustrated. I know the city is not reaching its potential. We need to build a city that works, and as mayor, I will build a safer, more affordable and greener Denver, and focus on improving the public safety department and enforcing the camping ban.

What is your plan to tackle homelessness?

The status quo is not working. It is clear that Denver needs a new leader to make real progress on addressing homelessness and ensuring our streets, sidewalks and public areas are open for all Denverites to utilize. As mayor, I will reevaluate Denver’s failing approach to homelessness, reimagine systems to disrupt the cycles perpetuating the problem, and reinforce the existing laws and regulations to ensure that everyone in Denver, housed or unhoused, stays safe. A key part of my homelessness plan is to audit existing programs, because we are spending enormous amounts of money without getting results we all deserve.

Would you end homeless encampment sweeps?

No, I would not end sweeps. For me, public safety and public health are closely linked. Both the city’s parks department and public health department contributed to the decision to close Civic Center Park in 2021 because of extreme public health risks that the encampments posed to their residents and to the broader public. I supported that decision. Folks living in encampments are in inherently dangerous situations, and I want to help the unhoused quickly and efficiently access services they need, including stable housing and wrap-around services like mental health and substance-use treatment. Our city can work with partners to deliver better services and outcomes.

What is your plan to improve public safety in Denver?

As mayor, my top priority will be public safety. Denverites and visitors deserve to feel safe in our neighborhoods, parks and streets, and I will commit to rebuilding and improving our Public Safety Department. We will invest in training, hiring and retaining officers, as well as funding the STAR program so that co-responders can address issues related to mental health and substance use, which will allow our police to perform their core functions: preventing, responding to, and solving crimes. A safer Denver is possible with targeted gun crime prevention, increased patrol of hot spots and robust accountability.

How will you work with Denver Public Schools to improve education and safety in schools?

As mayor, I will continue the crucial work I’ve been leading at the state legislature on gun violence prevention. Students, teachers and staff deserve to feel safe in our schools, and they don’t right now. Just this week, I connected the East High School principal with the Gun Violence Prevention Office that my legislation established in order for them to have a discussion about East possibly receiving a grant from that office in the wake of the shooting death of Luis Garcia. I’m currently the prime sponsor of the 2023 Ghost Gun bill and HB23-1219, which establishes a waiting period before a firearms seller may deliver a firearm to a purchaser, because evidence shows these actions could help make Denver safer, including our schools.

As mayor, I will continue to hold the district accountable for its decisions and outcomes using the power of the mayor’s bully pulpit. I will also continue the efforts on which I have made progress in the state legislature to protect and tell the stories of schools that are helping to serve historically underserved student populations and close achievement gaps.

I will focus on building complete, connected neighborhoods, so that every neighborhood in the city has access to a grocery store, library, playground, recreation center and other hubs of services for families. I would work with the Denver School Board to pursue the possibility of having a member of the mayor’s administration on the board as a non-voting member. If we acknowledge that great public schools are necessary for a strong urban center like Denver, it feels reasonable to have direct representation from the mayor’s office to ensure that decisions being made by the district are reflective of larger issues in the city.

For instance, if there were a representative from the city who was a member of the board, then the recent proposal to close a school that is near a significant new housing development would not have advanced as far as it did. We cannot afford to have that kind of disconnect, which creates problems for families, students and the district down the line, in addition to the glaring inefficiency of those proceedings.

Additionally, I will look for opportunities to work with DPS to electrify school building heating and cooling systems and procure electric school buses, in order to save schools much-needed funds that can be spent on other pressing needs, like teacher salary increases.

What is your stance on the Park Hill Golf Course development proposal?

I personally plan to vote yes on 2O because the current easement restriction does not allow us to explore the possibility of using the property as open space or to add other amenities our city needs. I will work hard to implement whatever the voters decide, and I will make sure that decision provides maximum benefit to the community.

How can Denver significantly expand its affordable-housing stock?

We must quickly build more housing along transit corridors. We need 50,000 new units, and we need to provide options at every price point. Denver housing has been shaped by siloed zoning and delayed permitting, and developed without taking advantage of the benefits of close coordination with transit development. As a result, we have dispersed development and insufficient transit options. We need systemic solutions to realize the benefits of combined housing and multimodal transit: an interconnected and easily traversable city with tens of thousands of additional housing units. As mayor, I will expedite permitting for affordable-housing projects and make sure we have a special team that fast-tracks projects that are funded with federal funds and state funds, so we can build the thousands of new units we desperately need quickly.

Denver has historically been a car-centric city. Should the city take significant road space from cars for other forms of transportation (walking, rolling, biking, scootering, bus, etc.)?

The mayor plays a crucial role in making sure that smart growth happens in key places like public transit corridors, like the East Colfax bus rapid transit project that is underway. I am excited to implement that plan, because it is a huge opportunity to increase affordability and mobility. We can dramatically improve air quality and reduce emissions if we focus on adding population density in areas with high-quality public transit that is electrified. We must enable residents to meet all of their needs by using a combination of highly efficient public transit, connected bike lanes, EV charging infrastructure and making our streets safer for pedestrians. My systems engineering background combined with my extensive legislative experience will enable me to deliver this vision of a connected, green, dynamic city.

What would you do if the Denver Broncos demand public dollars as a requirement for keeping the stadium in the Mile High City?

I don’t think public financing of a private stadium is appropriate. As mayor, I will support infrastructure and development around the stadium, like the creation of more housing and adding retail, but it does not seem necessary for a private football team to receive public funding, as they have many opportunities for revenue. However, the city absolutely has a role to play in maximizing assets in the district around the stadium.

Violence during let-out in LoDo has been an issue for years. Would you support a staggered closing time that ends at 4 a.m.?

Yes, my experience when I lived in London showed me that this change can improve public safety. London carefully reviewed applications for staggered closing times, and the change of policy was positive for the city. As mayor, I would be very open to considering that approach here.

What question do you wish we'd asked?

"What are your plans to make Denver the greenest city in the U.S.?"

My background sets me apart from other candidates because I have a vision of Denver becoming the greenest city in the U.S., and I can make that a reality due to my private and public sector experience. Under my administration, I see Denver becoming a connected, thriving, dynamic city, with strong neighborhoods, a vibrant downtown and a world-class airport. My energy and climate legislation have made Colorado a national climate policy leader. I’ll do the same at the local level as Denver’s next mayor. I plan to add EV chargers, renegotiate with Xcel to protect customers, and electrify our transit and heating and cooling systems. I’ll collaborate with Denver Water to promote water efficiency programs and reduce water waste. Through the lens of environmental justice, I’ll address disproportionate pollution in low-income areas. The city must lead the plan to develop transit options along key corridors with dense housing. My systems engineering background combined with my extensive legislative experience will enable me to deliver this vision of a connected, green, dynamic city.

See answers from Kelly Brough, Thomas Wolf, Lisa Calderón, Andy Rougeot, Ean Tafoya, Renate Behrens, Debbie Ortega, James Walsh, Robert Treta, Leslie Herod, Chris Hansen, Mike Johnston, Trinidad Rodriguez, Aurelio Martinez, Terrance Roberts and Al Gardner.