Source: Councilwoman Robin Kneich
Dear Constituents,
I’m writing to inform you of a proposal to eliminate two of your three council representatives. Denver’s long-standing City Council structure has balanced district councilmembers elected by and accountable to specific geographic areas with two at-large members who represent and are accountable to the entire city. Several councilmembers are backing a proposal to eliminate the at-large seats. I have no self-interest in opposing this proposal: I will be termed out in 2023 as will my counterpart Councilwoman Ortega. But I care passionately about this city and I know you do too. The people of Denver deserve more transparency and information about this proposal, and an opportunity to weigh in on this proposed change before a vote is rushed through Council before an August 31 deadline to refer any Charter changes to the ballot.
There are several ways you can weigh in on this proposal:
- Communicate with your district councilmember directly or email the entire council at Dencc@denvergov.org.
- Attend or sign up to speak at the Finance and Governance Committee on Tuesday, August 10. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. Attend the meeting in person in Council Chambers (4th floor of the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St.) or register to attend the meeting via zoom. You can also sign up to speak either in person or via zoom on August 10.
Additional Background:
The question is not whether district or at-large members are “better” — each is important to our City and community, sometimes in similar ways (responding to constituent requests or vetting/voting on ordinances), and sometimes in different ways (deep expertise in district projects vs. more focus on citywide policy). Frankly, much of the very limited debate so far has been about what structure is best for councilmembers. But the question we should be asking is whether the City and people of Denver are better off with only a single district representative?
A few other considerations:
- At-large offices have traditionally absorbed constituent work and supported district offices especially when vacancies have occurred (at least 4 have occurred in recent history).
- Having citywide councilmembers strengthens the council overall as a body and enhances the balance of power vis a vis sharing the same citywide purview as a very strong mayor.
- With 13 members, Denver’s city council is already larger than almost all of our peer cities (which typically range between 5-11 councilmembers) and Denver already has fewer constituents per district on average than peer cities.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more.
Forward. Together.
Councilwoman Robin Kniech 