Chris Hinds vs. Shannon Hoffman for City Council: A 1-minute voter guide
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Incumbent Chris Hinds is looking to the June 6 runoff election to win a second term on the Denver council.
State of play: Hinds led balloting in a four-way race by taking 36% of the vote and now faces Shannon Hoffman, who finished second with 27%. The district includes downtown Denver, as well as Capitol Hill and City Park West.
- The two candidates are not shy about where they diverge with Hoffman attacking Hinds as a developer-backed vote. Hinds says he backs incentives for developers to build more affordable housing units.
- She's also criticized him for not being more responsive to residents in the district. Hinds pledge to do better on constituent services.
The intrigue: Hinds is endorsed by the Denver Republican Party and leading Democrats, while Hoffman is backed by progressive organizations looking to upset moderates on the council.
- Hinds once supported "defunding the police" but now wants to expand the force to address rising crime. He also supports sweeps of homeless camps.
- Hoffman led the fight against the sweeps to remove people experiencing homelessness from public places and she opposes the current ban on urban camping.
Of note: Hoffman, who is a renter, told Axios Denver that the city needs to take a harder line to protect people from evictions, including free legal assistance to all who need it and rent control measures to limit rising costs.
- Her rival "is someone who will rubber stamp what comes before him but he will not champion new ideas," she told us.
- Hinds did not immediately return a message seeking an interview.
Editor's note: Thia story was updated with new information. An earlier version of this story misstated the district's neighborhoods. It includes Capitol Hill and City Park West but not Hilltop.