Shontel Lewis vs. Brad Revare for Denver City Council: A 1-minute voter guide
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Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
A former RTD board member and a nonprofit leader are the two District 8 council finalists on the ballot for the June 6 runoff election.
Meet the candidates: Shontel Lewis, who once served on the Regional Transportation District board and works at the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, is campaigning with other left-leaning Democratic candidates to shift the council more progressive.
- Her election to the RTD board came with controversy given her criminal record. She pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft of public funds in the 2008 case in which she admitted to taking public assistance money from low-income residents while working for the state's Department of Human Services.
Brad Revare is a former nonprofit leader who worked at Colorado Succeeds, a coalition of business leaders seeking to influence education policy. He also serves on various community advisory committees.
- He is easily out-fundraising his rival and drawing support from business leaders and current council members who are mainstream Democrats, including current District 8 council member Chris Herndon.
State of play: Lewis finished just 319 votes ahead of Revare in the five-candidate April municipal election and didn't reach 50%, forcing the runoff race in a district that covers Central Park, Montbello, parts of Park Hill and Skyland.
The intrigue: The contenders are drawing only subtle differences on the issues. Lewis wants to see the city build its own housing units to make them more affordable, while Revare wants community land trusts to tackle the job.
- On crime, Revare and Lewis want to expand youth engagement programs and co-responders to handle calls.