Reviewing Denver Mayor Johnston's most ambitious campaign promises
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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston moves to hug his wife, Courtney Johnston, after his swearing-in ceremony in 2023. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez/Axios
Mayor Mike Johnston's goals for the city run the gamut from ending homelessness to reviving a struggling downtown.
What he's saying: Johnston graded himself a B+ (89%) in his first year in office, he told us during an interview last week.
- "I think we've made some really dramatic impacts on the most important issues, like homelessness and public safety ... but there's a lot left to do," he said.
The big picture: As Johnston completes year one, we wanted to see how he's progressing on his grand vision for Denver.
⚠️ Solving homelessness
The mayor made good on his plan to bring 1,000 people indoors before 2023 ended, and after acknowledging the work wasn't complete, he shifted focus by pledging to move another 1,000 people inside this year.
- 1,673 people are off the streets, per the city's program dashboard, which helps the public track its progress.
- However, data shows just over one-third of people brought indoors are in permanent housing, with 41% living in non-group shelters.
⚠️ Improving public safety
Violent crime is down in Denver year-over-year, per data from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, and property crime has dipped, as well. Car thefts have declined, both locally and at the state level.
- Yet, the mayor's goal to add more officers faces hurdles. Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas told us earlier this year his department had work to add the 167 new officers Johnston sought in his first year.
- In fact, DPD actually has fewer officers now than when Johnston took office, Denverite reports.
⚠️ Reviving downtown
Johnston's first city budget devoted roughly $60 million toward the revitalization of downtown Denver, which has struggled to regain foot traffic and keep businesses afloat post-pandemic.
- The city got some good news this month when its tourism arm announced 37 million domestic visitors came to Denver, generating $10 billion in revenue.
- In May, Johnston joined local agencies in announcing a plan to use a tax tool to generate more money to help pay for projects and public spaces to draw more people to the city center.
⚠️ Speeding up permitting
Johnston criticized Denver's tedious building permitting process on the campaign trail, calling it a "nightmare" for residents. Earlier this year, he vowed to reduce residential permitting review times by 30% in 2024, which his office says he completed last week.
- The 33% overall reduction is for projects involving single-family homes and duplexes.
- His administration says it's on track to reduce commercial permitting times by 30% this year, which still has some work to do. So far, it's been reduced by 11% for commercial spaces and structures like apartment complexes.
What to watch: Johnston has three years to fulfill his foremost goal of eliminating homelessness by the time his first term wraps up.