Next year will mark 40 years since Federico Peña launched his campaign for mayor with a catchy campaign slogan that inspired and captured the imagination of Denver voters. That catchphrase was “Imagine a Great City.” It was a bold vision to reshape the city with increased attention and investment in parks and parkways; revitalization of downtown with the 16th Street Mall along with turning around lower downtown Denver; restoring historic districts, and building an international airport.

With the mayoral election less than 13 months away, maybe we should dust off and update the old Peña slogan. Maybe it’s time that we “Reimagine a Great City.”

At the core of any great city is a sense of safety on the part of the public. It is paramount as witnessed by numerous polls where public safety is rated as the number one concern.

Whether we like to admit it or not, residents of Denver as well as visitors do not feel as safe as they did several years ago. This concern is probably justified when one looks at the data. According to the most recent statistics, the city’s violent crime rate for 2021 was at its highest level since 1994 while the property crime rate was at its worst since 2005. In fact Denver has one of the highest auto theft levels in the country.

Public safety starts with adequate levels of law enforcement. Between budget cuts last year and retirements in 2021, Denver’s police chief noted at the end of last year that his department was down 8%, or 140 officers. This is at a time when 911 calls were up 8% over a three-year average, leading to a delayed response time by officers. What’s more disturbing is that while the city has grown by 120,000 people in the past 10 years, we have fewer police officers today than in 2012. The new mayor needs to add more officers while finding ways to retain existing ones if we hope to turn the tide on crime and raise the comfort level of the public.

In 1983 Peña realized that a key to any great city is a vibrant downtown and he focused substantial attention on creating a diverse environment of business, residential, cultural, and educational facilities. He realized the importance of having a downtown with nightlife and one that attracted people on weekends. He recognized that downtown was not only the heart of Denver but of the region. A strong heart is important to an area’s health.

With the onset of COVID, a long shadow was cast over downtown Denver as with many other city centers in the country. During the pandemic, people were encouraged to avoid crowded areas which are the trademark of downtowns everywhere. Remote work, social distancing, and the closure of a number of businesses left office buildings half-filled and restaurants and other businesses that depended on those office workers near empty.

While COVID is easing, it will take more than hope to return downtown Denver to its pre-pandemic level. The new mayor must seek new ways to revitalize the downtown area and bring back businesses, workers, and visitors.

A great city is one where we do not have people sleeping on the streets or parks or having campsites in the downtown area.

The city has spent several billion dollars over the past decade on addressing the homeless problem, yet most residents would tell you that it is worse today than ever before. All of us have compassion for the individuals who are in this situation and wish to help in providing a path for those individuals out of this environment. At the same time business owners and residents in those areas where encampments are located have rights as well. They are unhappy as they must navigate around homeless encampments to walk to their homes, patronize a business or visit a park.

Hand in hand with the homeless problem is affordable housing and addressing addiction and mental health problems of some who are on the streets. We need to create affordable housing not only to provide a path for these individuals to leave the streets but also for others of modest incomes. At the same time, we need to recognize that many of the homeless have addiction and mental health problems and need treatment and assistance to get off the streets.

Unfortunately, the current strategies for addressing the city’s homeless problem do not appear to be working either for many of the homeless or for city residents who must contend with the problem. The next mayor must re-evaluate the city’s plan and strategies and look at other communities, who may be having greater success in addressing this issue.

Finally, the old phrase that “a great city is made up of great neighborhoods,” is true. Neighborhoods are the backbone for any great city and Denver is no different. Denver is fortunate to have many wonderful neighborhoods. Unfortunately, over the last several years the voices of neighborhood groups have been muffled and their concerns, in some cases, ignored or discounted on key matters. If we wish to have Denver continue to thrive in the future, it is critical that we support and strengthen our neighborhoods. For that to happen, neighborhood groups must be at the table and the new mayor must listen and take seriously their views and concerns.

The challenges facing the new mayor are not easy, but then again the ones confronting Federico Peña in 1983 weren’t, either, when he first imagined Denver as a great city.

Greg Fulton, a 40-year Denver resident, is the president of the Colorado Motor Carriers Association, which represents over 600 companies directly involved in, and affiliated with trucking in Colorado.

Greg Fulton

Frederico Pena, Former Secretary of Energy and former Mayor of Denver speaks at a campaign rally for U.S. President Barack Obama at Sloan’s Lake Park on October 4, 2012 in Denver.

Getty images