Is Mayor Johnston Doing a Good Job?
Mayor Mike Johnston struck an optimistic note in his second State of the City speech on Monday evening, celebrating a historic drop in unsheltered homelessness and a 45% drop in homicides. But as he hits the halfway point in his four-year term, concerns are mounting about public safety, tax revenue shortfalls, and looming city layoffs. So is Johnston cruising to re-election? Or a one-term flame-out? Producer Paul Karolyi invited one of Johnston’s biggest critics, former mayoral candidate Lisa Calderón, to watch the speech and dissect Johnston’s wins, fails, and plans for the next two years.
Lisa shared some concerns about equity in DIA contracting, which you can read more about here. For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.
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