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February 15, 2011 01:02 AM UTC

Moving Denver Forward Through Economic Development

  • 20 Comments
  • by: Mejia for Mayor

For nearly three decades, great mayors have led Denver. Thanks to the vision and sound leadership of Mayors Pena, Webb and Hickenlooper, Denver is indeed a Great City. Today, the Queen City of the Plains enjoys a world-class airport and convention facilities, four major sports franchises, and LoDo, which is a model for inner-city development nationwide. Just last year, Forbes Magazine named Denver the sixth best city in the country to do business. Our homegrown assets are unmatched and the entrepreneurial spirit of our citizens continues to define us, even through tough economic times. As Denver’s next mayor I will put my experience and vision to work to grow Denver’s economy and Move Denver Forward.

My vision for economic development is not just looking at what we can do in the next twelve years but rather a plan that will create jobs and economic development opportunities for decades to come. Specifically, my plan to Move Denver Forward will include:

I. Development of the South Platte River and moving Infill Projects Forward

Since we cannot easily expand Denver’s borders we must look internally for development opportunities. Urban river development has historically made tremendous impact on the local economy. As mayor, I will work with developers, business leaders and the local community to develop the Platte River from the Overland Golf Course on our southern border, through Sun Valley and Confluence Park, to River North and Globeville.

I will move forward with the infill projects at Union Station, 8th and Colorado, and St. Anthony’s Hospital. These locations provide unique development opportunities, create jobs and enhance the communities in which they are located.

II. The Denver International Airport and Surrounding Areas

The Denver International Airport is Denver’s gateway to the world and greatly contributes to our economy. Yet DIA has not reached its full potential. I fully support the extension of light rail from downtown to the airport and the planned hotel at DIA. As mayor, I will advocate for the development of thousands of surrounding acres into light manufacturing, business parks and travel related development with hotels and conference centers. I will work with airport officials, the business community, developers and the surrounding jurisdictions to ensure DIA reaches its full potential.

III. Denver Is Open for Business

When I am mayor, Denver will be Open for Business. I will ensure that employers stay and new businesses are brought to Denver. During my administration, I will reduce the bureaucracy that slows the pace of business growth and discourages relocation. Small business owners and those looking to start up will find an ally in the city. I will work to open up capital and facilitate building business relationships to help small business grow.

IV. The Buy Denver Initiative

Buying locally generates money for the Denver economy. I will introduce the Buy Denver Initiative (BDI) with two objectives: giving priority to local companies in the city’s procurement process and promoting Denver products to the consumer. I will work to promote Denver-made products to Denver consumers, national and international markets.

Sound economic development is vital for Denver’s future. On my first day in office I will move forward with my economic plan. I will rely on my experience as the project manager overseeing the construction of a $425 million capital project for the city, the Denver Justice Center, delivered on time and on budget. I will rely on my experience as a former city executive managing the Department of Parks and Recreation to lead Denver through the serious budget deficit we currently face. Finally, I will rely on my passion, as a native son, born and raised in Park Hill; I will rely on my love of Denver; and finally, I will rely on my belief that Denver’s best days are ahead in my work to Move Denver Forward.

Please visit http://www.MejiaForMayor.com to read the full version of “Moving Denver Forward through Economic Development” which was released at a January 27, 2011 press conference in Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood.

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20 thoughts on “Moving Denver Forward Through Economic Development”

  1. neighborhood passes for the light rail?

    Where do you stand on regulation of medical marijuana?

    Where are you different/better than any other candidate running for mayor?

    1. I appreciate the questions and apologize for the delay in responding – the campaign schedule is getting busier by the day.

      People make the choice to live in certain neighborhoods because of their proximity to light rail.  If you are a student at one of Denver’s colleges or work for the government you have the option of purchasing an RTD pass through your organization and it should be that easy for residents to get a pass.  I will work with and encourage RTD to make it easier for residents to get neighborhood light rail passes.

      I support marijuana for medicinal purposes.  However, I believe we need stronger regulations and medical marijuana needs to be treated like any other prescription drugs.  We need to ensure the right people are prescribing, the right people are receiving the prescriptions and the safety of the marijuana is addressed.  Additionally, we need re-examine zoning ordinances regarding dispensaries and growing operations.

      I bring the experience necessary to run the city on Day 1.  I am the only person running for Mayor who has cabinet level experience as Director of Denver Parks and Recreation and Deputy Director of Economic Development under Mayor Webb.  I was asked by Mayor Hickenlooper to lead the team to build the new Denver Justice Center that we delivered on budget and on time.  Most recently I was the CEO of the Denver Preschool Program and under my leadership provided early childhood education to over 15,000 Denver children.  I have a specific vision for Denver that looks beyond the next few years but rather will have a long lasting impact on Denver and the experience to get it done.

      1. public schools?

        Thank you for answering my questions. I live in Denver and want to make sure that the city’s infrastructure can handle all the people moving here.  

        1. Per the Constitution of Colorado, I will not have any direct control over the Denver Public Schools.  But, what I can do as Mayor is contribute to DPS funding through my economic development plan.  There is a direct link between economic prosperity and education funding.  During the most recent recession, money collected through property taxes dropped and the State cut education funding to save money.  In the budget submitted today by Gov. Hickenlooper, Colorado’s K-12 education funding was cut by $332 million.  My economic development plan creates jobs, keeps more money at home and stimulates the overall economy.  With a sound economy, the State will not have to look to cut the education budget in the future and I will do my part to ensure the economy does recover.

          Additionally, I will encourage and facilitate partnerships between DPS and the business and non-profit communities.  These partnerships will open new opportunities for programs and services provided by our public schools.  I will create partnerships between city agencies and DPS to co-manage facilities, such as roads, parking lots and recreational fields, so DPS can put more money into the classroom.  I will open up Denver’s culture centers to DPS for educational opportunities both for the teachers and their students.  

    1. I fully support bringing TechStar and other organizations like it to Denver to help small business startups.  When I was Deputy Director of Economic Development, I started the Startup Base Camp bringing together small businesses with investors, venture capitalists and angel investors. The weekend program was also a great forum for entrepreneurs whose businesses were at varying stages to network and share ideas, something a number of people told us they found particularly helpful.  The 3-month TechStar program has certainly shown itself to be successful and I would welcome the chance to work with them and other organizations to support the start-up and development stage companies in Denver.

      75% of the Metro Area’s businesses have less than 10 employees and as Mayor I will facilitate bringing together the business community, investors and organizations like TechStars with these startup companies.  Additionally, I will look to people like TechStars co-founder Brian Feld, who himself is a success story, to mentor our local entrepreneurs to reach their full potential.  

      I’d also add that I think it’s critical that the City of Denver lead by example in supporting local businesses when it comes to our own contracting and procurement. We need to keep our own business in town whenever possible and feasible and we need to encourage businesses here to do the same.

      1. Typing too fast replying about these questions – TechStar co-founder to whom I was referring is Brad Feld (not Brian) who was recently named America’s most respected venture capitalist. Brad is a great example of the impressive talent that exists in Colorado and the type of people we need to engage as we look at rebuilding our technology and overall community. Apologies to Brad for thinking of him but typing Brian and Congratulations on the recognition last week by Business Insider!

  3. on Pols in the mayoral race, I really appreciate this kind of post. It provides insight about the message Mejia is putting out and information about where he stands on some issues.

    Much better than any of the other posts campaigns have put out.

    2. I appreciate your post and your active engagement here. The campaign schedule is very busy and only getting busier each day but I think it’s critical to engage directly with the people who will not only vote but who will be impacted by this election and the actions of the next Mayor.

      I’ll be carving out time as often as I can to stop by to share my ideas and what’s going on with our campaign. As importantly, I very much welcome and appreciate input and ideas from the community here. Even if I don’t have time to respond right away, I hope you’ll share your ideas here or by email. No one person has a corner on good ideas and I believe some of the best ideas often come from people who are in the community dealing with the real-world impacts of public policy. During this campaign and if I am fortunate enough to be elected, I will be actively seeking the input and participation of people across Denver and the state.

      1. And I agree your posts go beyond pure press release. Appreciate both the questions and answers I’m seeing here.  I can’t vote in Denver but we suburbanites, especially we closer in folks who enjoy the city’s amenities on a regular basis, have a huge interest in what happens in Denver, light rail, DIA, Union Station, etc.  

    1. I had not been aware of that request but had cross-posted on both Colorado & Denver Pols. It seemed that far more people are active here on ColoradoPols so I wanted to reach out not only to people in Denver but everybody who is impacted by what happens in Denver. The questions/comments came here so I wanted to answer them directly.

      If the community or the editors/owners would prefer that Denver related issues be kept to DenverPols, I hope people will hop over there and I’ll be happy to answer questions. I did post an introduction there a few days ago and mentioned that throughout the campaign we’ll be posting things on DenverPols and do expect that will be where we share more of the conversation that is Denver specific.

      2. I live in Denver, but rarely go to DenverPols.  I agree that shilling for individual candidates is best done there, but since Denver’s economy drives so much of the region, information like this is interesting for a broader audience.

      3. I don’t want to put words into Pols’ mouth, but it seems like they’d like to build page views over at DenverPols to make it a little more attractive to advertisers.  What better time to do that then during a mayoral campaign?

      4. who benefit from being in the orbit of a great city. I love Denver and find myself there often even though I live in Littleton.

        Light Rail has made it so easy to take advantage of core Denver amenities and we’ve always enjoyed Cherry Creek (when the late great Cherry Creek Tattered Cover dominated – what a loss that was!), Washington Park, Pearl Street and many other great Denver neighborhoods not far from the south ‘burbs. Not to mention the Zoo, the museums, the Arts Center. We can’t vote in Denver but the state of city definitely impacts us. Where would we suburban and front range outposts be without a vibrant city?  

  5. And like others, I am glad you did post here, since this is about the only spot I get my news.  I live in my mountain oasis, but frequent Denver to visit family, Coors Field, the zoo and museums, and yes, DIA.

    I read with some interest your comments regarding development near DIA.  While I agree it is underutilized, please keep in mind appropriate planning to ensure the airport does not move further east.  I recall when DIA was being built in the early 90’s (I had the pleasure of working installing the little blue lights along the runway during college summer breaks) there were retrospectives in the denver paper regarding Stapleton construction in the 1940’s – it is so far away, etc, then 50 years later, we needed a new airport, ironically same complaints.  too far away, etc.

    This sprawling development seems to conflict with your other statement regarding redevelopment and infill of areas within the city limits.  As industrial and other redevelopment happens at the airport, additional residential follows, and the airport will once again be “too close”

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