September 20, 2011 12:56 AM UTC

Hancock Endorses Happy Haynes

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• by: Colorado Pols

We’ll reluctantly refrain from using and abusing any puns on the candidate’s name for this post.  We’ll also be kicking off our coverage of all of the school board candidates and campaigns later this week.

That said, DPS School Board At-Large candidate Happy Haynes today announced a high-profile, if not unexpected, endorsement from Mayor Michael Hancock.

I grew up under some pretty difficult circumstances, and many, many people helped me along the way, including the educators at Denver Public Schools. They gave me every opportunity to triumph over adversity. They never gave up on me, and they taught me that if I worked hard in school and seized every chance I got, I would succeed.

The future leaders of our City are sitting in our classrooms today. We need to act now to ensure they get the best education possible because, for too many of Denver’s kids, this is their one and only shot at a better life.

That’s why Mary Louise and I wholeheartedly endorse Happy Haynes for the at-large seat on Denver Public Schools’ Board of Education. Happy will make every decision based on the answer to one overriding question: Is it best for kids?

Throughout my campaign for Mayor of this great city, I heard time and again that residents and businesses want our schools to improve. As the parents of two DPS students, Mary Louise and I want that too. Electing Happy Haynes is a strong step in the right direction.

Like me, Happy is a proud DPS graduate. She served on City Council for 13 years – for two years as Council President – and was the Mayor’s liaison to City Council and the DPS Assistant for Community Partnerships.  Happy has the experience and passion to lead our schools to better days.  But more than anything, she knows that our schools must improve if we are to provide the best path forward for our kids and for our City.  She has the knowledge and determination to achieve real results for Denver’s kids as a member of the School Board.

Happy was well, um…pleased to endorse Hancock in his bid for the Mayor’s office, and it’s only logical that he’s reciprocating. The two have been friends for years, and while we don’t think Happy’s race will be nearly as controversial or competitive as Hancock’s, an endorsement from the sitting Mayor of Denver will always go a long way. Remember, it was rumored that Haynes would be tapped to serve as Hancock’s chief-of-staff, so we think that Hancock will end up doing a lot more for her campaign than just sending a few e-mails.