Latest news with #DenverMayor
CBS News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston reflects on homelessness, budget shortfall and future plans
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston sat down with CBS Colorado on Thursday to reflect on his first two years in office and discuss what he would still like to accomplish in the next two years of his first term. Johnston touted his work on homelessness: "There are no encampments in Denver. There are no tents downtown," he said. "We've gotten 5,000 people off the streets. We became the largest American city to end street homelessness for veterans. Those for us are major milestones." At the same time, the mayor acknowledged there is still work to do. "Yes, we still have a couple hundred folks who are left on the streets. They are mostly our highest acuity individuals. They have the most significant mental illness, the most significant addiction. They're not living in communities. They're not living in encampments. They're just wandering around and using, and sometimes passing out. The next phase of the work is really about those individuals and how we help connect them to services to get clean, to get mental health supports and then to get clean and get back up." Johnston is staring down a budget shortfall of $50 million for the rest of 2025 and a $200 million shortfall for 2026. City employees have begun taking furloughs, and city workers are preparing for the potential of layoffs beginning in August. "Our goal is always to avoid any impact on core public services," said Johnston when asked what Denverites can expect with the city facing such a big deficit. "We're going to keep officers on the street. We're going to keep trash getting picked up. We're going to keep our parks and rec centers clean and open." "Do you think it's possible to balance the budget and keep all of those things?" asked CBS Colorado. "We are never going to keep everything, but what we've done with each department is said, 'What are the core public services we have to deliver? And what are the core things we need to deliver city-wide? And what are the things that might have been nice to have 10-15 years ago that might not be so essential to have right now, and how do we find a way to pare those back?'" The mayor also hinted that an announcement regarding the Broncos and potential plans for a new stadium would be coming soon. "I'm hoping in the next few weeks," he said. The Broncos' current contract at Empower Field at Mile High expires following the 2030 season. "Over my dead body will the Broncos leave Denver. I would fire myself." When asked what the next two years look like and what a successful first term would entail Johnston said that housing affordability and cost of living would continue to be a concern, "We want to still keep fighting to make sure that everyone who works in the city can afford to live in the city, so that we don't have school teachers that are saying, 'I'd love to stay in Denver, but I have to move back home to Kansas or Oklahoma because I can afford to live there.' Those are the ones we want to keep fighting for."
CBS News
19-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's Chief Operating Officer leaves after less than two years
Janel Forde, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston's Chief Operating Officer, has left the Mayor's office and taken a job with the University of Colorado. Forde's hiring as the city's COO was announced in August 2023. She left the Mayor's office on June 13 and has been hired by CU- Boulder to serve as the Senior Vice Chancellor for Operations. She will assume that role on June 23. City of Denver The Mayor's Office released a statement Thursday to CBS News Colorado saying, "Janel Forde was a key part of this administration from Day One. We are thrilled that she was part of our Denver team and excited that she is staying in Colorado. CU is lucky to have her talents on their team." CBS News Colorado left a phone message and emails seeking comment from Forde on the move. The mayor's office said it does not intend to fill Forde's COO job due to the city's current hiring freeze.
CBS News
17-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Denver mayor reverses course on big raises for appointees
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston backtracked late Friday, withdrawing a measure that would have given a dozen of his appointees hefty salary raises, a move that sparked considerable backlash. The Mayor's office emailed the dozen appointees late Friday afternoon, writing, "We made the hard decision to not file the ordinance increasing salaries for the 12 executive directors that are in the City Charter." CBS News Colorado reported on those proposed salary increases earlier this month. Those raises included: -Manager of the Department of Aviation from $346,975 to $406,511 or a 17.2% increase ($59,536.00 raise) -Manager of the Department of Finance from $185,365.82 to $266,162.32 or a 43.6% increase ($80,796.50 raise) -City Attorney from $216,061.10 to $268,479.12 or a 24.3% increase ($52,418.02 raise) -Manager of Department of Transportation and Infrastructure from $195,219.65 to $240,675.85 or a 23.3% increase ($45,456.20 raise) -A proposed 31.9% raise for the Manager of Human Services, raising the salary from $176,000 to $232,000 The mayor's office sought the raises, saying these dozen appointees had not received raises since 2022 and needed additional compensation or the city would risk losing them. Last week, a Denver City Council committee agreed the salary increases should be voted on by the entire Denver City Council, but some council members seemed skeptical about the timing of the raises But the mayor apparently had a change of heart on the raises Friday, with his office saying, "We believe we can be good stewards of taxpayer dollars and attract and retain the talent necessary to run a world-class city. Which is why we will continue working with the council to ensure fair and competitive salaries for agency directors as part of the regular budget process." The statement went on to note that all city employees receive regular merit raises except for the 12 positions, which are governed by the city charter. "We look forward to looking for solutions to pursue a more predictable approach to these positions, similar to how salary market adjustments are handled for all other city employees," said the mayor's office. The statement said that because of "outdated provisions in the city charter, the salaries for those 12 positions are rarely and inequitably adjusted- only once in the last nine years." The proposed raises sparked controversy and concern as the city is facing a weak economic forecast, and many city employees and managers are expecting furloughs and budget cuts to be announced soon.
