Friday, February 18, 2011

DAC and DPC Host Mayoral Forum

On March 2, the second phase of the Denver mayor’s campaign will begin with a candidates’ forum on “How to keep Denver’s economy strong,” co-sponsored by the Denver Athletic Club and the Denver Petroleum Club. As moderator, I will try to generate some excitement in what, thus far, has been a boring and low-key race.

After their early organizing and fundraising efforts, it’s clear that none of the top candidates for mayor has established a dominant position. Although Chris Romer has the money lead, it’s not insurmountable and there is still resistance to his rise. To some extent, the Bill Vidal boomlet is a reflection that many powerful stakeholders in Denver’s local politics want another choice.

March starts the next phase of the campaign where candidates begin to distinguish themselves and try to break out of the pack. Big endorsements, surges in fundraising, new proposals and attacks on competitors, particularly frontrunners, start in earnest.

Denver Petroleum Club members are especially concerned about the city’s business climate on taxes, regulation and quality of infrastructure. They estimate more than 5,000 people work in the industry in Denver, including executives, landmen, accountants, lawyers and support staff, many of them downtown Denver.

The Denver Athletic Club has a 125-year history of supporting civic causes, being a forum for city discussion and the club for community leaders.

As the president on the club’s 125th anniversary, I can say the commitment has never been stronger among members to keep Denver the preeminent city in the Rocky Mountain region. Maintaining a vibrant economy is essential to that goal.

Attendees are invited to submit questions by e-mail, fciruli@aol.com.

See flyer for mayor’s forum here

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