Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It is Colorado's Morning News. Chad Bauer in for Marty
today alongside Gina Gondek. And with such a long ballot
this year, the Denver Clerkin Recorder's Office still working to
count the results of those ballots.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah, they tweeted yesterday that as of five o'clock yesterday afternoon,
they had sixty three thousand, five hundred and seventy two
to three page double sided ballots left to count. They
did the math that is one hundred and ninety thousand,
seven hundred and sixteen cards or three hundred and eighty
one thousand, four hundred and thirty two pages. So they
have about eighty two point three percent of the ballots
(00:35):
still counted, but they need about seventeen point seven percent
to go. They still have been counting and it still
could change maybe some of the outcomes of our local elections.
Joining us now on the KWA Common Spirit Health Hotline
to talk more about it is Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
Mister Mayor, thank you so much for your time this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Good morning, going to be with you. Hey.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
So it's been a marathon at the Denver Clerk and
Recorder's Office counting all of these ballots because we had
a very, very lengthy ballot for the city. Two are
currently on track to fail by about sixty nine hundred votes. However,
still votes to be counted. Are you optimistic that it
could pass and with those remaining votes are are you
already scrambling for what a Plan B could look like?
Speaker 3 (01:15):
You know, I think we're planning for both. We think
there is still a path for it to win. You
have a lot of late breaking voters who are young
voters who we know are particularly affected by the affordable
housing crisis, and so we think there's a chance it
still succeeds. But we're also already preparing for Plan B.
And what we know is that obviously affordable housing continues
to be the single biggest crisis in the city. And
(01:38):
people all say that they were and over again, But
the politics of affordable housing are always hard. That's why
most cities don't succeed at building more of it. It's
because people are worried about where it's going to be
built and how it's going to affect them, and what
it's going to cost, and how it be structured. And
that's it's a complicated policy solution. So we knew it
would be an uphill battle, but we also knew that
(01:58):
these people are most worried about isn't the right solution
right now, then we'll find another one. I will certainly
never give up on it, but we're going to stay
committed to figure an out of the way.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Mister Marin, looking at the other Denver ballot issues, did
they all turn did the rest of them turn out
kind of the way you expected? Or were there any
surprises there?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I think most of them turned out the way that
we suspected. I think most of them were. I think
we're pretty clear issues with for which you know. They
were obviously things like the fur band and things like
the Slaughterhouse band that people had strong feelings about in
both directions. But I think in the end those ended
up people saying not sure, that's a place where we
(02:38):
need to regulate, and so I think there were certainly
contested issues, but I think in the end they end
up where we thought. I think what we did see
is a real concern and economic concern among voters in
Denver as well as around the country. I'm not sure
where the economy is going, and uncertainty about the election
and wariness to start new things, and the midst of
(02:59):
that kind of certainty, we certainly felt someone I felt
some of that real anxiety in the population and some
real worry, and so I think we saw that even
the local election that we certainly saw breakout nationally in
a big way.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Well, let's go into that a little bit, mister mayor
your overall reaction to the presidential election results.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I mean, I was definitely surprised, as I think many
people were. I thought it would be closer. I thought
that Kamala Harris had a good path to win. I
thought that there were a lot of concerns about I
think the very valid concerns about Trump's behavior and the
statements that he made that we thought would alienated so
many voters. I think what he fundamentally spoke to was
(03:39):
people's anger and people's here I say, you know, anger
is a secondary emotion. You feel angry because under meat
that you feel worried or you feel sad, and that
drives you to stand out as feeling angry, and sometimes
you want folks to just sit in that with you.
And I think a lot of people in America felt that,
and they felt like Trump connected to that. A easy
example of the way I feel on Monday morning after
(04:00):
Uncle's loss. Right, But I'm just mad, and I want
someone to be mad with me, even if it doesn't
mean I think I need a fire Bonix. So I
think that's where a lot of America was, and we
will have to hear that message and now figure out
how we can address those core concerns. But I do
think those core concerns are the same ones we saw.
It's about and I afford to pay my rent. It's
about that I make enough money to be able to
(04:21):
support my family. It's about I many concerns about public
safety and crime. I think those things are all what
people were feeling. I think what they I don't read
it as a validation of his values or his language
or his division. I view it as some connection to
his sense of anger, and I think people feel it
for different reasons that we got address those core reasons.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Let's turn to the weather. Mister Mary, expecting our first
major snowstorm of the season. How are things looking as
far as the readiness and preparation for snow removal once
this all gets up and running.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, our team is totally up and running. I will
say in the midst of this incredibly tumultuous election night
Tuesday night. If you woke up one good morning in
Denver to four or five inches of snow and you
still saw totally clean streets. Our team was out and
ready in the middle of the night and prepared, and they
show up every day no matter what, and so our
team is well prepared. We know it's coming. We're keeping
(05:12):
an eye out this afternoon, and so we feel like
Denver will be prepared. But we certainly are having people
be mindful of their travel plans this evening because we
think we're going to have heavy dump tonight.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
How is the city working to get those off the
streets and with the warming shelters, what's the latest status
of those.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Yeah, you know, we opened these twenty four hour shelters
for the first time and they've been very successful. We've
been able to get folks into those settings. We have
had enough space there to accommodate them all. So I
think the benefit of having two thousand people we moved
off the streets and into housing the last year means
there are fewer and fewer folks left to come in
on a night like tonight, and so we have those
(05:48):
warming shelters up and ready, and they've been utilized and
people are there safely, and so we think we've gotten
everybody's risk off the streets, which is really important to us.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
And wrapping up, mister Mary, and to ask you about Sunday.
The Broncos snapped finally that losing streak against the Chiefs
still have one though on the Road and Arrowhead, they
haven't won there since twenty fifteen. What do you think
their chances are on Sunday?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
You know, I'm feeling optimistic. I feel like we had
a little bit of a I think disappointing performance last week,
but I think you got to have those kind of setbacks.
I think they're coming ready, they know exactly what to
face them with the Chiefs. I do think the Chiefs
have weaknesses and someone's got to beat him, and I
would love for it to bes so, and I think
the Broncos going I feel like they played the best way.
You know, they got nothing to lose. I think everybody
expects them not to win this one, and I feel
(06:31):
like that's when the nexton team at their best. So
I'm excited to see a great performance on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Fingers crossed Denver Mayor Mike Johnson, thank you so much
of your time. As always, you betcha.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
I'll have a great morning.
It is Colorado's Morning News. Chad Bauer in for Marty
today alongside Gina Gondek. And with such a long ballot
this year, the Denver Clerkin Recorder's Office still working to
count the results of those ballots.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Yeah, they tweeted yesterday that as of five o'clock yesterday afternoon,
they had sixty three thousand, five hundred and seventy two
to three page double sided ballots left to count. They
did the math that is one hundred and ninety thousand,
seven hundred and sixteen cards or three hundred and eighty
one thousand, four hundred and thirty two pages. So they
have about eighty two point three percent of the ballots
(00:35):
still counted, but they need about seventeen point seven percent
to go. They still have been counting and it still
could change maybe some of the outcomes of our local elections.
Joining us now on the KWA Common Spirit Health Hotline
to talk more about it is Denver Mayor Mike Johnston.
Mister Mayor, thank you so much for your time this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Good morning, going to be with you. Hey.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
So it's been a marathon at the Denver Clerk and
Recorder's Office counting all of these ballots because we had
a very, very lengthy ballot for the city. Two are
currently on track to fail by about sixty nine hundred votes. However,
still votes to be counted. Are you optimistic that it
could pass and with those remaining votes are are you
already scrambling for what a Plan B could look like?
Speaker 3 (01:15):
You know, I think we're planning for both. We think
there is still a path for it to win. You
have a lot of late breaking voters who are young
voters who we know are particularly affected by the affordable
housing crisis, and so we think there's a chance it
still succeeds. But we're also already preparing for Plan B.
And what we know is that obviously affordable housing continues
to be the single biggest crisis in the city. And
(01:38):
people all say that they were and over again, But
the politics of affordable housing are always hard. That's why
most cities don't succeed at building more of it. It's
because people are worried about where it's going to be
built and how it's going to affect them, and what
it's going to cost, and how it be structured. And
that's it's a complicated policy solution. So we knew it
would be an uphill battle, but we also knew that
(01:58):
these people are most worried about isn't the right solution
right now, then we'll find another one. I will certainly
never give up on it, but we're going to stay
committed to figure an out of the way.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Mister Marin, looking at the other Denver ballot issues, did
they all turn did the rest of them turn out
kind of the way you expected? Or were there any
surprises there?
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I think most of them turned out the way that
we suspected. I think most of them were. I think
we're pretty clear issues with for which you know. They
were obviously things like the fur band and things like
the Slaughterhouse band that people had strong feelings about in
both directions. But I think in the end those ended
up people saying not sure, that's a place where we
(02:38):
need to regulate, and so I think there were certainly
contested issues, but I think in the end they end
up where we thought. I think what we did see
is a real concern and economic concern among voters in
Denver as well as around the country. I'm not sure
where the economy is going, and uncertainty about the election
and wariness to start new things, and the midst of
(02:59):
that kind of certainty, we certainly felt someone I felt
some of that real anxiety in the population and some
real worry, and so I think we saw that even
the local election that we certainly saw breakout nationally in
a big way.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Well, let's go into that a little bit, mister mayor
your overall reaction to the presidential election results.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
I mean, I was definitely surprised, as I think many
people were. I thought it would be closer. I thought
that Kamala Harris had a good path to win. I
thought that there were a lot of concerns about I
think the very valid concerns about Trump's behavior and the
statements that he made that we thought would alienated so
many voters. I think what he fundamentally spoke to was
(03:39):
people's anger and people's here I say, you know, anger
is a secondary emotion. You feel angry because under meat
that you feel worried or you feel sad, and that
drives you to stand out as feeling angry, and sometimes
you want folks to just sit in that with you.
And I think a lot of people in America felt that,
and they felt like Trump connected to that. A easy
example of the way I feel on Monday morning after
(04:00):
Uncle's loss. Right, But I'm just mad, and I want
someone to be mad with me, even if it doesn't
mean I think I need a fire Bonix. So I
think that's where a lot of America was, and we
will have to hear that message and now figure out
how we can address those core concerns. But I do
think those core concerns are the same ones we saw.
It's about and I afford to pay my rent. It's
about that I make enough money to be able to
(04:21):
support my family. It's about I many concerns about public
safety and crime. I think those things are all what
people were feeling. I think what they I don't read
it as a validation of his values or his language
or his division. I view it as some connection to
his sense of anger, and I think people feel it
for different reasons that we got address those core reasons.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Let's turn to the weather. Mister Mary, expecting our first
major snowstorm of the season. How are things looking as
far as the readiness and preparation for snow removal once
this all gets up and running.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, our team is totally up and running. I will
say in the midst of this incredibly tumultuous election night
Tuesday night. If you woke up one good morning in
Denver to four or five inches of snow and you
still saw totally clean streets. Our team was out and
ready in the middle of the night and prepared, and they
show up every day no matter what, and so our
team is well prepared. We know it's coming. We're keeping
(05:12):
an eye out this afternoon, and so we feel like
Denver will be prepared. But we certainly are having people
be mindful of their travel plans this evening because we
think we're going to have heavy dump tonight.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
How is the city working to get those off the
streets and with the warming shelters, what's the latest status
of those.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Yeah, you know, we opened these twenty four hour shelters
for the first time and they've been very successful. We've
been able to get folks into those settings. We have
had enough space there to accommodate them all. So I
think the benefit of having two thousand people we moved
off the streets and into housing the last year means
there are fewer and fewer folks left to come in
on a night like tonight, and so we have those
(05:48):
warming shelters up and ready, and they've been utilized and
people are there safely, and so we think we've gotten
everybody's risk off the streets, which is really important to us.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
And wrapping up, mister Mary, and to ask you about Sunday.
The Broncos snapped finally that losing streak against the Chiefs
still have one though on the Road and Arrowhead, they
haven't won there since twenty fifteen. What do you think
their chances are on Sunday?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
You know, I'm feeling optimistic. I feel like we had
a little bit of a I think disappointing performance last week,
but I think you got to have those kind of setbacks.
I think they're coming ready, they know exactly what to
face them with the Chiefs. I do think the Chiefs
have weaknesses and someone's got to beat him, and I
would love for it to bes so, and I think
the Broncos going I feel like they played the best way.
You know, they got nothing to lose. I think everybody
expects them not to win this one, and I feel
(06:31):
like that's when the nexton team at their best. So
I'm excited to see a great performance on Sunday.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Fingers crossed Denver Mayor Mike Johnson, thank you so much
of your time. As always, you betcha.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
I'll have a great morning.
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