Denver City Council District 3 runoff: Veronica Barela and Jamie Torres

2 min. read
Jamie Torres and Veronica Barela. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

What's in the district: Neighborhoods include Barnum, Barnum West, Lincoln Park, Mar Lee, Sun Valley, Villa Park and Westwood, as well as portions of West Colfax.

Who's still in it: Veronica Barela and Jamie Torres

  • Barela is a community organizer with four decades of experience in community development. She wants to improve the city's housing stock, curb gentrification in the district, push for developers to include more affordable housing units in their buildings and educate more people about homeownership, which she thinks could help people in the district avoid selling their homes.
  • Torres is Deputy Director of the Agency for Human Rights & Community Partnerships and Director of the Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs. She wants to keep current residents in place and ensure current district residents benefit from things like the recreation center in the works once it's completed. She will push for more investment in affordable housing and renter protection, look for a middle-ground on development and help people find better jobs.

These are the area's biggest concerns: Housing, including improving affordable housing options, and gentrification, with a special focus on making sure residents in the historically Latino neighborhoods aren't displaced by development.

These were the results on May 7: Torres earned 40.23 percent of the votes, while Barela came in second with 36.33 percent of votes. The district had some of the lowest voter turnout in the city.

How former opponents feel: Former challengers Annie Martinez and Raymond Montoya are backing Barela in the runoff.

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