Denver City Council District 5 runoff: Mary Beth Susman and Amanda Sawyer

2 min. read
Mary Beth Susman and Amanda Sawyer. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

What's in the district: Neighborhoods include East Colfax, Hale, Hilltop, Lowry, Montclair and Windsor.

Who's still in it: Incumbent Mary Beth Susman and Amanda Sawyer.

  • Sawyer, who moved to Denver in 2016, hopes to decelerate development while giving residents more control over the process. She aims to accelerate transit development to manage growth by, well, funding it. A singular event sparked Sawyer's decision to run: the attempt by homeowners to build a cache of 27 zero-emissions, middle-income condos in Hilltop known as the Green Flats.
  • Susman has served as councilwoman for eight years. She wants four more years to address the housing shortage with more homes in more places, including traditionally single-family housing neighborhoods. She's also a longtime advocate for sustainable transportation -- walking, biking, buses and trains -- and says she would fund those things to curb Denver's car addiction.

These area's biggest concerns: Development is by far the biggest concern, while diversifying housing stock and improving mobility options are other big factors.

These were the results on May 7: Sawyer pulled a bit of an upset, earning 40.67 percent of the vote. Susman got 35.94 percent of the vote.

How former opponents feel: They're split: Michele Fry is endorsing Susman, while Stephen Replin told Denverite he endorsed Sawyer.

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