District 10 voters appear to be handing incumbent Wayne New an upset Tuesday by electing first-time candidate Chris Hinds to the central Denver seat, according to results from the Denver Elections Division.
Councilman New called Hinds Wednesday to concede, according to Hinds. New did not return requests for confirmation.
Hinds, a financial analyst and disability rights advocate, has 53 percent of the vote compared to New's 47. New led by almost 9 percentage points in May's general election.
The North Capitol Hill (aka Uptown) resident will begin his four-year term July 15.
"I feel exhausted. We campaigned for more than a year," Hinds said. "It was like a baseball game that went into extra innings."
Hinds' campaign focused on transportation and land use -- what kind of development goes where. He favors putting more places to live and work in more neighborhoods throughout the city to chip away at Denver's housing shortage while making neighborhoods more compact and walkable.
He also supports funding sustainable transportation infrastructure -- bus lanes, safe sidewalks, bikeways -- more robustly to reduce pollution, increase transport options and reduce traffic deaths.
In the end, Hinds' message played better with voters than New's.
"Voters are sending a message that they want to have good non-car options," Hinds said. "The the city's plans also talk about sidewalks and protected bike lanes and good transit, so I'm not coming up with this ion a vacuum. This is what voters really want."
New, who lives in Cherry Creek, made himself out to be protector of neighborhoods who would not allow new development in suburban-style neighborhoods. The councilman, however, voted for all but one rezoning (which changes what developers can build) in his district during his four-year tenure, according to his voting record.
He also campaigned on the idea of a developer impact fee to fund neighborhood improvements.
Hinds attacked New on his record, but also on his party affiliations. He's a former Republican.
