Investment banker Thomas Wolf is running for mayor of Denver in 2023.
Wolf lost a bid for mayor in 2011, finishing seventh with 2,150 votes in the first round of voting. Wolf's run was a "free" campaign, meaning he wouldn't accept campaign contributions. It was his first political race.
"I just never really got it out of my system," said Wolf in an interview. "And paid attention to what's happened in the last three terms. And I just really think there's some straightforward things that need to change, and need to happen, and it's gonna require tough, dedicated leadership to do it."
"I had an old football coach when asked about his game plan, what he would say is, 'we're gonna scratch where it itches,'" said Wolf. "And I think if you spend any time in Denver of late, there's a quite a bit of rash out there."
Wolf highlighted "vagrancy" as a major issue. "That needs to be confronted and controlled. And it's kind of a triage for all of the fundamental issues to it. It's holding the city back and it needs to be addressed. And that's the neediest part of the population that needs the civic will to take care of it."
Wolf went to University of Iowa for undergraduate degree, and University of Denver for his MBA. Wolf started his career in finance at JP Morgan in New York, and spent six years in London with Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley, before moving to Denver.
He's a managing director at Crewe Capital, an investment bank and private wealth management firm.
Wolf's civic engagement is fairly limited. He's the past board president of Mile High 360, a nonprofit focused on getting kids into college through sports, namely cycling. He's also a past board member of MCA Denver. He says he served there at a key time in the organization's history, during the construction of its current facility at 15th and Delgany.
While his last campaign eschewed campaign contributions, Wolf has indicated to the city he plans to participate in the Fair Election Fund, which taps taxpayer money as a match on contributions.
Wolf joins former Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce CEO Kelly Brough and longtime Denver city councilwoman Debbie Ortega in seeking Denverites' votes for mayor.
In a statement announcing his candidacy, Wolf wrote: "Obviously, I am an outsider to the status quo that restricts city hall. Some say the underdog as well, with the name Wolf, naturally underdog is fitting, but I promise you I have a very deliberate bark that is paired with a firm targeted bite, and I will doggedly work to get Denver back on track and headed toward the heights we can all achieve together."
