Darrell Watson isn't a stranger to running for city council. Watson said that, given the love he has for this city, his family's history in public service and his sense of community, how could he not run?
Watson is once again running for the District 9 seat (previously District 8) with a focus on housing, healthy living and public safety.
He was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and moved to Whittier in 1997. Before redistricting in 2012, Whittier was a part of District 8. Watson ran for that seat in 2007 but lost to Carla Madison. He ran again in 2011, but said he dropped out of the race due to a cancer diagnosis.
Watson co-founded a consulting firm focusing on justice, equity, diversity and inclusion and he currently serves on the Housing Stability Strategic Advisors board. He's also the board chair of the Denver Park Trust and previously served as a co-chair on the Denver Game Plan for a Healthy City task force, which created a 20-year plan for the city's parks and recreation system.
More green space is a part of Watson's plan for a healthier Denver.
Watson said working with Parks and Rec has made him a leader and champion for environmental issues in the city.
Through his work with the department, Watson said he's helped pass policies that secured funding to maintain and increase park space. He said his goal is to continue his efforts of increasing green space especially in underserved neighborhoods.
"Having that focus and dedication to ensure that our green spaces continue to expand is a part of a healthy city," Watson said. "I worked with other agencies like DOTI (Department of Transportation and Infrastructure)... to support them in a process to begin a strategic plan for how we confront the heat index? Especially in District 9, where the heat index is so high due to a lack of trees."
Watson's second point in creating a healthy community is by providing increased funding to health providers, especially Denver Health. To truly promote healthy living, Watson said the city's budget should allocate more to services focusing on mental health and physical health.
"[Providers] have a wide breadth of support that they provide and they don't have the funding," Watson said. "So that's another piece of health, making sure we have a healthy infrastructure and we have engaged council members that are participating and collaborating with these institutions."
Watson said collaboration is also important when it comes to public safety. The issue is also two-fold for Watson.
First is crime, especially auto theft. Colorado auto thefts have rapidly increased over the years nearly doubling from 22,395 reported thefts in 2019 to 42,094 in 2021.
Watson said for some, having their car stolen could cause a ripple effect in their overall stability, affecting their job and possibly even their living situation. Watson's solution for this is to increase police funding.
After speaking with Denver Police, Watson said he learned DPD doesn't have a department specifically for auto thefts. Watson said additional funding could change that. There is currently an active metro wide auto theft task force.
Watson himself previously had a brief encounter with the law. In 2003, Watson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and received a deferred sentence for "wrongs to a minor," which involved spanking a child as a disciplinary act, according to the Denver Post. Watson said the "divisive topic" is a part of his past and he's focused on the future.
"It was 20 years ago and my focus is on how I can serve folks in 2023 and how I can elevate solutions for issues impacting their family," Watson said.
Watson's second prong in public safety revolves around transportation. Watson said there needs to be more investment in Vision Zero, multimodal infrastructure and sidewalk repair and creation.
"When I speak of safety [I mean] safety in your home and your person," Watson said. "We need to make sure that crime doesn't pay in this city...and that we hold people accountable for criminal activity. Number two is making sure that community members feel safe in their streets, so they can drive, ride, bike, scoot or walk...Without having a sense of safety within our city, our city cannot thrive and it cannot continue to grow."
Watson said the biggest concern he's heard from district residents is housing, particularly affordability.
Watson applauded the city's passage of the Expanding Housing Affordability policy and said it was a good first step in ensuring that working families have access to housing.
Watson said another way to ensure affordable units get built is by fixing the permitting system. The long permitting process, Watson said, is increasing the price of building affordable housing.
Watson said he wants to bring permitting down to 90 days to allow the city to utilize funding from Proposition 123, which requires the state to spend a certain portion of its budget on affordable housing. One of the requirements for requesting that funding, starting in 2027, is that cities have to create "fast-track approval processes" allowing affordable housing permits to pass within 90 or 120 days.
Watson added another reason to expedite permitting process, which ties into affordability, is the creation of accessory dwelling units.
Watson said ADUs are a part of Blueprint Denver but there hasn't been a significant push in getting them into all neighborhoods, especially areas in his district such as Park Hill. Watson said he wants to focus on making ADUs accessible by speeding up the permitting process and also looking into creating a template ADU for different lot sizes across the city.
"About 100 years ago, you could buy a house through Sears...with all zoning and code included," Watson said. "I think we have the technology to do similar things with templating development across the city and using ADUs as an example. In Whittier, we know the lot sizes...why don't we create three templates and if the homeowners choose one of them, the approval is within 30 days."
In the District 9 race, Watson is competing against Kwon Atlas and incumbent Candi CdeBaca.
Watson said he's excited to progress the city forward and he's ready for the April 4 election.
"I think this is the time for us to have real progress on these big issues," Watson said. "I have worked and collaborated constructively with neighbors, elected officials, institutions across the city for the last 20 to 25 years on some of the toughest issues facing the city...I have the skill sets. I have the qualifications. I have the passion and the love of Denver."
