Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman shared the stage Wednesday for a rare joint appearance at the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce’s State of the Cities event.
In front of a room packed with metro area business leaders, Johnston and Coffman sat on opposite sides of the stage, with emcee Shaun Boyd and Northglenn Mayor Meredith Leighty stuck in between.
The panel started with Boyd, a political reporter for CBS Colorado, asking them to address the tension between the cities. They have clashed over the way hundreds of newly arrived immigrants moved from Denver to Aurora, as well as the legal fallout over police brutality in 2020.
“I just wonder how you two work together when there is so much distrust right now between you?” Boyd asked.
Johnston immediately downplayed tension, saying that his office’s door is always open to Aurora.
“There's far more important things to talk about like the businesses folks are trying to run in the city, but for me, easy, there is no distrust, is no damage,” Johnston said.
Ironically, Coffman disagreed.
“There is an issue and there is distrust,” Coffman said.
The mayors exchanged words and ideas — sometimes passive-aggressively — throughout the panel, but the first 10 minutes revolved around their beef.
“We had quarterly meetings before Mike asked to stop them. I'm happy to start them again,” Johnston said a few minutes later.
Coffman also spoke briefly about one of the primary issues driving a wedge between two cities: Aurora is suing the city of Denver over who is responsible for costs incurred when protesters sued over police brutality in the 2020 George Floyd protests.
“I think it's important to resolve the issue and be able to go back to that mutual aid agreement between the city and county of Denver and the city of Aurora,” Coffman said, referring to an agreement between the two cities to share police resources during emergencies.
“I think that's important to have, but we have to have assurances that our officers are going to be indemnified,” Coffman said.
Johnston said the George Floyd protests happened years before he was mayor, and downplayed their importance in the cities’ relationship.
“These things are all solvable problems,” he said. “I think there are more important problems in the room to talk about. So let's talk about housing and economic development and public safety and the things these folks are here to care about.”
After a commitment from both mayors to meet on a quarterly basis to “bury the hatchet”, the panel continued.
All three mayors talked about looming budget issues.
All three mayors spoke about the challenges they’re facing with budget deficits due in part to lower-than-expected sales tax revenue. In Denver, the city is grappling with a $250 million deficit over the next two years, which will result in controversial layoffs. Aurora and Northglenn are also dealing with deficits, although significantly smaller than Colorado’s capital city’s.
“I’m so proud to say that the city of Aurora will not have to lay off a single employee next year when we are anticipating a $20 million shortfall,” Coffman said.
During the panel, the mayors faced questions about how they’re listening to business leaders, building more housing and economic growth.
At times, Coffman positioned Aurora as a city that’s more conducive to small business. He cited a minimum wage $4 lower than Denver’s.
“I was able to beat [a proposed minimum wage increase] down in Aurora, but it was at the height of the pandemic where restaurants would probably be the most impacted and they were suffering. And Denver did it and Aurora did not,” Coffman said. “And so right now I think that the casualty rate of restaurants in Denver is fairly high relative to the city of Aurora.”
Johnston pushed back — he cited his attempts to reduce permitting times, build more middle-class housing and revive downtown.
“Our commitment is we are unapologetic about being a pro-business city and a pro-growth city. That is our belief, that is our commitment,” Johnston said. “That is what we're trying to build, is a place that is the easiest place to do business.”
Both mayors left the venue after receiving a round of applause, and with a promise to bring the two cities closer together. Only time will tell/
