Michael Hancock (Colorado politician)

Michael B. Hancock (born July 29, 1969)[1] is an American businessman, author and politician serving as the 45th and current Mayor of Denver, Colorado since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was in his second term as the Denver City Councilor from the 11th district at the time he was elected to the mayorship.

This article is about the 45th Mayor of Denver. For other people with the same name, see Michael Hancock.
Michael Hancock
45th Mayor of Denver
Assumed office
July 18, 2011
Preceded byBill Vidal
Personal details
Born (1969-07-29) July 29, 1969
Killeen, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children3
EducationHastings College (BA)
University of Colorado, Denver (MPA)
WebsiteCampaign website

During his tenure on the Denver City Council from July 20, 2003 to July 18, 2011, Hancock served two terms as the body's president, the last ending in 2008. He was sworn in as Mayor of Denver on July 18, 2011 after defeating Chris Romer in a runoff election on June 7, 2011.[2][3] Easily reelected with no significant opposition in 2015,[4] Hancock was reelected to a third term in 2019. He is Denver's second African American mayor after Wellington Webb.

Biography

Born in Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, Hancock moved with his family to Denver as an infant. He and his twin sister are the youngest of ten children.[5] According to a DNA analysis performed on his behalf, he descends mainly from enslaved Cameroonians.[6] During the 1986 Denver Broncos Super Bowl season, Hancock was the Broncos's mascot "Huddles", making $25 an hour.

Hancock graduated from Denver's Manual High School (1987) and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Hastings College in Nebraska (1991). He also earned a Masters of Arts degree in public administration management from the University of Colorado Denver.[5][7][8][9][10]

Hancock and former Colorado State Senator Peter Groff co-wrote the book Standing in the Gap: Leadership for the 21st Century,[11] published in 2004. On May 8, 2012, Hancock visited the city of Reykjavík and met the Mayor of Reykjavík, Jón Gnarr, in Höfði.[12] Hancock was named a 2014 Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow.[13]

Hancock is married to actress and vocalist Mary Louise Lee. They have three children. Hancock serves as a deacon at the New Hope Baptist Church.[14]

Professional life

Hancock started his career in the early 1990s, holding down two jobs at the Denver Housing Authority and the National Civic League—while also pursuing a master's degree.

At the Housing Authority, he designed, implemented and oversaw the first-ever athletic, cultural and leadership-training programs for 11,000 inner-city kids living in public housing. Hancock also helped write a state law outlawing drug possession within 100 feet of public housing.

With the National Civic League, Hancock helped communities, nonprofits and other clients all over the country craft and enact strategic plans to solve economic and budget challenges, increase civic participation and improve governance.

He joined the Metro Denver's Urban League affiliate in 1995 as program director at a time when the economic-empowerment and civil rights organization was struggling—struggling so much that his first paycheck bounced. Undaunted, Hancock rose through the ranks, developing a strategic plan, overseeing day-to-day operations and leading fundraising efforts. He became Executive Vice President, interim President and then President in 1999.

At 29 years old, Hancock was the youngest leader of an Urban League chapter anywhere in the United States. He developed a talented staff, created a nationally recognized and award-winning job training program, and built private sector partnerships with companies like Qwest, Comcast and AT&T.

Denver City Council

After almost five years as President of Metro Denver Urban League, Hancock stepped down in 2003 when voters in northeast Denver's 11th district elected him to the Denver City Council. He was reelected in 2007. His council peers unanimously chose him to serve two terms as President of the Denver City Council from 2006 to 2008. He presided over the creation of the Denver Pre-School Initiative, strategies to fight foreclosures, as well as the implementation of the largest infrastructure improvement in Denver history.

While on the Denver City Council, Hancock was a leader on neighborhood issues, citywide finances, economic development and children's issues.

Mayor of Denver

Hancock's road to the Mayor's Mansion began with political domino effects. Then-Colorado Governor Bill Ritter announced on January 5, 2010, that he would not seek reelection to a second term due to low approval ratings and struggling polling numbers in the 2010 election. It was rumored that then-U.S. Secretary of the Interior and former U.S. Senator Ken Salazar was going to run, considering he had won statewide office as Colorado Attorney General in 1998 and 2002 and U.S. Senator in 2004. However, on January 7, he announced he would not seek the governorship; Salazar endorsed two-term Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper for the office. Five days later, Hickenlooper announced his candidacy for the governorship and went on to defeat Republican nominee Dan Maes and former U.S. Representative Tom Tancredo of the Constitution Party in a three-way race on November 2, 2010 with 51.0%. He was reelected in 2014.

Hickenlooper's election to the Colorado Governor's Mansion opened up the Denver Mayor's office, which began a free-for-all. In the May 3, 2011 first primary, Hancock was among the final two finishers against State Senator Chris Romer. Romer led the first round with 31,901 votes (28.49%) to Hancock's 30,314 votes (27.04%). Hancock went on to defeat Romer in the June 7, 2011 Runoff election in a landslide with 70,780 votes (58.08%) to Romer's 51,082 votes (41.92%). Hancock was inaugurated as the 45th Mayor of Denver on July 18, 2011.

Hancock was reelected on May 5, 2015 in a landslide victory with 75,774 votes (80.16%) against Marcus Giavanni, who pulled a second place win with 8,033 votes (8.50%). There were no mayoral debates in 2015. Hancock was inaugurated on July 20, 2015 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. In May 2018, it was reported Hancock was outraised by entrepreneur Kayvan Khalatbari for his upcoming reelection bid in the first reporting quarter of the year.[15]

In June 2019, Hancock was nevertheless reelected with 56.3% of the vote in a runoff from the May 2019 general election in which Hancock and Jamie Giellis were the top two finishers. Giellis received 43.7% of the votes in the June 4 runoff.[16]

Controversies

In 2012, political activists Occupy Denver opposed legislation Mayor Hancock signed banning unauthorized camping; critics said it criminalized homelessness.[17][18] Hancock has also drawn international attention for his oppositional positions towards the city's homeless residents, including threats from Anonymous in 2016 to expose alleged ties to an escort service.[19]

In 2016, following a speech on poverty and hope through low-income housing, his police force cracked down on the residents, which Denver Homeless Out Loud livestreamed officials partaking in sweeps.[20]

The ACLU of Colorado issued oppositional statements toward the mayor's office for the misuse of appropriations designed to help the homeless, instead used to evict them.[21] As winter approached, the police force was condemned by the organization for confiscating the bedding materials of the residents.[22]

Housing controversy

In 2018, it was reported the city's affordable housing program permitted overqualified purchasers, resulting in the loss of compliance for the program from the Land Title Association of Colorado.[23][24]

Sexual harassment case

Hancock admitted to sending suggestive text messages to his female subordinate, Leslie Branch-Wise, during his first year as mayor.[25] He acknowledged his behavior as "inappropriate" when the victim, a Denver Police Department Detective, gave an interview in 2018 to disclose the sexual harassment she experienced. By providing several suggestive text messages from Hancock, the detective provided a glimpse into the suffering she encountered during the time she worked for Hancock's security detail in 2012. Following the Detective's interview, Hancock issued a blanket public apology to the victim, his family and the people of Denver. Hancock explained, "I made a mistake. I'm human. I never purport to be perfect." He called the circumstances "wrought with politics" and concluded: "It was just one of those things where I got too casual and too familiar, and I learned a lesson from that."[26] The city paid the officer $75,000 as part of a settlement.[25]

Son's body camera video with police

On March 23, 2018, Mayor Hancock's 22-year-old son, Jordan Hancock, was pulled over by Aurora Police for going 65 mph in a 40 mph zone.[27] In August, body camera footage was released of the incident; in the video, he can be seen and heard berating the Aurora Police officer who pulled him over. He made homophobic slurs, cursed at the officer, insulted the officer and threatened his job.[28] The officer remained calm and courteous and issued him the citation. It was revealed that Jordan Hancock was ordered to pay a $275 fine for his speeding that day and Mayor Hancock has claimed that his son would apologize to the officer in person one day if given the opportunity.[29]

Other decisions

In February 2020, Mayor Hancock's first veto in his three years of office was to strike down the repeal of the three-decades old pit bull breed ban in Denver.[30]

In November 2020, Hancock told his constituents to stay home and stay safe from COVID during Thanksgiving in 2020; however, he ignored his own advice and was caught flying on a commercial flight to Mississippi to visit family.[31]

See also

References
  1. "Michael Hancock - Elections Colorado Profile". Denver Post.
  2. Meyer, Jeremy P. (July 18, 2011). "Michael Hancock is sworn in as Denver's 45th Mayor". Denver Post. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  3. "Michael Hancock wins Denver Mayoral runoff election". Archived from the original on July 17, 2012.
  4. Jon Murray (May 5, 2015). "Denver Mayor Michael Hancock coasts to re-election; surprise in auditor's race". Denver Post. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  5. About Counc. Michael B. Hancock Archived July 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Cameroonian-Americans Discover Ancestry Lost in Slave Trade Posted by Irene Zih Fon, Reporter. Archived May 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Michael Booth (April 7, 2011). "Denver mayoral candidate profile: Michael Hancock running on reputation, enthusiasm". Denver Post. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  8. "Michael Hancock's Bio". 7NEWS. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  9. "Hastings College announces graduating class". Scottsbluff Star-Herald. Retrieved January 31, 2016. The Honorable Michael B. Hancock, mayor of Denver and a 1991 Hastings College alumnus, challenged HC's 126th graduating class to be themselves, even if that means being out of step with others.
  10. "Hancock for Denver – About Michael". hancockfordenver.com. Retrieved January 31, 2016. Michael is a graduate of Manual High School (Class of 1987), where he served as class president and played wide receiver and safety for the Manual Thunderbolts.
  11. Standing in the Gap: Leadership for the 21st Century
  12. "Icelandair Flight Strengthens Iceland's Ties with Colorado". Iceland Review. May 9, 2012.
  13. "Hodges begins national leadership program in Colorado". MinnPost. January 30, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2016. Others, besides Hodges and Mack, in this, the tenth Rodel Fellowship class:... Denver Mayor Michael Hancock
  14. Michael Hancock running on reputation, enthusiasm', Michael Booth. Denver Post. April 6, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2018
  15. "Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s campaign donors didn’t stay away amid scandal, but he raised less than challenger", Jon Murray. Denver Post. April 17, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018
  16. "Mayoral election in Denver, Colorado (2019)", Ballotpedia.org. Retrieved February 14, 2020
  17. "Occupy Denver Writes Open Letter To Denver Mayor Hancock Over Urban Camping Ban", Occupy Denver General Assembly. Huffington Post. April 9, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  18. "Denver City Council votes 9-4 to ban homeless camping", Jeremy P. Meyer. Denver Post. May 14, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2018
  19. "Anonymous to Michael Hancock: Resign or We'll Expose Your Tie to Prostitution Ring", Michael Roberts. Westword. May 11, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  20. "Crackdowns on homeless camps follow Hancock’s ‘State of the City’ speech", Eliza Carter, Colorado Independent. July 21, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2016
  21. "ACLU Demands Accountability for Denver’s Misuse of Donated Funds to Pay for Homeless Sweeps", ACLU of Colorado. July 6, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2016
  22. "ACLU to Denver Police: Stop Taking Blankets from Homeless People", ACLU of Colorado. December 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2018
  23. "Denver affordable housing controversy: Mayor won’t say if homeowners could be forced to sell", Rob Low. KDVR. April 2, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018
  24. "After affordable housing debacle, title industry rebuffs Denver’s request to ensure compliance with program rules", Aldo Svaldi. Denver Post. April 20, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2018
  25. Jr, Cleve R. Wootson (May 8, 2018). "'My dad's the mayor!': Leaked video shows Denver official's son cursing at officer during stop". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  26. Murray, Jon; Kovalesky, Tony (February 27, 2018). "Denver mayor admits he sent suggestive text messages to police officer in 2012". Denver Post. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  27. "Body camera video released of Denver mayor's son threatening officer". FOX31 Denver. August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  28. Joyce, Kathleen (August 17, 2018). "Police release body camera footage of Denver mayor's son's expletive-laden outburst at cop". Fox News. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  29. Miller, Tony Kovaleski, Blair (August 16, 2018). "New body cam video details explicit exchange between Denver mayor's son and Aurora traffic officer". 7NEWS. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  30. "No repeal of Denver pit bull ban after all: Mayor to veto council decision". The Denver Post. February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  31. "Denver mayor traveled for Thanksgiving despite pandemic and Twitter was not happy about it". The Denver Post. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
Political offices
Preceded by
Bill Vidal		 Mayor of Denver
2011–present		 Incumbent
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