Michael Hancock (Colorado politician)

Michael Hancock
45th Mayor of Denver
Assumed office
July 18, 2011
Preceded by Bill Vidal
Member of the Denver City Council from District 11
In office
July 20, 2003 – July 18, 2011
Personal details
Born 1969 (age 48–49)
Fort Hood, Texas, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Children 3
Alma mater Hastings College
University of Colorado Denver
Website www.hancockformayor.com

Michael B. Hancock (born 1969)[1] is an American businessman, author and politician, serving as the 45th and current mayor of Denver, Colorado.[2] He was sworn in on July 18, 2011[2] after defeating Chris Romer in a runoff election on June 7, 2011.[3] He was easily reelected with no significant opposition in 2015 despite reports that he paid for sex from an illegal escort service.[4][5]

He is Denver's second black mayor after Wellington Webb and a deacon at the New Hope Baptist Church.[6]

Biography

Born in Fort Hood, Texas, Hancock moved with his family to Denver as an infant. He and his twin sister are the youngest of ten children.[7] According to a DNA analysis performed on his behalf, he descends mainly from Cameroonian slaves.[8]

During the 1986 Denver Broncos Super Bowl season, Hancock was the Broncos' 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.[7][9][10][11][12]

At the time he was elected mayor, Hancock was in his second term as a member of the Denver City Council. During his tenure on the City Council, he served two terms as council president, the last ending in 2008.

Hancock and former Colorado State Senator Peter Groff co-wrote the book, Standing in the Gap: Leadership for the 21st Century, published in 2004.

On May 8, 2012, Hancock visited the city of Reykjavík and met the mayor of Reykjavík, Jón Gnarr, in Höfði.

Hancock was named a 2014 Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow.[13]

Hancock is married to actress and vocalist Mary Louise Lee. They have 3 children.

Business ventures

Hancock started his business 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 turned around an organization that lacked focus, relevance or a strategy. 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 and was re-elected in 2007. His council peers unanimously chose him to serve two terms as Council President from 2006 to 2008. He presided over the creation of the Denver Pre-School Initiative, strategies to fight foreclosures, and the implementation of the largest infrastructure improvement in Denver history.

While on the City Council, Hancock was widely recognized as one of the most accessible, constituent-oriented elected officeholders anywhere. He 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- Governor Bill Ritter announced on January 5, 2010, that he wouldn't seek re-election to a second term due to low approval ratings and struggling polling numbers in the 2010 Gubernatorial election.

It was rumored that then-United States Secretary of the Interior and former United States Senator Ken Salazar was going to run (considering Salazar had won statewide office as Colorado State Attorney General in 1998 and 2002 and United States Senator in 2004), but on January 7, he announced he wouldn't seek the governorship and endorsed two-term Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper for the governorship. Five days later, Hickenlooper announced his candidacy for the governorship and he went on to defeat Republican nominee Dan Maes and former U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo of the Constitution Party in a three-way race on November 2, 2010 with 51.0% and was re-elected in 2014.

Hickenlooper's election to the Colorado Governor's Mansion opened up the Mayor's office, which began a free-for-all. In the May 3, 2011 First Primary: Hancock was among the final 2 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 56th Mayor of Denver, Colorado on July 21, 2011.

Hancock was re-elected overwhelmingly on May 5, 2015 in a landslide victory with 75,774 (80.16%) against Marcus Giavanni, who pulled a 2nd place win with 8,033 votes (8.50%) (No Mayoral Debates 2015), Hancock and was inaugurated on July 20, 2015 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

In May 2018, it was reported he was outraised by entrepeneur Kayvan Khalatbari for his upcoming re-election bid in the first reporting quarter of the year.[14]

Controversies

Mayor Hancock has 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.[15] Political activists Occupy Denver opposed legislation he signed in 2012 banning unauthorized camping in 2012; critics said it criminalized homelessness.[16][17]

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.[18]

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.[19] As winter approached, the police force was condemned by the organization for confiscating the bedding materials of the residents.[20]

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.[21][22]

Sexual harassment

Michael B. Hancock admitted to sending suggestive text messages to his female subordinate, Leslie Branch-Wise, during his first year as the Mayor of Denver, Colorado.[23] 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." [24] The city paid the officer $75,000 as part of a settlement.[23]

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.[25] In August, Body camera footage was released of the incident and in the video, Jordan can be seen and heard berating the Aurora Police officer who pulled him over. Jordan made homophobic slurs, cursed at the officer, insulted the officer, and threatened his job.[26] The officer remained calm and courteous and issued Jordan the citation. It was revealed that Jordan 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. [27]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Michael Hancock - Elections Colorado Profile". Denver Post.
  2. 1 2 Meyer, Jeremy P. (2011-07-18). "Michael Hancock is sworn in as Denver's 45th Mayor". Denver Post. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  3. ↑ "Michael Hancock wins Denver Mayoral runoff election". Archived from the original on 2012-07-17.
  4. ↑ Jon Murray (5 May 2015). "Denver Mayor Michael Hancock coasts to re-election; surprise in auditor's race". Denver Post. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Roberts, Michael (March 8, 2018). "How Power Elite kept Michael Hancock out of prostitution ring scandal". Westworld.
  6. ↑ Michael Hancock running on reputation, enthusiasm', Michael Booth. Denver Post. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 13 may 2018
  7. 1 2 About Counc. Michael B. Hancock Archived July 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ Cameroonian-Americans Discover Ancestry Lost in Slave Trade Posted by Irene Zih Fon, Reporter. Archived May 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ Michael Booth (7 April 2011). "Denver mayoral candidate profile: Michael Hancock running on reputation, enthusiasm". Denver Post. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Michael Hancock's Bio". 7NEWS. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  11. ↑ "Hastings College announces graduating class". Scottsbluff Star-Herald. Retrieved 31 January 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.
  12. ↑ "Hancock for Denver – About Michael". hancockfordenver.com. Retrieved 31 January 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.
  13. ↑ "Hodges begins national leadership program in Colorado". MinnPost. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2016. Others, besides Hodges and Mack, in this, the tenth Rodel Fellowship class:... Denver Mayor Michael Hancock
  14. ↑ "Denver Mayor Michael Hancock’s campaign donors didn’t stay away amid scandal, but he raised less than challenger", Jon Murray. Denver Post. 17 april 2018. Retrieved 12 may 2018
  15. ↑ "Anonymous to Michael Hancock: Resign or We'll Expose Your Tie to Prostitution Ring", Michael Roberts. Westword. 11 may 2016. Retrieved 12 may 2018.
  16. ↑ "Occupy Denver Writes Open Letter To Denver Mayor Hancock Over Urban Camping Ban", Occupy Denver General Assembly. Huffington Post. 9 april 2012. Retrieved 12 may 2018.
  17. ↑ "Denver City Council votes 9-4 to ban homeless camping", Jeremy P. Meyer. Denver Post. 14 may 2012. Retrieved 12 may 2018
  18. ↑ "Crackdowns on homeless camps follow Hancock’s ‘State of the City’ speech", Eliza Carter, Colorado Independent. 21 july 2016. Retrieved 12 may 2016
  19. ↑ "ACLU Demands Accountability for Denver’s Misuse of Donated Funds to Pay for Homeless Sweeps", ACLU of Colorado. 6 july 2016. Retrieved 12 may 2016
  20. ↑ "ACLU to Denver Police: Stop Taking Blankets from Homeless People", ACLU of Colorado. December 2016. Retrieved 12 may 2018
  21. ↑ "Denver affordable housing controversy: Mayor won’t say if homeowners could be forced to sell", Rob Low. KDVR. 2 april 2018. Retrieved 12 may 2018
  22. ↑ "After affordable housing debacle, title industry rebuffs Denver’s request to ensure compliance with program rules", Aldo Svaldi. Denver Post. 20 april 2018. Retrieved 12 may 2018
  23. 1 2 Jr, Cleve R. Wootson (2018-05-08). "'My dad's the mayor!': Leaked video shows Denver official's son cursing at officer during stop". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-05-09.
  24. ↑ Murray, Jon; Kovalesky, Tony (27 February 2018). "Denver mayor admits he sent suggestive text messages to police officer in 2012". Denver Post. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  25. ↑ "Body camera video released of Denver mayor's son threatening officer". FOX31 Denver. 2018-08-16. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  26. ↑ Joyce, Kathleen (2018-08-17). "Police release body camera footage of Denver mayor's son's expletive-laden outburst at cop". Fox News. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  27. ↑ Miller, Tony Kovaleski, Blair (2018-08-16). "New body cam video details explicit exchange between Denver mayor's son and Aurora traffic officer". 7NEWS. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
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