It’s Time to Fix Our Cities

A 2027 Platform for Denver (and Everywhere Else)

I’ve been thinking a lot about Denver lately — not as a businessperson or a lawyer, but as a citizen, a father, and someone who still believes that great cities matter.

And when you walk around downtown Denver right now, it’s hard not to see how far we’ve fallen, a trend accelerated since 2020 and accelerating as businesses leave downtown as a result of the failure. Denver used to be one of the most vibrant, livable cities in the country. Today? You see open-air drug markets. Homeless camps. Businesses boarded up. Families avoiding the city core. Tourists going elsewhere. And a city government more interested in virtue signaling than basic governance.

So here’s the question I’m starting to explore: What would it look like to run for mayor of Denver in 2027 — on a platform of fixing what’s broken? And here’s the truth: this isn’t a “left” platform or a “right” platform. It’s common sense. Maybe it’s time for some of that. Not only here, but it’s what every candidate in every major American city should be running on right now. If it’s not me, someone has to do it. Because what we’re doing now is failing.

The Problems Are Obvious

• Sanctuary City Status: Denver has been a self-declared sanctuary city since 2017. This policy turns the city into a magnet for illegal immigration — overwhelming services, increasing crime, and undermining public trust.

• Energize Denver: Under the guise of climate action, the city is punishing businesses and driving up costs with an ESG-driven “Energize Denver” program. Forced electrification mandates, carbon penalties, and regulatory overreach are making it harder to live and do business here — exactly when downtown needs help the most.

• Downtown Decay: Denver’s once-vibrant core is now plagued by crime, drugs, and vagrancy. Office vacancies are soaring. Retail is closing. Tourists and families are staying away.

• Homelessness: Denver is spending nearly $200 million a year on homelessness — and the problem is getting worse, not better. Public drug use is rampant. Mental illness goes untreated. And the city’s failed “housing first” model pours money into temporary hotel conversions with no accountability.

The Platform: What Should Every Candidate Be Running On?

End Sanctuary City Status

Denver should not shield violent criminals from immigration enforcement. Public safety comes first. A city that won’t enforce the law cannot keep its citizens safe.

Repeal Energize Denver

Good intentions do not excuse bad policy. Energize Denver is driving out investment and crushing small businesses. We need energy reliability, affordability, and flexibility — not ideological mandates.

Restore Safety and Revitalize Downtown

The streets belong to the people, not the dealers or the vagrants.

• Fully fund the Denver Police Department.

• Enforce drug laws — fentanyl and meth cannot be tolerated.

• Create zero-tolerance zones for crime and open drug use in the downtown core.

• Rebuild business confidence with clear, visible law enforcement and public safety efforts.

Fix the Homelessness Crisis: Compassion with Consequences

• Ban public camping — enforce no-camping laws citywide.

• Build a structured shelter system: shelter, treatment, or jail — not tents.

• Tie services to sobriety, treatment, and accountability.

• Stop the waste: audit every dollar spent on homelessness.

• Prioritize addiction treatment and mental health intervention — not endless enablement.

The Bottom Line

I’m not writing this as a formal campaign launch. I’m writing it because I’m seriously exploring what a 2027 mayoral run would look like — and because I believe this is the platform that makes sense. For Denver. For any major city.

Left or right, we all want the same things: safe streets, a vibrant economy, a functioning downtown, and a humane but realistic approach to homelessness. Right now, Denver’s political class — and that of too many American cities — is failing on every front.

So whether it’s me or someone else, this is where the next mayor of Denver needs to start. And frankly, this is what every major city candidate in America should be running on in 2027.

Enough ideology. Enough performative politics. Time to fix what’s broken.