OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Denver City Council Special Meeting: Vacancy Declaration and Proclamation Honoring Councilmember Sarah Parity (August 5, 2026)

City Council — Wednesday, August 5, 2026
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, August 5, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 51:07
Transcript — Verbatim
0:10

Okay, we are on.

0:12

Good morning, and thank you for taking the time to join us this morning for the Denver City Council special meeting.

0:18

Today is Wednesday, August 5th, 2026.

0:23

Today's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish by Sam or Jasmine.

0:28

Would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices?

0:48

Are Sam or Jasmine online?

0:53

Okay.

0:56

Can we hold for just a second?

0:58

Can we?

1:09

Thank you for your patience.

1:10

We are just going to make sure that we have translation for this meeting.

2:10

If we don't have just go ahead and continue.

2:14

Okay.

2:16

All right.

2:18

We are going to go ahead and continue on with the meeting today.

2:22

Um, and uh when they are available, they will join the meeting.

2:27

Um the Denver City Council on Wednesday, August 5th, 2026.

2:45

Council members, please join Councilmember Hines in the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:50

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

2:59

One nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

3:09

Council members, please join Councilmember Hines as they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement.

3:16

The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory, the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arabo peoples.

3:25

We also recognize the forty-eight contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado.

3:32

We honor elders past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations.

3:39

We also recognize the government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of indigenous peoples.

3:50

May this acknowledgement demonstrate.

3:53

Sorry, I'm choked up.

3:54

I don't know why.

3:55

Um a commitment to uh working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities and recognize the current and future contributions of indigenous communities in Denver.

4:07

Thank you.

4:08

Mr.

4:08

Secretary, roll call.

4:12

Councilmember Zelvidas.

4:15

Here.

4:16

Flynn?

4:16

Here.

4:17

Gilmore?

4:18

Here.

4:19

Consultant Terras.

4:20

Here.

4:21

Hines?

4:21

Here.

4:22

Cashman.

4:23

Here.

4:24

Lewis.

4:24

Present.

4:26

Sandoval?

4:27

Here.

4:28

Sawyer.

4:28

Here.

4:29

Torres?

4:30

Here.

4:30

Watson.

4:31

Here.

4:32

Madam President.

4:33

Here.

4:36

Twelve members present.

4:38

There are 12 members present.

4:39

Council has a quorum.

4:41

Approval of the minutes.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Procedural████████████████████████████████████37%
Affordable Housing█████████████████17%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver City Council Special Meeting: Vacancy Declaration and Proclamation Honoring Councilmember Sarah Parity (August 5, 2026)

The Denver City Council held a special meeting on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at approximately 16:30 UTC (morning local time) to declare a vacancy in the at-large council seat B and to adopt a proclamation honoring outgoing Councilmember Sarah Parity. All 13 council members were present, with 12 voting members recorded. The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, a land acknowledgement, roll call, and approval of minutes from prior meetings deferred to a later date.

Consent Calendar

  • No items were called out for separate votes. The council proceeded with a block vote on resolution 26-1143.

Discussion Items

  • Resolution 26-1143 – Declaring a Vacancy in the Office of an At-Large Council Member (Seat B): Councilmember Hines moved adoption. A clarification question was raised regarding the designation of the vacant seat (whether it was seat B under new rules). City attorney Lori confirmed that the seat is correctly identified as seat B per the charter amendment effective immediately. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 12 ayes (Councilmember Lewis initially voted "nay" but corrected to "aye").
  • Proclamation 26-1146 – Honoring Councilmember Sarah Parity: Councilmember Lewis moved adoption. The proclamation detailed her service, policy achievements, and personal qualities. It was adopted unanimously (12 ayes).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public testimony was heard. However, multiple council members offered heartfelt remarks about Councilmember Parity’s leadership, collaboration, and personal support. Speakers included Councilmembers Sandoval, Sawyer, Alvides, Cashman, Gonzalez Gutiérrez, Torres, Gilmore, Lewis, and President Romero Campbell. They highlighted her work on housing, homelessness, equal pay, and her role as a mentor and ally. The council also presented her with a citywide artwork and a street sign.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 26-1143 adopted (12-0): Declared a vacancy in the at-large Denver City Council seat B, triggering the process to fill the position.
  • Proclamation 26-1146 adopted (12-0): Formally honored and expressed gratitude for Councilmember Sarah Parity’s service.
  • Councilmember Parity’s Response: She thanked her staff (Megan, Zach, Jess) and colleagues, emphasizing the collaborative nature of the council and the importance of relational governance.
  • The meeting adjourned with no further business.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, we are on. Good morning, and thank you for taking the time to join us this morning for the Denver City Council special meeting. Today is Wednesday, August 5th, 2026. Today's meeting is being interpreted into Spanish by Sam or Jasmine. Would you please introduce yourself and let our viewers know how to enable translation on their devices? Are Sam or Jasmine online? Okay. Can we hold for just a second? Can we? Thank you for your patience. We are just going to make sure that we have translation for this meeting. If we don't have just go ahead and continue. Okay. All right. We are going to go ahead and continue on with the meeting today. Um, and uh when they are available, they will join the meeting. Um the Denver City Council on Wednesday, August 5th, 2026. Council members, please join Councilmember Hines in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Council members, please join Councilmember Hines as they lead us in the Denver City Council land acknowledgement. The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory, the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arabo peoples. We also recognize the forty-eight contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. We honor elders past, present, and future, and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations. We also recognize the government, academic, and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of indigenous peoples. May this acknowledgement demonstrate. Sorry, I'm choked up. I don't know why. Um a commitment to uh working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities and recognize the current and future contributions of indigenous communities in Denver. Thank you. Mr. Secretary, roll call. Councilmember Zelvidas. Here. Flynn? Here. Gilmore? Here. Consultant Terras. Here. Hines? Here. Cashman. Here. Lewis. Present. Sandoval? Here. Sawyer. Here.

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