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Record of Proceedings

Denver Mayor and City Council Meeting - December 10, 2024: Small Business Holiday Support & Executive Session

Mayor-Council Meeting — Tuesday, December 10, 2024
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionMayor-Council Meeting
DateTuesday, December 10, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:00

Welcome to this meeting of the mayor and Denver City Council.

0:04

At this weekly session, city agencies brief the mayor and council members on various proposals and projects across the city.

0:12

This meeting of the mayor and city council members begins now.

1:20

I thought you were going to be hard.

1:23

Yeah, let's talk about it.

1:24

All right, everybody.

1:25

Good morning.

1:26

We are on the air.

1:27

Thank you so much.

1:28

Welcome to Mayor Council.

1:29

Delighted to have you all here.

1:31

We will start with introductions, which began with the distinguished gentleman to my right.

1:40

Jamie Torres, West Denver District 3.

1:43

Lucky District 7.

1:45

Trying to goals with the mayor's office.

1:48

Good morning, Darrell Watson representing the flying district nine.

1:52

Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast District 4.

1:55

Command to San Millon North Clay District 1.

1:57

Great.

1:58

Well, good to see you all.

1:59

We are going to start with some uh announcements this morning, and then we have an exciting presentation from Tron to talk about the vibrant and importance of our small business uh community here heading into the holiday season, which we know will be a big issue for our local residents and our local business leaders.

2:14

Are there any announcements that any uh council members have they'd like to share with the listening public or with the other members that are here?

2:21

President Pro Tem.

2:22

Thank you.

2:23

Um I just wanted to say thank you.

2:26

Um we had a uh senior luncheon last Thursday.

2:30

It was a fantastic turnout at the Welshire Inn.

2:33

So I just wanted to thank community.

2:36

Uh Colorado Symphony was there.

2:38

We had the confetti quartet, which is like senior ladies who were singing, and we also had the mayor um come and speak with the with our folks, and that was really exciting.

2:47

Uh as well as our police chief.

2:50

So I just wanted to thank you.

2:54

We stopped him.

2:55

No, I know, but it was it was really great.

2:58

It was a fantastic turnout.

2:59

Um, and again, I just wanted to thank the community for showing up.

3:02

Um, and also for you sharing.

3:04

I was delighted to be there.

3:05

It's a great gathering.

3:07

Other announcements members have.

3:09

Yes, Councilman of Lidless.

3:11

One last her morning.

3:12

Hey, your money.

3:15

Great reminder.

3:16

Thank you so much.

3:17

Councilman Watson.

3:18

Um Mr.

3:19

Mayor, I want to say first of all, thank you for this and for uh your administration for being supportive.

3:24

We are uh Malahai City has been announced uh from the Federation of Gay Games as one of three um um remaining folks.

3:32

Yay!

3:34

That will be able to have the gay games in 2030.

3:37

There's still more work to be done.

3:38

Um, where the Mahai City, the next two cities are Auckland, New Zealand, and Perth, Australia.

3:45

If you like those places, that's all right.

3:48

But Mahai City's in the running, and we're extremely excited.

3:51

So thank you for your excitement and support for this process.

3:54

It's been an honor to help lead that bid with you, Councilman.

3:56

Thanks for your presence.

3:57

I'm really excited.

3:58

They were, I think, eight or nine North American cities that bid were the only ones selected.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Small Business Opportunity█████████████████████████████████████████████45%
Procedural██████████████████████████████████████38%
Community Engagement█████████████████17%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver Mayor and City Council Meeting - December 10, 2024

This weekly meeting of the Mayor and Denver City Council, held on the morning of December 10, 2024, began with council member announcements and a presentation from Tron, the city's lead on community outreach and business engagement, focused on supporting small businesses during the holiday season. The meeting concluded with a motion to enter executive session to discuss pending litigation.

Announcements

  • President Pro Tem thanked the community for a senior luncheon held last Thursday at the Welshire Inn, featuring the Colorado Symphony and the Confetti Quartet, with attendance by the Mayor and police chief.
  • Councilman Watson announced that Mahai City (Denver) has been selected as one of three finalists (alongside Auckland, New Zealand, and Perth, Australia) to host the Gay Games in 2030, noting that Denver was the only North American city among the finalists. A final bid will occur in 2025.
  • Councilman Gonzalez praised Councilwoman Lewis and her team for organizing the 41st annual Hiawatha Davis Junior luncheon, which served elders in the community and was well-attended by several council members.
  • The Mayor recognized Tim Hoffman's birthday and thanked him for his service, noting that his three daughters enjoyed the council's Santa event.

Presentation: Small Business Holiday Support

  • Tron, a former small business owner of 15+ years, emphasized the importance of supporting small businesses, especially during the holiday season, which is a prime time for many but also a period of erratic sales. She noted that supporting small businesses is a form of direct mutual aid, helping pay rent and support families, and that businesses serve as trusted community connectors.
  • Tron highlighted the city's Legacy Business program, which designates Denver-based businesses operating for 10+ years with local owners. A new round of legacy businesses was recently announced and celebrated.
  • She introduced a holiday guidebook (continuation of an inauguration tradition) listing small businesses by council district, with plans to make it available online and at the airport. Council members were encouraged to share it in their newsletters.
  • Tron launched a "Pass the Spotlight" video challenge: each council member will record themselves highlighting their top three businesses and a holiday market, then pass the challenge to the next district, ending with the Mayor. The videos will be compiled and shared online by Friday, December 13.
  • She highlighted a new exhibit opening December 20 in District 11 (at the third mezzanine) featuring Asian American histories (Chinatown, Japantown, Little Saigon) and local businesses, in partnership with Asian Avenue Magazine.

Discussion Items

  • Council members expressed strong support for the initiative. Councilwoman Torres (District 7) noted that many businesses are struggling and that the city cannot fix their finances but can promote them.
  • Councilman Watson (District 9) said his district already lists three small businesses monthly in its newsletter and will provide more names.
  • The Mayor noted that he and his team use the full list to find places to eat and visit across the city.

Key Outcomes

  • The council approved a motion to enter executive session to discuss litigation pending against the city (citation 2-34 A-3 through 6). The motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously with no opposition.
  • Council members committed to recording their "Pass the Spotlight" videos by Friday, December 13, to promote small businesses and holiday markets in their districts.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to this meeting of the mayor and Denver City Council. At this weekly session, city agencies brief the mayor and council members on various proposals and projects across the city. This meeting of the mayor and city council members begins now. I thought you were going to be hard. Yeah, let's talk about it. All right, everybody. Good morning. We are on the air. Thank you so much. Welcome to Mayor Council. Delighted to have you all here. We will start with introductions, which began with the distinguished gentleman to my right. Jamie Torres, West Denver District 3. Lucky District 7. Trying to goals with the mayor's office. Good morning, Darrell Watson representing the flying district nine. Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast District 4. Command to San Millon North Clay District 1. Great. Well, good to see you all. We are going to start with some uh announcements this morning, and then we have an exciting presentation from Tron to talk about the vibrant and importance of our small business uh community here heading into the holiday season, which we know will be a big issue for our local residents and our local business leaders. Are there any announcements that any uh council members have they'd like to share with the listening public or with the other members that are here? President Pro Tem. Thank you. Um I just wanted to say thank you. Um we had a uh senior luncheon last Thursday. It was a fantastic turnout at the Welshire Inn. So I just wanted to thank community. Uh Colorado Symphony was there. We had the confetti quartet, which is like senior ladies who were singing, and we also had the mayor um come and speak with the with our folks, and that was really exciting. Uh as well as our police chief. So I just wanted to thank you. We stopped him. No, I know, but it was it was really great. It was a fantastic turnout. Um, and again, I just wanted to thank the community for showing up. Um, and also for you sharing. I was delighted to be there. It's a great gathering. Other announcements members have. Yes, Councilman of Lidless. One last her morning. Hey, your money. Great reminder. Thank you so much. Councilman Watson. Um Mr. Mayor, I want to say first of all, thank you for this and for uh your administration for being supportive. We are uh Malahai City has been announced uh from the Federation of Gay Games as one of three um um remaining folks. Yay!

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