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Tag: Mike Johnston

Denver Mayor Accused of Political Purge After City Hall Layoffs
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Local, Approved, Axios Denver

Denver Mayor Accused of Political Purge After City Hall Layoffs

By: John Frank | Axios Denver Some Denver elected officials and laid-off staff are accusing Mayor Mike Johnston of weaponizing budget cuts to punish critics of his administration. The big picture: Their reproach reflects growing resentment at City Hall toward Johnston, whose governing style has frustrated many city policymakers. What they're saying: City Clerk and Recorder Paul López on Tuesday suggested this week's layoffs were retaliatory, calling them "part of a deliberate, hand-selected purge of those in the ranks who've … maintained responsibility and transparency in an administration that is neither." López also blamed job cuts on Johnston's "mishandling" of the city's budget. Councilmember Stacie Gilmore, a frequent challenger...
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As businesses flee downtown Denver, Johnston points to falling homicide rate
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Approved, Local, Top Stories

As businesses flee downtown Denver, Johnston points to falling homicide rate

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Mayor Mike Johnston has been pointing to a 44% drop in homicides in the first half of 2025, calling it proof his crime plan is making a difference. The figure is a sharp improvement from last year, but it’s recent and doesn’t show where things stood before the pandemic. In the city’s core, the gains are harder to find. A report from the Common Sense Institute shows murders in District 6, the downtown police district, have risen 133% since 2020. Aggravated assaults, drug crimes, public disorder, and larceny are also up. While some neighborhoods have seen improvement, downtown has not kept up the same pace. Citywide Gains, Downtown Losses Data from DenverCrimes.com shows citywide violent crime down more than 30% from last...
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Gabel: Denver’s anti-meat campaign is built on misinformation and contempt for agriculture
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Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, State

Gabel: Denver’s anti-meat campaign is built on misinformation and contempt for agriculture

By Rachel Gabel | Commentary, Colorado Politics Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s $3 million campaign to urge Denver residents and visitors to eat less meat to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) is tone deaf at best. There is no need for widening the divide between people and where their food comes from, especially here and now. Attempting to influence people’s food choices to fit an agenda funded by cause celebs is elitist, especially in a time when families are struggling to put nutritious food on the table. This is certainly further compounded by the shaky foundation of misinformation the campaign appears to be based upon when the priorities of the funding office shouldn’t have arbitrarily added livestock to the conversation. Colorado protein producers have embraced efficiencies and new ...
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The fantasy Mayor Mike Johnston paints for Congress on crime is not the everyday reality, residents say
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Approved, Local, Rocky Mountain Voice

The fantasy Mayor Mike Johnston paints for Congress on crime is not the everyday reality, residents say

By Jen Schumann | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Jeff Workman never imagined that stepping onto his porch would leave him battered, unable to work and afraid to open his door after dark. His brutal attack wasn’t an isolated incident. “At 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 20, my girlfriend and I were brutally assaulted while sitting on my front porch,” Workman said. “Without saying anything, the man immediately ripped me off my porch and I fell down its four steps, landing hard on the sidewalk. I was severely injured, dazed and helpless.” The attack left Workman with a separated shoulder, multiple torn ligaments and a serious spinal injury that required emergency surgery. He is now unable to walk without a walker, unable to work and unable to care for his 98-year-old grandmother. “T...
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Sanctuary mayors broke laws, engaged in ‘an act of treason’ and should be prosecuted, some Republicans say
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Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Sanctuary mayors broke laws, engaged in ‘an act of treason’ and should be prosecuted, some Republicans say

'We don't ask anyone's status at the time of arrest' — Denver Mayor Mike Johnston By Brian Porter | Rocky Mountain Voice At least one member of Congress is referring criminal prosecution of Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, on grounds he violated his oath and U.S. law, and another alleges him to be a traitor to the country. Those were but two of the allegations the mayor faced during a marathon hearing Wednesday on Capitol Hill in the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee pertaining to sanctuary cities. He was joined on a panel by the mayors of Boston, Chicago and New York City. "I've heard you say Denver's crime went down, well Aurora's crime went up," said U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Windsor, Colo., who visited the city this summer ...
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Rand Paul suggests Denver mayor opposing deportations is ‘a form of insurrection’
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Approved, denvergazette.com, State

Rand Paul suggests Denver mayor opposing deportations is ‘a form of insurrection’

By Asher Notheis | The Denver Gazette Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky warned that Denver Mayor Mike Johnston could face legal repercussions over his opposition to President-elect Donald Trump's proposed mass deportations of immigrants unlawfully staying in the U.S. Johnston is one of several mayors who have stated they will not assist the incoming Trump administration with its deportation plan. Johnston said Denver would “continue to be a welcoming, open, big-hearted city.” Paul, who has expressed criticism of Trump’s plan to use the Army to carry out his deportation plan, warned the mayor that his resistance could be taken to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he could potentially be removed from office. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DENVER GAZETTE
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Federal committee calls for Denver mayor to testify on city’s sanctuary policies
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Approved, denvergazette.com, Local

Federal committee calls for Denver mayor to testify on city’s sanctuary policies

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform investigating so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions across the nation has called for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to testify in Washington, D.C. “Denver is a sanctuary jurisdiction that refuses to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement,” Committee Chairman James Comer wrote in a letter to Johnston dated Jan. 27. “To provide much needed oversight of this matter, the Committee requests documents and information related to the sanctuary policies of Denver.” The letter called out Johnston by name: “Denver is a sanctuary jurisdiction under Colorado law, and Mayor Mike Johnston confirmed that he was prepared to go to jail to protect illegal aliens from federal immigration authorities...
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Mayors of Denver and Aurora clash over ‘offloading of illegals’ in Aurora
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Approved, CBS Colorado, Local

Mayors of Denver and Aurora clash over ‘offloading of illegals’ in Aurora

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado In an op-ed published in the Colorado Springs Gazette, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman accused Denver Mayor Mike Johnston of not being truthful about how migrants, including Venezuelan gang members, ended up in Aurora. Coffman said he filed an open records request that shows Johnston used the cover of non-profits to quietly dump migrants in other cities. Johnston denied the allegations, stating,  "The City of Denver never places anyone anywhere."  Johnston said he was blindsided by the op-ed that included a headline claiming, "Denver's Mayor offloads immigrants on Aurora." READ THE FULL STORY AT CBS COLORADO
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Tom Homan responds to Denver mayor: ‘He’s willing to go to jail, I’m willing to put him in jail’
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Approved, Fox News, National

Tom Homan responds to Denver mayor: ‘He’s willing to go to jail, I’m willing to put him in jail’

By  Hanna Panreck | Fox News Democratic Denver Mayor Mike Johnston recently said he was prepared to go to jail over his opposition to the Trump administration's border policies. The president-elect's pick to be the next border czar responded that he's willing to put him there. "You are absolutely breaking the law," Tom Homan, Trump's "border czar" designate, told Fox News' Sean Hannity. "All he has to do is look at Arizona v. U.S. and he would see he's breaking the law. But, look, me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing. He’s willing to go to jail, I’m willing to put him in jail." The Denver mayor has also predicted a "Tiananmen Square moment" if the administration carries out its plans.  READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX NEWS
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Rand Paul suggests Denver mayor opposing deportations is ‘a form of insurrection’
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Local, National, Washington Examiner

Rand Paul suggests Denver mayor opposing deportations is ‘a form of insurrection’

By Asher Notheis | Washington Examiner Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) warned that Denver Mayor Mike Johnston could face legal repercussions over his opposition to President-elect Donald Trump‘s proposed mass deportations of illegal immigrants. Johnston is one of several mayors who have stated they will not assist the incoming Trump administration with its deportation plan, stating that Denver would “continue to be a welcoming, open, big-hearted city.” Paul, who has expressed criticism of Trump’s plan to use the Army to carry out his deportation plan, warned the mayor that his resistance could be taken to the Supreme Court, where he could potentially be removed from office. “I don’t know whether or not there would be a criminal prosecution for someone resisting federal l...
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