State Representative Leslie Herod demanded a promise that she would take a senior position in Mayor Kelly Brough’s administration when the two were discussing the possibility of Herod endorsing Brough in the runoff race for the mayor of Denver, according to Brough and a third person involved in the discussion. .
“She wanted a guaranteed position and prominence,” Brough said.
Herod, who finished fifth in the first round of the mayoral race, says the claim is “absolutely false”. She also said she had no such agreement with candidate Mike Johnston which she endorsed on April 24.
Johnston’s campaign spokesman Jordan Fuja said there was no promise that Herod or anyone endorsing Johnston would be offered a job as mayor if elected.
When asked how he intended to staff a possible administration during a forum at the Denver Press Club on Thursday morning, Johnston said, “I was very deliberate not to promise anyone jobs, to talk to anyone about roles, to put people in those jobs, even in my head thinking about who the right candidates are,” because he doesn’t want to influence the pool of candidates.
A person involved in the talks between Brough and Herod said Herod made it clear she chose to back Johnston in the second round in part because Johnston was willing to make promises on roles Brough was not. .
When asked by the Denver Post on Wednesday whether Herod had asked for political patronage in exchange for his endorsement, Brough replied, “She didn’t ask for a specific position but it was very clear that I had to commit to a post and that’s just not the way I do it.
Asked if she believed Johnston had made any promises to Herod before receiving his support, Brough replied, “I have no idea. I know I didn’t get his approval.
When contacted for an answer, Herod denied ever seeking such a guarantee. The two women went on three dates to discuss a possible endorsement, she said. It’s Brough’s plans to tackle street homelessness – including arresting homeless people as a last resort if they refuse service or to move to licensed campsites – that have kept them apart throughout these talks.
Herod sought engagement for Brough to give women of color a voice in his potential administration, she said, but nothing for herself personally.
“I have asked that black women in particular, in particular our communities, have a place at the administration table. Absolutely, I did,” she said.
In announcing her support for Johnston last month, Herod said she supported his hopeful vision for the city’s future, including providing short-term housing to address homelessness rather than threaten residents. incarceration people.
“Ultimately, Kelly didn’t get my support because our values didn’t align,” she said.
Anti-gang community activist and former mayoral candidate Terrance Roberts said this week that he and Johnston never discussed jobs in a potential administration before he announced his support for Johnston’s mayoral campaign on May 10 in an event that also included Herod.
“I didn’t ask and he didn’t offer. I’d rather have integrity,” Roberts said. ‘would consider.’
In a debate co-hosted by The Denver Post, Denver 7, Denverite and Colorado Public Radio on Tuesday, Brough called hiring cabinet officials the most critical decision she would make if elected mayor. In response to a question from Lisa Calderón – the third in the first round of the mayoral race, who has also since endorsed Johnston – who asked about a commitment to appoint women of color to important administrative positions, Brough said said she intended to create stakeholder groups to identify the best candidates for each position.
This process means that his administration “will hire someone that our stakeholders, the people who care deeply about this work, are now invested in, that there is ownership, and together we can start the work immediately.”
Here’s how Johnston answered Claderón’s question: “Absolutely. The answer is that we will ensure that we have both incredibly diverse transition teams and an incredibly diverse leadership team, including ensuring that women of color are strongly represented in these times.
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