Accomplishments
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A successful brewpub owner, John has experience creating jobs in the private sector. As mayor of Denver, John balanced budgets and made government more efficient.
An Entrepreneur on Loan to Government
In 1988, John founded Wynkoop Brewing Company in what is now the LoDo District of Denver. Back then, it was just another rough part of town. But thanks to John's pioneering spirit and the hard work of him and his fellow entrepreneurs, LoDo is now a thriving part of the Denver scene.
Over the next 15 years, John helped open fourteen restaurants, creating well over a thousand jobs. That makes John the rarest of politicians: one who has created jobs, met a payroll, and balanced a budget!
A Problem Solver and a Leader
- Named one of America's top five mayors by Time Magazine
- Helped lead the passage of FasTracks-the largest transportation initiative in U.S. with 119 miles of light rail
- Cut red tape for small businesses and focused government energies toward fostering business growth
- Changed Denver's charter to make city government run more like a business
- Created a new partnership with the Denver Public Schools which resulted in the greatest CSAP score gains by any large public school system in the state
- Established the Road Home program which cut chronic homelessness in Denver by 60% in 4 years and became a model for other cities nationwide
A History of Civic Activism
As a private citizen:
- Served on the Convention and Visitor's Bureau for 12 years
- Led the fight to maintain "Mile High" in the new football stadium name
- Served on over 40 nonprofit boards and committees
- Established Greenprint Denver-a citywide sustainability office to save money while helping the environment