It was certainly a shock to me when Michael Hancock, who graduated from Manual High School with my son, was elected Mayor four years ago. Pundits like to dwell on the theory of generational change following each election. Jeanne Faatz and Charlie Brown, who left the Denver City Council this past week, were first elected to the Legislature a few years either side of 1980. They were part of the first wave of Colorado politicians who were children of the ’60s; veterans of Viet Nam and candidates who could claim John Kennedy’s call to public service had resonated in their lives. This doesn’t mean most were Democrats. To the contrary, the newcomers included Republicans Tom Tancredo, Ann Gorsuch, Steve Durham (recently elected to the State Board of Education), and Cliff Dodge, collectively known as the House Crazies, along with Scott McInnis, Hank Brown, Paul Schauer and Faatz. Democratic legislators included Federico Peña, David Skaggs, Wellington Webb, and yours truly.

Both Faatz and Brown proved exceptionally effective members of City Council, arriving with battle-tested experience and a discerning eye for where they could effectively apply pressure, together with an understanding that fights aren’t often worth the trouble. Many of Jeanne’s constituents had either forgotten, or perhaps they never realized, the critical role she played in placing charter school provisions into state law. It took nearly a decade before she got her legislation just right, affording parents and students more educational choices because of her persistence and strength of character. A moderate, rather than a conservative zealot, Faatz has always pursued results before ideology. Brown, with twenty years outside government, was quick to recognize when bureaucracy was getting in the way of a business start-up, a neighborhood real estate project or community job creation. Also a political moderate, although a Democrat, Charlie rode to the rescue of worthy projects anywhere in the city much to the consternation of several of his colleagues. He was also crucial in making sure the National Western Stock Show remained in Denver once Aurora cast its covetous eyes on its revenue stream.

While this pair is departing public service, their generation won two surprise elections. Political newcomers Tim O’Brien and Wayne New, both approaching 70, had never run for office before, but still captured the auditor’s office and a city council seat. Councilmen Rafael Espinoza and Jolon Clark represent a new generation, but are each only barely younger than the incumbents they replaced. Voters seem to have a knack for selecting candidates that reflect the zeitgeist of the times, while birthdates prove nearly irrelevant. Mayor Hancock wasn’t re-elected because he was young, although he is. His critics have argued that almost anyone could have steered the city through the improving economy and expanding revenues of a national recovery. Tell that to Bill McNichols, who discovered that failing to plow the snow could prove fatal despite 14 relatively error-free years in the mayor’s office. There’s always room for failure.

One of the strengths of democracy is that there are no indispensable leaders. Last year’s officeholders might have departed, but this year brings with it a fresh crop for voters to watch, judge and eventually endorse or replace.

– Miller Hudson is a public affairs consultant and a former state legislator. He can be reached at mnhwriter@msn.com