Denver Mayor Michael Hancock delivered his 11th State of the City address Monday morning, but in many ways it was like none other as the nation stands a step back from the precipice of the pandemic.

In a 2,800-word prepared speech, Hancock told the city the signs of recovery were all around. He spoke at the Denver Central Library and noted the returning vibrancy of Civic Center park nearby.

“People have returned to downtown Denver. Jobs are available,” he said. “Construction is picking up. We successfully hosted Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game and nearly a week of events leading up to it. Now I’m sure you’ve noticed, there’s a lot of traffic again.

“The state of our city is resilient.”

Hancock said he intends to direct $28 million  in federal stimulus dollars to neighborhoods, businesses and, ultimately, workers, and he singled out communities of color to help provide childcare, food and assistance with what he called “the digital divide” between those who can afford technology and those who cannot.

Early in the speech he saluted his predecessors in the mayor’s office: Federico Pena, Wellington Webb, John Hickenlooper and Bill Vidal.

“When faced with extraordinary challenges, they mustered the courage to lift their heads and think beyond current circumstances,” Hancock said. “Today, we are the beneficiaries of their efforts: DIA, the Convention Center, reclamation of the South Platte River, sports venues and an amazing system of libraries, parks and recreation centers.”

With just two more years in office ahead – and a final State of the City address next year – Hancock named tackling homelessness, a perennial problem for Denver, as his top priority still ahead.

He said that over the past decade, while he was in office, more than 11,000 people had found their way off the streets in the city.

“But clearly and without question, there is so much more to do,” Hancock said in prepared remarks. “Even before the pandemic, homeless encampments were appearing in cities across the country in numbers not seen in almost a century.

“You have my word. We are going to continue to deploy every tool available, with a goal of lifting thousands of people out of homelessness over the next two years, including those who are living on our streets in the most unsafe and unhealthy of conditions.”

The mayor, a Democrat, pivoted to an issue that politicians in his party are liable to face in the coming years as Republicans seek an issue to capitalize on: violent crime in major cities.

Hancock’s remarks ran head-long into an effort to reform criminal justice lead by Democrats at the state Capitol, up the hill to the east of city government operations.

“In Denver, that spike is being compounded by the release of violent criminals too quickly from custody, putting them right back in the community to reoffend,” Hancock said. “This must be corrected. There must be a balance between reform that keeps low-level non-violent folks from going to jail in the first place, and our residents’ safety.

“One cannot come at the expense of the other.”

He boasted about Denver’s work on police reform, however, calling the city “a national leader in alternative police response,” adding that “we’re committed to staying on this path.”

Democrats and Republicans worked together on bills to address mental health in the last legislative session, however.

Hancock said Denverites need to continue to look out for each other. The mayor put himself among those who have struggled.

“I urge everyone: educate yourselves, learn to recognize the signs of a person in crisis, and be there to help,” he said. “Once someone has lashed out or reached their breaking point it may be too late.”

The mayor also repeated Colorado Democrats’ often-voiced position on equity, noting how he and City Councilwoman Robin Kniech pushed ahead with a plan to increase the minimum wage in the city.

“We simply could not deny workers, especially frontline workers who were already struggling, a much-needed pay raise,” Hancock explained.

The mayor pointed to progress toward improving Denver International Airport, which he called the state’s economic engine, as the airport undergoes a “Great Hall” terminal renovation, adds 39 gates and another runway, while creating business and job opportunities to foster tourism.

Hancock wrapped up speaking about the city’s efforts to deal with climate change.

“When we lift our heads, we can also see the opportunity, the need, to address climate change and create a new generation of clean-energy jobs,” he said. “Another summer of wildfires makes this seem so obvious. It takes skilled labor to reduce emissions in our buildings, to build more solar, to install more electric-vehicle charging stations.

“More than just creating good-paying jobs, we’re going to make renewable electricity more accessible to our residents and businesses, especially for low-income residents.”

He said his city is “back and stronger than ever.”

“Our conviction is unyielding, and it’s built upon equity,” he concluded.  “It’s a future we can aspire to, and that every one of us can believe in. This is no time to think small. It’s time to go big. It’s time to lift our heads up, and move forward.”