Several Denver City Council members took a moment to remember and recognize longtime Colorado politician Dennis Gallagher, who died last Friday, at Monday’s council meeting.

Gallagher spent time on Denver City Council, as Denver’s city auditor and in Colorado’s House of Representatives and Senate, and mentored many of the council members on the dais today.

“He truly was the epitome of a public servant,” Council member Debbie Ortega said at the start of the council meeting before asking for a moment of silence in Gallagher’s honor.

Council member Amanda Sandoval said she can’t remember a time in her life when she didn’t know Gallagher, noting that he served at the state level with her father. She said she had breakfast with Gallagher when she decided to run for council, where he gave her a dreamcatcher. Sandoval put this dreamcatcher by the memorial she has for her father in her house, which she said Gallagher approved of since her father was able live by his dreams.

“He said that we have to remember to catch our dreams, and that sometimes in public service you can get lost, and your dreams can get lost as well because you give and you give so much,” Sandoval said.

Council member Kevin Flynn said that if there were a roll call of prominent Denver characters, Gallagher would “loom very large” over the city’s history. While he was a journalist, Flynn reported on two of Gallagher’s runs for Denver mayor as well as his time on City Council.

“There’s no replacing a person like that, but there is honoring his legacy,” Flynn said.

“I think Dennis will be remembered for his knowledge of Denver history, for his character, for his class, for his stories.”

Council member Candi CdeBaca called Gallagher a friend, mentor, a legendary leader and a great champion of holding government accountable.

“We didn’t always agree on everything, but Dennis was one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever met, a historian, and someone always willing to teach the next generation about his work, about the community that we’re apart of, and about what’s necessary moving forward,” CdeBaca said.