Deborah “Debbie” Ortega, a longtime member of Denver City Council, is joining a crowded field for mayor that includes at least 10 candidates.

Ortega has served as an at-large City Council member since 2011. She also served on council from 1987 to 2003.

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Originally from New Mexico, Ortega came to Colorado when she was 13 years old. She attended Kepner Middle School and graduated from West High School. She has been heavily involved in City Council ever since. 

“It is time for Denver to chart a new course,” she said. “This will require a leader who works side-by-side with the people, as I have for my entire career.”

Ortega began her career in public service by working with former Lt. Gov. George Brown and U.S. Sen. Floyd Haskell. In 1979, she began working with City Councilman Sal Carpio, whom she succeeded. 

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Ortega said she is running for mayor to improve the lives of Denver residents. She said she wants to focus on increasing affordable housing, parks and open space, multimodal transit options and “protect against climate change.”

“We will work as a team to combat crime, increase safety and help our neighbors experiencing homelessness to move off our streets and into stable housing and employment,” she said. 

Ortega said that in the past, she has worked closely with communities to bring about positive changes. 

She assisted with the cleanup of the Asarco smelting site, which contaminated the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhoods with heavy metals. She has also served as board president of Del Norte, a nonprofit that has built a number of affordable housing units. 

“I am of the people and for the people,” she said. “Working together, we can forge a proud future for the city we all love.”

At least 10 candidates have filed paperwork declaring their candidacy for the 2023 mayoral race, including Kelly Brough, former head of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and Terrance Roberts, an anti-gang activist who is the subject of Julian Rubinstein’s book “The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun and the Struggle to Save an American Neighborhood.” Term limits prevent Mayor Michael Hancock from seeking a fourth term.

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