Al Gardner, an information technology professional who has sat on city boards and commissions, jumped into the race for Denver mayor this week. His candidacy brings the total number vying for the seat in next year’s election to 24.

Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock is term limited after serving almost three terms, and 12 years in office. He was elected in 2011. A new mayor will be declared on or after the April 4 2023 election, depending on if there’s a runoff.

Gardner is the vice president of information technology at Salud Family Health. Though it’s his experience serving on citizen-led bodies such as Denver’s African American Commission, the Citizen Oversight Board and the Civil Service Commission that have given him a valuable “layman’s view” of how the city operates, he said.

Youth violence, affordability for residents and an impact on social services because of children leaving the city’s public school system are key issues for Denver he wants to address, according to Gardner.

“I think we’re at a precipice where we could go one way or the other. And this could turn to be a city of haves and have nots, or we [could be] in a good place where we could work to create a good strong middle class and fix some of these problems,” Gardner said.

His service on the African American Commission and Citizen Oversight Board were mayoral appointments, and the Civil Service Commission, on which Gardner currently serves, is a City Council appointment.

He said he believes his experience serving on the Citizen Oversight Board and the Civil Service Commission – which are specific to the city’s public safety agencies – have given him firsthand insights into current public safety challenges because of the time Gardner has spent with various agency leaders. He mentioned challenges in disciplining police officers, recruitment and data collection related to residents’ involvement with police as key issues.

“I think how that’s going to help me is focus me in the right direction,” Gardner said. 

Here’s the long list of Denver mayoral candidates

Since the Denver Gazette published its most recent list of Denver mayoral candidates, two more in addition to Gardner have jumped in. Current state Rep. Alex Valdez, who filed to run on Nov. 30, touts his political experience and will face off against two other statehouse colleagues in the mayor’s race. 

Sylvia Herring also filed paperwork to run on Nov. 30. Online archives indicate a person with the same name ran for Denver mayor in 1987, but it’s not clear whether she is the same Sylvia Herring. No campaign website or other information about Herring’s candidacy could be found online.