Kwame Spearman, Tattered Cover CEO and longtime Colorado resident, has filed to join Denver’s packed mayoral race. 

Spearman’s name is listed on the Denver Campaign Finance Dashboard, where mayoral candidate names appear. 

Spearman joins a long list of more than two dozen candidates vying for the important city position, including State Rep. Leslie Herod, former state Sen. Mike Johnston and City Councilmember Debbie Ortega. 

“I’m running for mayor to ensure we have a city government that works-not just for one part of Denver, but for all neighborhoods and every Denverite,” Spearman told the Denver Gazette. “As a Denver native, a proud product of the Denver Public School system, and now as a small business owner here in the heart of downtown, I can tell you that the stakes couldn’t be higher. We’re at a critical moment for our city, and politics as usual just won’t work given the big problems we’re facing. We need fresh solutions and a bold leader to tackle those problems and to lead Denver forward.”

Spearman grew up in Denver and attended East High School. He then earned his B.A. in political science and history from Columbia University, his J.D. from Yale Law School and his MBA from Harvard Business School.

“I’m excited to hit the ground running, and to listen to the people of Denver,” Spearman continued. “I’m confident that by working together, we can create a city that is more inclusive, more prosperous, and works better for all of us.”

Spearman has a long history in business, having held roles as consultant for Bain and Co., head of expansion at Knotel, a flexible office company, and, currently, as the CEO and co-owner of Tattered Cover Book Store, Inc.

Spearman, who grew up going to Tattered Cover, stepped in as an investor for the local bookstore when it faced economic crisis in December of 2020.

The news of Spearman’s run for mayor comes just weeks after the death of Tattered Cover’s longtime owner Joyce Meskis.

Joyce Meskis, longtime owner of the Tattered Cover and ‘literary lioness,’ dies

Meskis bought the bookstore in 1974 when it was just a 950-square-foot basement shop on East 2nd Avenue in Cherry Creek North and in the 1980s expanded into the former Neusteter’s department store nearby. It now has several smaller locations.

Here’s the long list of Denver mayoral candidates

Meskis retired in 2017 after a two-year transition to the husband and wife team of Len Vlahos and Kristen Gilligan. More recently, it was sold to Denver natives Spearman and David Back, founding partners of Bended Page, LLC.

The candidate elected as Denver’s new mayor will replace Michael B. Hancock, who is serving his third term as Denver’s 45th mayor. Hancock is term limited and cannot run for reelection.