A sampling of Denver’s deep diversity was on full display during the second debate among candidates for “lucky” Denver City Council District 7.

Flor Alvidrez, Nick Campion, Adam Estroff, Arthur May and Guy Padgett were asked a series of questions about issues facing the district and the city as a whole. 

Rather than a traditional debate, similar to District 9’s Tuesday night, the District 7 debate was more of a pitch meeting. Candidates were asked for their position on a certain issue and how they would respond to it. They were not officially given a chance to respond to previous comments – but that did not stop them from doing so. 

One question asked the candidates: How they would address climate change at a local level through policies and investments? 

Arthur May said January never rose above 60 degrees, and argued against increased densification, referencing the heat island effect.

Estroff acknowledged the heat island, but also highlighted work Councilman Jolon Clark has done to address it. Specifically, he called out E-bike rebates and pointed to an effort to add more trees and soil in the district. 

“These kinds of small interventions are important for ensuring that we can combat the heat island effect and make sure our city remains resilient and livable,” Estroff said. 

Unsurprisingly, the conversation steered itself towards housing, affordability and homelessness. The trio of subjects are issues the City of Denver – and many other parts of the state – have struggled to address in recent years. 

Padgett believes housing affordability is an essential issue that everyone should be talking about. He supports accessory dwelling units (ADU) and smart development that is dense, especially around transit hubs. 

“Transit oriented development is a great way to add density and add housing where it doesn’t overtax existing infrastructure,” Padgett said. “Additionally, I believe that we should majorly liberalize the use of ADUs in our city.”

Alvidrez took a different approach to housing issues, arguing instead the city should focus on avoiding displacing existing residents. Parts of District 7 lie in Denver’s “inverted L,” an area of historic underinvestment and inequity, according to published reports. 

“When you have a small, humble single family home and someone tears down the house next door to build a million dollar townhome… That’s when it starts to be a concern,” Alvidrez said. “That’s when you don’t really feel welcome in your neighborhood anymore.”

During a rapid-fire “lightning round,” all of the candidates were asked to respond “yes” or “no” to a certain issue. They mostly played by the rules. A majority, three, supported homeless sweeps. One, Campion, did not. 

“We can only sweep them if we have somewhere to take them,” Alvidrez said. 

Towards the end of the debate, audience members asked the candidates questions directly. The first held no punches when an attendee asked why District 7 voters should vote for “another white guy,” who they say have been well represented in Denver politics for quite some time.  

Padget protested the claim, respectfully bringing attention to the nuance of minority. 

“I would disagree with you that gay men have been represented in our city politics, in fact, I think they’ve been severely underrepresented,” he said. “That’s one reason I believe that I make a good representative for the city, I am a member of a minority and I know what it’s like to be treated as a member of a minority.”