Kwame Spearman announced Wednesday that participating in the Denver mayoral election this year gave him “the bug” – a calling to public service and participating in community discourse.

So he stepping down as CEO of the Tattered Cover and will be exploring a candidacy in the Denver Public Schools Board of Education election this November as an at-large member.

“Participating in the mayor’s race was one of the greater things I’ve done in my life and I got the bug,” Spearman told The Denver Gazette.

Tattered Cover officials sent out a news release Wednesday confirming as much. He will retain his ownership stake in the company.

“Today, the Board of Directors of the Tattered Cover announced jointly with Kwame Spearman that after a leave of absence to pursue his Denver Mayoral candidacy, Kwame will leave his role as CEO to pursue a new direction,” according to the release. “We thank Kwame for his time as our CEO, and for all his efforts to expand and improve the Tattered Cover. We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Spearman, a Denver native, and other investors purchased Tattered Cover in December 2020 from book industry veterans Len Vlahos and Kristen Gilligan. The husband-and-wife team had taken over Tattered Cover in 2017 from longtime owner Joyce Meskis.

Spearman spent much of 2022 overseeing the chain’s expansion into communities surrounding Denver, with smaller stores.

He dropped out of the mayoral race last month, and endorsed Kelly Brough. Spearman raised just under $219,000, according to fundraising data from Denver.  He said he’s in the process of returning that money.

“I appreciated all aspects of the campaign,” he said. “The highs, the lows. The policy idea discussions with the community. Talking to voters who feel supported, and those who don’t, at a time when Denver is searching for leadership.”

Spearman grew startled at the recent violence in his alma mater East High School, where he graduated in 2002.

The school has experienced the shooting death of a student near the school, two administrators shot by a student they were searching before school, lockdowns and protest walkouts. The school board met in secret to approve the return of school resource officers from Denver Police.

“There’s a lot of warring factions out there, and the students are losing,” he said. “The school board needs leadership. I’m a graduate of Denver Public Schools and we had embarked on a journey of not just leading Denver, but leading across the country. Students and parents deserve to get back to those days.”

Spearman will embark on a listening tour “back in the neighborhoods” so he can get a better understanding of the issues from parents, students and administrators.

Though there’s no campaign money for a potential school board run, Spearman said the infrastructure for navigating and communicating with the community is “still 100% there.”