By the time this column runs, Denver voters will have elected the next mayor of Denver.  That means a new chief of staff, as well.

Here is my heartfelt advice to whomever takes on this job:

First, congratulations! It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make significant contributions in public service, not just to Denver, but also to Colorado.

Unlike “council-mayor” forms of government, where day-to-day management of a city falls to a city manager, in a “strong-mayor” form of government like Denver’s, the chief of staff carries an exceptional breadth of management responsibility. In addition to the mayor’s office staff, you are responsible for overseeing 26 city agencies, whose executive leaders report to the mayor, but through you. It sounds daunting, and it is, but the vast majority of the 11,000-plus city employees are public servants who know their jobs and want to support you. Get to know as many as you can and keep a line open to them no matter where they are in the hierarchy of city government.

The most important thing is that you and the mayor have a trusting relationship that is hand-in-glove.  If you are fortunate, as I have been, to work for a man who treats people well and appreciates honest feedback, you won’t need to worry about expressing a difference of opinion. At the end of the day, you are responsible to the 700,000-plus residents of the city and will only serve them well by being honest with your boss – even when it is difficult.

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Every day will be an interruption to your inbox.  It is ultimately, and primarily, a job about relationships, and your stock-in-trade is your reputation. So, as you navigate conflicts under sometimes very stressful conditions, remember the way you treat people will either add to or detract from the culture of the organization you have been called upon to lead.

What’s next for Denver?

Read headlines from any city in America and you will find cities are struggling to recover their downtown areas in the aftermath of COVID-19. The post-pandemic environment has been marked by office vacancies, higher rates of crime, gun violence and a wretched opioid (fentanyl) epidemic that is adding to the problem of unsheltered homelessness.

I hope you and the new mayor will expand several programs currently underway in Denver, including a new diversion center, medically assisted treatment in our jail system, and a programmatic multi-agency approach to encampment outreach, recently staffed by teams of very dedicated city workers who are working every day to provide effective intervention for people in need of help. Get to know these teams (ably led by Matt Wilmes) and fight to make sure they are well resourced and well paid because their work is among the most difficult in city government.

There’s a lot to learn from other cities on what works and what doesn’t, but so far, no city has figured out how to resolve these problems on their own.  A combination of city efforts, regional coordination and changes in state law are what will, in the end, make the biggest difference.  It will be painstaking, person-to-person work, where the goal must be to help people recover with dignity and accountability (values that reinforce each other).

If you are fortunate, as I have been, to have close and trusting relationships with all the executive directors of agencies, the sheriff and chiefs of police and fire, you will recognize the power of collaborative action. Don’t be afraid to experiment, learn from well-intentioned failures, and when things don’t go well, assume, and don’t assign blame. In my experience the people of Denver have high expectations, but the vast majority will forgive mistakes so long as you acknowledge them and remain committed to doing your best job.

Don’t neglect taking emergency response training exercises seriously. I hope for your sake and Denver’s that you don’t have to deal with another global pandemic, historic protests, societal disruptions on a broad scale, or natural disasters. But the job requires excellence in preparation for whatever comes your way and preparing for the worst is part of your job.

Finally, enjoy this beautiful city, with all of its many challenges. Get to know the people outside of government who make Denver a city that is still alive with promise.

Alan Salazar is chief of staff for Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. Salazar has served as chief strategy officer for Democratic former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper; as chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. and later U.S. Sen. Mark Udall; as deputy chief of staff and policy director for former Colorado Gov. Roy Romer, and in key staff posts for former Colorado U.S. Sens. Tim Wirth and Gary Hart. He also served in senior-level positions in President Bill Clinton’s election and re-election campaigns and in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.