Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s first veto as mayor drew scrutiny from a homeless advocacy group, which cited a campaign forum last year when he indicated support for banning homeless camp sweeps during frigid weather.

Johnston last week rejected a proposal approved by a divided council that would have banned homeless camp sweeps when temperatures fall below 32 degrees.

A question posed at a mayoral campaign forum in February 2023 asked this question and told candidates to stand if they supported it: “Will you stop sweeps when it is under 32 degrees or freezing weather?”

A short video posted by Housekeys Action Network Denver showed Johnston, then among a field of more than a dozen candidates, standing up. The clip cut before everyone sat back down. Housekeys Action Network Denver, which views housing as a “human right for all, not a commodity for the rich,” advocates against encampment sweeps.

The mayor’s office told The Denver Gazette that what was asked during the candidate forum was markedly different than the measure that Johnston vetoed.

“The question at the forum while on the campaign was about large encumbrance removals or formally posted ‘sweeps,'” the mayor’s office said. “This measure dramatically expands those regulations to restrict all enforcement of the camping ban during winter months, which makes this unworkable because it does not allow for moving tents when there are public health and safety exceptions or when they are blocking public right of way.”

Terese Howard, lead organizer of Housekeys Action Network Denver, told The Denver Gazette the mayor has “gone back on his promises” on the campaign trail.

“The question was not even whatsoever about larger encumbrance removals, it was specifically about ‘will you support stopping freezing sweeps.’ No mention of which ordinances, which type of sweep — no mention of that,” Howard said. 

Johnston has adopted several strategies in his campaign to get 1,000 people out of the city’s streets, notably shutting down homeless encampment sweeps and offering residents shelters. That campaign moved 1,135 homeless into shelters by the end of last year at a cost of $45 million.

The mayor’s veto didn’t come as a surprise. A spokesperson earlier said Johnston’s “first priority” is keeping Denverites “safe and healthy,” and cold temperatures “pose a serious danger to people living outdoors, and this proposal will limit the actions the city can take to keep people safe.”

The council would need nine votes to override the mayor’s veto, which seems unlikely, given that six of the 13 councilmembers voted against the proposal.