Michael B. Hancock is an American businessman, author and politician, serving as the 45th mayor of Denver, Colorado. He was sworn in on July 18, 2011 after defeating Chris Romer in a runoff election on June 7, 2011. He was easily reelected with no significant opposition in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019, to a third term. He is Denver's second African American mayor after Wellington Webb.
Biography
Born in Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, Hancock moved with his family to Denver as an infant. He and his twin sister are the youngest of ten children. According to a DNA analysis performed on his behalf, he descends mainly from enslaved Cameroonians. During the 1986 Denver BroncosSuper Bowl season, Hancock was the Broncos' mascot "Huddles," making $25 an hour. Hancock graduated from Denver's Manual High School and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Hastings College in Nebraska. He also earned a Masters of Arts degree in public administration management from the University of Colorado Denver. At the time he was elected mayor, Hancock was in his second term as a member of the Denver City Council from the 11th district. During his tenure on the City Council from July 20, 2003 to July 18, 2011, he served two terms as council president, the last ending in 2008. Hancock and former Colorado State Senator Peter Groff co-wrote the book, , published in 2004. On May 8, 2012, Hancock visited the city of Reykjavík and met the mayor of Reykjavík, Jón Gnarr, in Höfði. Hancock was named a 2014 Aspen Institute Rodel Fellow. Hancock is married to actress and vocalist Mary Louise Lee. They have 3 children. Hancock serves as a deacon at the New Hope Baptist Church.
Professional life
Hancock started his career in the early 1990s, holding down two jobs at the Denver Housing Authority and the National Civic League—while also pursuing a master's degree. At the Housing Authority, he designed, implemented and oversaw the first-ever athletic, cultural and leadership-training programs for 11,000 inner-city kids living in public housing. Hancock also helped write a state law outlawing drug possession within 100 feet of public housing. With the National Civic League, Hancock helped communities, nonprofits and other clients all over the country craft and enact strategic plans to solve economic and budget challenges, increase civic participation and improve governance. He joined the Metro Denver's Urban League affiliate in 1995 as program director at a time when the economic-empowerment and civil rights organization was struggling—struggling so much that his first paycheck bounced. Undaunted, Hancock rose through the ranks, developing a strategic plan, overseeing day-to-day operations and leading fundraising efforts. He became Executive Vice President, interim President and then President in 1999. At 29 years old, Hancock was the youngest leader of an Urban League chapter anywhere in the United States. He developed a talented staff, created a nationally recognized and award-winning job training program, and built private sector partnerships with companies like Qwest, Comcast and AT&T.
Denver City Council
After almost five years as President of Metro Denver Urban League, Hancock stepped down in 2003 when voters in northeast Denver's 11th District elected him to the Denver City Council and was re-elected in 2007. His council peers unanimously chose him to serve two terms as Council President from 2006 to 2008. He presided over the creation of the Denver Pre-School Initiative, strategies to fight foreclosures, and the implementation of the largest infrastructure improvement in Denver history. While on the City Council, Hancock was a leader on neighborhood issues, citywide finances, economic development, and children's issues.
Hancock's road to the Mayor's Mansion began with political domino effects. Then- GovernorBill Ritter announced on January 5, 2010, that he wouldn't seek re-election to a second term due to low approval ratings and struggling polling numbers in the 2010 Gubernatorial election. It was rumored that then-United States Secretary of the Interior and former United States Senator Ken Salazar was going to run, but on January 7, he announced he wouldn't seek the governorship and endorsed two-term Denver MayorJohn Hickenlooper for the governorship. Five days later, Hickenlooper announced his candidacy for the governorship and he went on to defeat Republican nominee Dan Maes and former U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo of the Constitution Party in a three-way race on November 2, 2010 with 51.0% and was re-elected in 2014. Hickenlooper's election to the Colorado Governor's Mansion opened up the Mayor's office, which began a free-for-all. In the May 3, 2011 First Primary: Hancock was among the final 2 finishers against State Senator Chris Romer. Romer led the first round with 31,901 votes to Hancock's 30,314 votes. Hancock went on to defeat Romer in the June 7, 2011 Runoff election in a landslide with 70,780 votes to Romer's 51,082 votes. Hancock was inaugurated as the 56th Mayor of Denver, Colorado on July 21, 2011. Hancock was re-elected overwhelmingly on May 5, 2015 in a landslide victory with 75,774 against Marcus Giavanni, who pulled a 2nd place win with 8,033 votes , Hancock and was inaugurated on July 20, 2015 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. In May 2018, it was reported he was outraised by entrepreneur Kayvan Khalatbari for his upcoming re-election bid in the first reporting quarter of the year. In June 2019, Hancock was reelected with 56.3% of the vote in a runoff from the May 2019 General Election where Hancock and Jamie Giellis were the top two finishers. Giellis received 43.7% of the votes in the June 4 runoff. In July 2019, Hancock said that Denver will not assist ICE agents with immigration raids.
Controversies
In 2012, political activists Occupy Denver opposed legislation Mayor Hancock signed banning unauthorized camping; critics said it criminalized homelessness. Hancock has also drawn international attention for his oppositional positions towards the city's homeless residents, including threats from Anonymous in 2016 to expose alleged ties to an escort service. In 2016, following a speech on poverty and hope through low-income housing, his police force cracked down on the residents, which Denver Homeless Out Loud livestreamed officials partaking in sweeps. The ACLU of Colorado issued oppositional statements toward the mayor's office for the misuse of appropriations designed to help the homeless, instead used to evict them. As winter approached, the police force was condemned by the organization for confiscating the bedding materials of the residents.
Housing controversy
In 2018, it was reported the city's affordable housing program permitted overqualified purchasers, resulting in the loss of compliance for the program from the Land Title Association of Colorado.
Sexual harassment case
Hancock admitted to sending suggestive text messages to his female subordinate, Leslie Branch-Wise, during his first year as the mayor. He acknowledged his behavior as "inappropriate" when the victim, a Denver Police DepartmentDetective, gave an interview in 2018 to disclose the sexual harassment she experienced. By providing several suggestive text messages from Hancock, the detective provided a glimpse into the suffering she encountered during the time she worked for Hancock's security detail in 2012. Following the Detective's interview, Hancock issued a blanket public apology to the victim, his family and the people of Denver. Hancock explained, "I made a mistake. I'm human. I never purport to be perfect." He called the circumstances "wrought with politics" and concluded, "It was just one of those things where I got too casual and too familiar, and I learned a lesson from that." The city paid the officer $75,000 as part of a settlement.
On March 23, 2018, Mayor Hancock's 22-year-old son, Jordan Hancock, was pulled over by Aurora Police for going 65 mph in a 40 mph zone. In August, body camera footage was released of the incident, and in the video Jordan can be seen and heard berating the Aurora Police officer who pulled him over. Jordan made homophobic slurs, cursed at the officer, insulted the officer, and threatened his job. The officer remained calm and courteous and issued Jordan the citation. It was revealed that Jordan was ordered to pay a $275 fine for his speeding that day and Mayor Hancock has claimed that his son would apologize to the officer in person one day if given the opportunity.
Other Decisions
In February 2020, Mayor Hancock's first veto in his three years of office was to strike down the repeal of the three-decades old pit bull breed ban in Denver.
