This is a people-powered effort. The only way we win is by getting out and doing the work.”
Courtesy Ean Thomas Tafoya
Denver has a new candidate for its mayoral race.
Health and environmental activist Ean Thomas Tafoya announced Thursday that he’ll be running for mayor in 2023.
“I’ve been in public service for over 20 years,” Tafoya said. “I’ve been on dozens of community boards and worked on more than a dozen successful ballot initiatives. It’s a huge opportunity that we have in 2023, in particular with the fair elections fund, to make a real difference in the way we lead the city.”
Tafoya is a fourth generation Denverite who grew up in the Barnum and Cole neighborhoods, which are “at the heart of hisenvironmental justice work.”
Headwaters Protectors is a nonprofit that provides water and trash services for people experiencing homelessness. He’s currently the co-chair of the Colorado Environmental Justice Action Taskforce and the state director of GreenLatinos, a national nonprofit that addresses environmental injustices that affect Latinos.
Through his environmental work, Tafoya worked on the Denver Green Roof Initiative and is currently spearheading the “Waste No More” ballot initiative, which would require all businesses such as housing complexes, restaurants, hospitals and hotels to provide compost and recycling pickup services. The state currently prohibits the city’s collection of compost and recycling at large apartment buildings or commercial properties. Construction companies would also be required to dispose of materials in a more environmentally-friendly way.
“It’s 30 years of plans that haven’t been put into action,” Tafoya said. “[The initiative]Commercial sector for recycling and composting. It ensures that everyone in an apartment building has access to recycling in composting…and the final component is the requirement of recycling from construction companies.”
Climate and environmental changes are one of Tafoya’s concerns. Other concerns include public safety and health, housing, transportation, and regional collaboration.
Tafoya stated that his goal is to increase transportation to Red Rocks as well as local mountain parks. He also wants to restore “dignity” to public transit users by having benches and shelters at bus stops, creating more public restrooms, water fountains and hand washing stations.
In the race for mayor, Tafoya is joining four other candidates, including Terrance Roberts, a civil rights activist.
“This is a people-powered campaign,” Tafoya said. “The only way we win is by getting out and doing the work. From now through next April, I hope you will join me in the work. For ‘Waste No More’ to Headwaters Protectors and all the other great initiatives that we’ve been working on for years.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misrepresented Tafoya’s childhood. We regret the error.