The ‘Great Pandemic,’ the name history will no doubt stamp on the virus that brought the nation to its knees for the better part of two years, is now mostly behind us. But like a 500-year-flood or once-in-a-century blizzard, its toll—human and economic—was epic. Our city, Denver, navigated the nightmare as well as any, but there is still much work to do.
The job of returning Denver to full wellness and its perch as one of the country’s vibrant eco- nomic hubs will fall on the person it chooses for its next mayor. Fortunately, voters will have a choice between two excellent candidates. The person they choose will be challenged with rising crime, a growing homeless and unhoused population, revitalizing center city, perhaps, repurposing many of the buildings now are scant versions of their pre-COVID selves along with many other issues and, certainly, a number of others that will no doubt crop up. The job will require a passionate, indefatigable and imaginative leader. LaVozColorado Publisher, Pauline Rivera, believes the person most capable of meeting these challenges and leading our city, is Kelly Brough.
Brough, a Montana native, is someone whose personal history reflects many of the same travails as many of the people who will depend on her leadership. Her story is testament to both survival and triumph.
As a toddler, Brough’s father was murdered, leaving her mother to raise two small children. Her family relied on government assistance—food stamps and free school lunches—for a period. Later, her mother remarried but her stepfather, a man she recalls as strong, loving, resilient and inspiring, was injured and for a time unable to work. He later earned a college degree and found a career as a diesel mechanic and, later, as a teacher. He is also the person, she says, who encouraged her to leave Montana and chase her dreams in Denver.
Armed with a college degree—earned working nights and weekends—Brough came to Denver with her then husband in the late eighties. As their family grew—they had two daughters—so too, did problems caused by her husband’s alcohol dependence. It was a battle he would lose. He died by suicide.
Brough shares her story openly and honestly. The things that have challenged her, she said, are neither unique nor to be ashamed of. They reflect the same realities that thousands of other Denver families live with every day. But despite her own professional triumphs, her own personal story has steeled her resolve to work hard every day, not only for herself but for so many others caught in the riptide of day-to-day battles.
Brough’s climb reflects a focus and resolve that trumpets commitment, dedication and leadership. Her résumé includes the modest but important work of a counselor and admissions director at a Denver youth center—her first city job—to the President of the Denver Chamber of Commerce. Brough was also the first woman to break through the glass ceiling of this formally all male bastion.
The rungs between her long ago youth center job and the other stops made in her climb show both the determination and focus to get the job done. She has worked as a legislative analyst, founded her own business, Brough and Associates, a facilitation and mediation firm, served as Director of the city’s Career Service Authority and worked as Chief of Staff for former Denver Mayor Hickenlooper.
As she negotiated the sometimes-byzantine puzzle of city government as a new hire and later as a member of a former mayor’s inner circle, Brough learned each of the departments, their jobs and, most importantly, how they get things done. Her campaign ad that tells the story of her actually learning how to drive a snowplow and doing the job is not hype. When she sees a problem, she looks for a solution.
While nearly all political campaigns are awash in a candidate’s accomplishments, Brough is honest in sharing stories about things that didn’t go as well, things she wishes had been done differently or better. Great leaders, like all people, balance the chance of failure each time they make decisions or execute a plan. But failure, Brough preaches, is a lesson as well as a roadmap for getting it right the next time. A good leader, she said, is not afraid to show their scars.
In a campaign, said one legislative veteran recently, technical competence and preparation are often overlooked. “Brough’s demonstrated both in her Chief of Staff job and at the Denver Chamber of what incredible detail she deals with and understands.”
In her campaign stops, many in the homes of Denver voters, Brough shows both the demeanor of a leader, the self-deprecating sense of humor or that of a work-a-day mom. She tells the story of a person who has dealt with challenges that many would keep hidden. She is open, but also proud of the little girl who could have been forgotten, the victim of a condition recognized by a long-ago teacher who saw promise and provided the nurturing to deal with the then misunderstood condition we know today as dyslexia.
Brough knows the city and the treasure in its kaleidoscopic diversity. She has ridden her bicycle through its many neighborhoods and seen the often overlooked and subtle beauty in the simple painted stones that border sidewalks even in the most modest homes.
Denver, Brough says, is her home. “Every single thing I’ve been able to accomplish came from the city I chose to come to. I owe Denver everything I have,” she said. Becoming Denver’s first ever female mayor is not her reason for seeking the office. Brough says her reason for running for the job is to pay it back for the life it has given her and her family.
Brough’s track record of accomplishment is impressive. But even more impressive is her honesty, integrity and her commitment to making a great city a blueprint and model for the nation. Her path to this moment is prelude to the promise of greatness.
For the many reasons outlined above, LaVozColorado endorses Kelly Brough for Mayor of Denver.
