Someone once said — though I can’t remember who — that we need politicians to negotiate on our behalf.

And to negotiate on our behalf is their primary duty. 

We can’t do the job. Not properly or consistently anyway.

After all, we have our lives to attend to.

And we neither have the expertise nor the time to engage in governance or in the daily political affairs of our community, which entails tradeoffs and compromises that we easily would frown upon.

Indeed, politicians are not the most popular creatures in the United States. But they perform a function nobody else is equipped to do — listen to people’s demands, tinker with the laws and craft policy that, in theory, enters society as a nourishment, rather than as a shock to the system.

It takes a special kind of creature to be at the receiving end of hours and hours of complaints and still smile and promise to do the right thing.  

It’s a hopeful truism.

It presumes that, first of all, things are, for the most part, working. Or at least things are working enough so that regular residents don’t have to preoccupy themselves with the intricacies of, say, running a major city. 

It presumes that, although the trash might not get collected on the day the city says it will collect the trash, the garbage truck will arrive eventually. Or at least arrive that week.

So, we leave it to the politicians to figure out how to govern. The underlying presumption is that, despite the gnarly labels we ascribe to them, we trust them enough to find a way forward amidst our disagreements, of which there are plenty.   

And Denver, certainly, faces gargantuan problems magnified by its unique characteristics, notably a homelessness crisis, a housing affordability challenge and a sense that the streets are not always safe.

Which brings me to my next point.

Now is a really good time to learn about the 17 candidates who volunteered to succeed outgoing Mayor Michael Hancock.

Election Day for the all-mail-in ballot is just around corner. April 4 to be exact.  

And if the polls are correct, Denver voters have yet to coalesce behind a candidate. It’s a wide open race.  

Here’s another thing to consider: By historical precedent, whoever wins this year’s race for Denver mayor will likely keep the seat for a long time, perhaps as many as a dozen years.

Hancock, the outgoing mayor, served for 12 years. The mayors before him also stayed in office for long periods.

For new parents, this means the next mayor’s priorities will shape the city of Denver for the entire duration of their children’s childhood.

For those children, the new mayor will have a significant influence on whether they grow up in a safe, economically robust and vibrant neighborhood.

That’s partly because Denver follows a strong executive model of governance. Real power resides in the mayor, who holds veto authority over the city council. In other major cities (like Aurora), that authority is often dispersed — the mayor is but a single vote on the council.

So this year’s municipal election is a consequential one, the outcome of which will define the city as it continues to emerge out of the pandemic and looks ahead to the middle of the 21st century.     

And that’s why the upcoming mayoral forum hosted by The Denver Gazette offers a solid opportunity to learn who’s running and what their vision is for the city. 

All 17 candidates have confirmed to attend the forum, which is scheduled for Wednesday, March 22 at the Anschutz Medical Campus, Anschutz Education, 2 South Building, 13121 E. 17th Place, Aurora starting at 8:30 a.m.

So, let’s hear them out. See what they’re up to. 

If you have questions for the candidates, now is a good time to submit them, too. 

The forum is free to attend. Reserve your seats here: https://gazette.secondstreetapp.com/Denver-Mayor-Race/