Earlier this year I had the opportunity to interview Denver mayoral candidate James Mejia and have followed his campaign trail from the sidelines. His message and vision have never wavered.
Mejia’s supporters praise his ability to gracefully handle the issues and be forthright in his solutions, and remain on track in answering the multitude of questions presented at the various community mayoral forums and the numerous events he attends on a daily basis.
Although Mejia’s campaign boasts tremendous support and notable endorsements, James is his own best messenger. The following is an interview with James, responding candidly and honestly.

El Semanario: What sets you apart from the other candidates?
James Mejia: I point to three things that really make my candidacy different. The first is the justice center; I am the only one on that stage that has multi-million dollar construction and bond experience and that means working with communities and that means working with the private sector to get the job done. It means working with architects and contractors and it means holding to a budget; and having brought that in on budget and on time. I think that is incredibly important and is a statement to the city that that’s how we’ll run a new administration. And no one else on that stage will have that kind of experience.
But also I am the only one who will have been a cabinet member and have the executive management experience at the cabinet level in city government. The experience of someone in the legislative branch and someone in the executive branch is a very different one-- and I don’t mean to minimize the role in the legislature, it’s a very important branch of government, but I do submit that the duties are very different. As someone ...