A Champion for Affordable Housing: Debbie Ortega is the Leader We Need

During her nearly 40 years of service in local government, Councilwoman Debbie Ortega has been a champion in the fight for housing affordability, access, and fairness in and around the City of Denver. Councilwoman Ortega is a tireless advocate for policies that incentivize the construction of affordable housing units, and for organizations that provide affordable housing resources to low-income Denver residents.

Councilwoman Ortega has a long and sizable track record of promoting affordable housing options and assisting working Denverites in their daily struggles to remain in their homes and in their city.

• As the chair for the Del Norte Neighborhood Development Corporation, a nonprofit organization devoted to building affordable housing, Councilwoman Ortega helped to build hundreds of affordable housing units for the residents of Denver.
• Councilwoman Ortega also served as the Co-Chair of the Housing Taskforce, which generated an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance–the first ordinance in Denver mandating that developers provide affordable, for-sale housing options.
• During her tenure as Denver’s At-Large City Councilwoman, Debbie Ortega has passed legislation to improve the permitting process for affordable housing developments, supported funding for Eviction and Temporary Rental and Utility Assistance, created a funding source dedicated to providing long-term housing resources, and demanded new zoning overlays that require new developments to contain a number of affordable housing units.
• Furthermore, Councilwoman Ortega was the first executive director of the Denver Commission on Homelessness, which is committed to helping people experiencing homelessness access resources and find long-term, stable housing.

Housing affordability is a complex and growing issue. Councilwoman Debbie Ortega has proven that she knows how to confront this complicated problem. She understands the myriad factors that have contributed to it, and she has shown time and time again her ability to combat this issue from every angle. Her compassion for the Denverites struggling to remain in–or re-enter–their homes is unparalleled. Likewise, she has the skills necessary to generate solutions and to work collaboratively with those who are in a position to make affordable housing a reality.

Councilwoman Debbie Ortega is the candidate best equipped to address the pressing issue of affordable housing as Mayor of Denver. She has my firm support and she deserves your vote.