WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.319 Okay, so let's unpack this today. We often talk 00:00:03.319 --> 00:00:06.120 about power in cities, right? And usually the 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:07.740 conversation just goes straight to the podium. 00:00:07.960 --> 00:00:10.179 Right, the mayor. Yeah, the mayor. The person 00:00:10.179 --> 00:00:13.580 cutting the ribbons or the person in the evening 00:00:13.580 --> 00:00:16.359 news. But if you really want to understand how 00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:18.980 a city like Denver works, how it actually functions 00:00:18.980 --> 00:00:22.679 day to day, exactly how it breathes over decades, 00:00:23.260 --> 00:00:24.679 you have to look a little deeper. You have to 00:00:24.679 --> 00:00:27.519 look for the people who are woven into the very 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:29.760 fabric of the place. That's right. We tend to 00:00:29.760 --> 00:00:31.600 focus on the figureheads, but the real story 00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:34.710 is often found in the institutional memory. the 00:00:34.710 --> 00:00:37.310 people who bridge the gaps between administrations 00:00:37.310 --> 00:00:40.530 who outlast the election cycles. Spot on. And 00:00:40.530 --> 00:00:43.229 today we are doing a deep dive into someone whose 00:00:43.229 --> 00:00:46.429 resume is basically a map of Denver civic life 00:00:46.429 --> 00:00:49.450 for the last 40 years. We are talking about Allegra 00:00:49.450 --> 00:00:52.590 Haynes. But looking at these sources, almost 00:00:52.590 --> 00:00:54.950 nobody calls her Allegra. No, she is universally 00:00:54.950 --> 00:00:57.549 known as Happy Haynes. Happy Haynes, which I 00:00:57.549 --> 00:00:59.509 have to say is such a disarming nickname. You 00:00:59.509 --> 00:01:02.170 hear happy and you might think of a sitcom character 00:01:02.170 --> 00:01:04.519 or a friendly neighbor. Then you look at the 00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:07.560 paperwork we have in front of us, and she has 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:10.359 held some of the most serious, heavy -hitting 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:13.900 roles in city government. It's a fascinating 00:01:13.900 --> 00:01:17.060 contrast. It really is. Her career spans the 00:01:17.060 --> 00:01:20.040 city council. the mayor's office, the school 00:01:20.040 --> 00:01:22.060 board, and the Department of Parks and Recreation. 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:25.400 It is a remarkable trajectory. And what's fascinating 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:27.620 here is that she isn't just a politician who 00:01:27.620 --> 00:01:31.060 wins elections. She is also a bureaucrat, a policy 00:01:31.060 --> 00:01:34.340 wonk, an administrator. She plays the game from 00:01:34.340 --> 00:01:36.900 every conceivable angle. So our mission for this 00:01:36.900 --> 00:01:39.879 deep dive is to figure out how one person navigates 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:42.219 all those different systems. How do you go from 00:01:42.219 --> 00:01:44.819 being an aide to being the boss to being the 00:01:44.819 --> 00:01:47.219 person in charge of the parks to running the 00:01:47.219 --> 00:01:49.700 schools? It's a lot to cover. It is. We've got 00:01:49.700 --> 00:01:51.799 a stack of biographical records, career timelines 00:01:51.799 --> 00:01:53.760 and election history to get through today. And 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:56.120 if we connect this to the bigger picture, her 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:58.159 story helps us understand how local government 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:01.239 actually maintains continuity. Politicians come 00:02:01.239 --> 00:02:03.219 and go, but figures like Happy Haines provide 00:02:03.219 --> 00:02:05.439 the stability that keeps the lights on and, you 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:07.299 know, keeps the buses running. So let's rewind 00:02:07.299 --> 00:02:09.259 the tape. Where does the story of Happy Haines 00:02:09.259 --> 00:02:11.580 actually begin? Is she a transplant or is this 00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:13.539 a homegrown story? Oh, she is a true local. She 00:02:13.539 --> 00:02:16.319 was born on March 4th, 1953, right in Denver. 00:02:16.580 --> 00:02:18.460 And for anyone listening who knows the Denver 00:02:18.460 --> 00:02:21.479 High School landscape, this next detail carries 00:02:21.479 --> 00:02:24.319 a lot of weight. She's an East High School graduate 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:27.039 class of 1971. OK, for those outside of Denver, 00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:29.900 East High is iconic. It's the school. that looks 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:32.080 like Independence Hall. Yes. They have a massive 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:35.120 alumni network. Being an angel, that's the mascot. 00:02:35.360 --> 00:02:37.340 Yeah. Means something to them. Absolutely does. 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:39.620 It roots her deeply in the community. But she 00:02:39.620 --> 00:02:42.280 didn't stay in that bubble for college. She headed 00:02:42.280 --> 00:02:45.000 east. She earned her BA in political science 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:48.979 from Barnard College in 1975. Barnard. That's 00:02:48.979 --> 00:02:51.300 prestigious. That's New York City. So she goes 00:02:51.300 --> 00:02:53.759 to the big city, gets the degree, sees the world 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:56.439 a bit. But she comes back. She does. And this 00:02:56.439 --> 00:02:58.620 is a point I want to highlight because it establishes 00:02:58.620 --> 00:03:01.599 a pattern in her life. She believes in education, 00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:04.300 not just as a policy to vote for, but for herself. 00:03:04.699 --> 00:03:05.979 Well, a lot of people get their degree in their 00:03:05.979 --> 00:03:08.680 20s and stop. Haynes went back to school much 00:03:08.680 --> 00:03:11.719 later in her career. She earned an M .A. in public 00:03:11.719 --> 00:03:13.840 affairs from the University of Colorado Denver 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:17.699 in 2002. Wait, 2002? Let me look at the timeline 00:03:17.699 --> 00:03:20.400 here. She was already a major player by then. 00:03:20.860 --> 00:03:22.919 She effectively already served her time on city 00:03:22.919 --> 00:03:24.860 council. Exactly. She was already a seasoned 00:03:24.860 --> 00:03:27.699 political figure, which we'll get to, but she 00:03:27.699 --> 00:03:30.520 still went back for the Masters. She also completed 00:03:30.520 --> 00:03:33.500 programs at the Harvard Kennedy School, specifically 00:03:33.500 --> 00:03:36.039 their state and local program and the Rocky Mountain 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:38.039 program. That's really interesting. It suggests 00:03:38.039 --> 00:03:40.580 she wasn't just resting on her laurels or relying 00:03:40.580 --> 00:03:42.900 on street smarts. She wanted the theoretical 00:03:42.900 --> 00:03:45.039 framework, too. It's like she's constantly sharpening 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:48.120 the saw. Precisely. She seems to view governance 00:03:48.120 --> 00:03:50.219 as a discipline you study, not just a job you 00:03:50.219 --> 00:03:52.620 do. But before she became the master of public 00:03:52.620 --> 00:03:55.180 affairs, she had to be an apprentice. And her 00:03:55.180 --> 00:03:57.460 apprenticeship was high level. Yeah. Looking 00:03:57.460 --> 00:04:00.860 at the late 70s here. 1979, she starts as an 00:04:00.860 --> 00:04:03.659 aide to Councilman Bill Roberts. This is the 00:04:03.659 --> 00:04:05.939 grunt work phase, right? It is, but it's where 00:04:05.939 --> 00:04:08.740 you learn the mechanics. And then the 80s happen. 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:13.919 From 1983 to 1990, Haynes served as an administrative 00:04:13.919 --> 00:04:17.379 aide to Federico Pena. Denver's first Latino 00:04:17.379 --> 00:04:21.540 mayor. The Imagine a Great City era. It was a 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:24.089 pivotal time. The city was trying to transform 00:04:24.089 --> 00:04:26.649 from a regional cow town, as it was affectionately 00:04:26.649 --> 00:04:28.990 known, into a modern metropolis. Right. Being 00:04:28.990 --> 00:04:31.050 an administrative aide in the mayor's office 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:33.389 during a historic administration like that. That 00:04:33.389 --> 00:04:35.810 is where you learn how the sausage is made. Exactly. 00:04:36.089 --> 00:04:37.889 You aren't the one giving the speeches yet. You're 00:04:37.889 --> 00:04:40.069 the one making sure the city departments are 00:04:40.069 --> 00:04:42.310 actually talking to each other. She spends the 00:04:42.310 --> 00:04:44.649 80s as the ultimate insider, learning the ropes, 00:04:44.910 --> 00:04:47.810 fixing the problems behind the scenes. Then comes 00:04:47.810 --> 00:04:51.290 1990. The new decade brings a new role. She decides 00:04:51.290 --> 00:04:53.290 it's time to step out from behind the curtain. 00:04:53.470 --> 00:04:56.009 That's right. She runs for city council. Specifically, 00:04:56.209 --> 00:04:58.930 she ran to succeed her former boss, Bill Roberts. 00:04:59.389 --> 00:05:01.730 And this is a major historical moment. Here's 00:05:01.730 --> 00:05:03.529 where it gets really interesting. Because when 00:05:03.529 --> 00:05:05.990 she wins that seat, she isn't just winning a 00:05:05.990 --> 00:05:09.029 job. She's breaking a pretty significant glass 00:05:09.029 --> 00:05:11.449 ceiling. She became the first African -American 00:05:11.449 --> 00:05:13.889 woman to serve on the Denver City Council. The 00:05:13.889 --> 00:05:17.750 first? That's huge. It's 1990. And that barrier 00:05:17.750 --> 00:05:20.569 hadn't been broken yet. It hadn't. And that context 00:05:20.569 --> 00:05:23.209 is important. She wasn't just a council member. 00:05:23.550 --> 00:05:26.290 She was a symbol of change in the city's leadership 00:05:26.290 --> 00:05:28.810 demographic. And she didn't just show up for 00:05:28.810 --> 00:05:30.990 a cup of coffee. She served three full terms. 00:05:31.410 --> 00:05:33.730 She eventually rose to become the council president 00:05:33.730 --> 00:05:37.329 from 1998 to 2000. So she's leading the legislative 00:05:37.329 --> 00:05:39.350 body of the city. Now I want to drill down on 00:05:39.350 --> 00:05:41.629 what she actually did there, because usually 00:05:41.629 --> 00:05:44.610 city councils about zoning variances, potholes, 00:05:44.910 --> 00:05:47.170 trash pickup schedules, very municipal stuff. 00:05:47.350 --> 00:05:49.750 Yes. But looking at her legislative priorities, 00:05:50.149 --> 00:05:52.170 she seemed to have a different focus. She did. 00:05:52.709 --> 00:05:55.829 Haynes carved out a specific niche. She fostered 00:05:55.829 --> 00:05:59.069 policies focused on families, children and educational 00:05:59.069 --> 00:06:01.149 reform. Which is odd. I mean, the city council 00:06:01.149 --> 00:06:03.149 doesn't run the schools. The school board does. 00:06:03.529 --> 00:06:05.709 They're totally separate entities, right? That's 00:06:05.709 --> 00:06:08.889 a very astute observation. In Denver, the school 00:06:08.889 --> 00:06:11.610 board is an independent body with its own budget 00:06:11.610 --> 00:06:14.110 and its own elections. Right. So for a city council 00:06:14.110 --> 00:06:17.110 member to focus on education requires a lot of 00:06:17.110 --> 00:06:19.189 maneuvering. It shows that even back then in 00:06:19.189 --> 00:06:21.089 the 90s, she was looking at the city's health 00:06:21.089 --> 00:06:23.189 through the lens of education and youth, even 00:06:23.189 --> 00:06:25.350 if it wasn't strictly in her job description. 00:06:25.949 --> 00:06:28.970 She was trying to bridge that gap. The city handles 00:06:28.970 --> 00:06:31.350 safety and parks, the district handle schools. 00:06:31.879 --> 00:06:34.699 But the kids live in both worlds. Exactly. She 00:06:34.699 --> 00:06:37.100 was trying to create a holistic approach. And 00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:39.560 that interest in bridging gaps really defines 00:06:39.560 --> 00:06:42.379 her next move. She wraps up her time on the council 00:06:42.379 --> 00:06:45.279 in the early 2000s due to term limits, but she 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:47.639 doesn't retire to a quiet life of gardening. 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:51.420 Far from it. From 2003 to 2005, she serves as 00:06:51.420 --> 00:06:53.860 the liaison to the city council for Mayor John 00:06:53.860 --> 00:06:56.040 Hickenlooper. Which is a brilliant strategic 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:58.680 move by Hickenlooper. Who better to manage the 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:00.939 relationship with the city council than the woman 00:07:00.939 --> 00:07:03.180 who you to be its president. It's the ultimate 00:07:03.180 --> 00:07:05.889 insider move. She knows exactly how the council 00:07:05.889 --> 00:07:08.110 members think because she was one. She knows 00:07:08.110 --> 00:07:09.910 the pressure points. And during this period, 00:07:10.050 --> 00:07:12.170 the sources note she was involved with the development 00:07:12.170 --> 00:07:15.850 of Denver International Airport, DIA. Which, 00:07:16.269 --> 00:07:19.089 for anyone who knows, Denver history was a massive 00:07:19.089 --> 00:07:21.709 complex, a controversial infrastructure project. 00:07:22.290 --> 00:07:25.050 The canvas roof, the automated baggage system 00:07:25.050 --> 00:07:27.310 that ate luggage. It was a massive undertaking. 00:07:27.509 --> 00:07:30.350 So now think about her portfolio. She has legislative 00:07:30.350 --> 00:07:33.350 experience as council president. She has executive 00:07:33.350 --> 00:07:35.750 liaison experience in the mayor's office and 00:07:35.750 --> 00:07:37.610 she has massive infrastructure development on 00:07:37.610 --> 00:07:40.310 her resume. She is building a skill set that 00:07:40.310 --> 00:07:43.350 touches almost every aspect of how the city runs. 00:07:43.610 --> 00:07:46.790 And yet in 2005 she makes a hard left turn. She 00:07:46.790 --> 00:07:49.269 leaves City Hall entirely. This is the start 00:07:49.269 --> 00:07:51.370 of what we might call the education chapter. 00:07:51.889 --> 00:07:54.569 In October 2005 she joins Denver Public Schools 00:07:54.569 --> 00:07:58.060 or DPS. But not as a board member yet. She goes 00:07:58.060 --> 00:07:59.879 in as an employee. Correct. She was hired as 00:07:59.879 --> 00:08:01.899 the assistant to the superintendent for community 00:08:01.899 --> 00:08:03.839 partnerships. And notice who she was working 00:08:03.839 --> 00:08:07.120 alongside. Superintendent Michael Bennett. Future 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:09.360 U .S. Senator Michael Bennett. She really has 00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:11.319 a knack for working with heavy hitters. Or perhaps 00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:13.639 they have a knack for finding her. Her role there 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:16.180 was really about the soft infrastructure of schools. 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:19.560 Parent involvement, school culture, climate mentoring. 00:08:19.850 --> 00:08:22.089 There's this one anecdote in the source material 00:08:22.089 --> 00:08:24.649 that I love because it shows she wasn't just 00:08:24.649 --> 00:08:27.009 sitting in an office pushing paper. She got involved 00:08:27.009 --> 00:08:29.110 with the National Association for Urban Debate. 00:08:29.490 --> 00:08:32.269 Yes, the debate leagues. She didn't just sign 00:08:32.269 --> 00:08:35.690 a memo approving it. The records say she personally 00:08:35.690 --> 00:08:38.230 recruited six high schoolers to participate. 00:08:38.610 --> 00:08:41.009 She went out there and sold the program. And 00:08:41.009 --> 00:08:43.350 when they had their first tournament in 2009, 00:08:43.929 --> 00:08:46.169 She was there awarding the students. That speaks 00:08:46.169 --> 00:08:48.870 to her style. It's easy to be a high level administrator 00:08:48.870 --> 00:08:51.269 and lose touch with the ground level. But going 00:08:51.269 --> 00:08:53.529 out to recruit high schools for a debate team, 00:08:53.710 --> 00:08:57.149 that takes time and energy. It suggests she genuinely 00:08:57.149 --> 00:08:59.389 believed in the mission of student engagement. 00:08:59.730 --> 00:09:02.309 So she's climbing the ladder at DPS. In 2009, 00:09:02.370 --> 00:09:04.409 she gets promoted to Chief Community Engagement 00:09:04.409 --> 00:09:06.929 Officer. She's also appointed by Governor Bill 00:09:06.929 --> 00:09:09.029 Ritter to the Colorado Commission on Higher Education 00:09:09.029 --> 00:09:12.169 in 2008. She is deep in the education world. 00:09:12.379 --> 00:09:14.700 And then in 2011, she does something that I think 00:09:14.700 --> 00:09:17.320 is quite rare in local government. The pivot. 00:09:17.500 --> 00:09:19.940 The pivot. She resigns from her job at the school 00:09:19.940 --> 00:09:22.720 district to join the private sector, a consultancy 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:26.820 called CRL Associates. But immediately, and I 00:09:26.820 --> 00:09:29.240 mean immediately, she announces she is running 00:09:29.240 --> 00:09:31.799 for the school board. So let's pause on that. 00:09:32.340 --> 00:09:34.159 She was a high level employee of the district. 00:09:34.620 --> 00:09:37.059 She quits and then runs to become a member of 00:09:37.059 --> 00:09:38.840 the board that governs the district she just 00:09:38.840 --> 00:09:42.409 worked for. That is bold. It raises an important 00:09:42.409 --> 00:09:45.610 question about perspective. Usually board members 00:09:45.610 --> 00:09:47.710 are community members or parents who come in 00:09:47.710 --> 00:09:49.830 from the outside. Right. They have passion, but 00:09:49.830 --> 00:09:52.490 they often don't know how the bureaucracy actually 00:09:52.490 --> 00:09:55.509 functions. Haynes was coming in with intimate 00:09:55.509 --> 00:09:58.049 operational knowledge of the district's internal 00:09:58.049 --> 00:10:00.549 machinery. She knew where the challenges were 00:10:00.549 --> 00:10:02.529 because she had been the chief community engagement 00:10:02.529 --> 00:10:04.330 officer. She knew where the bodies were buried, 00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:06.809 so to speak. She knew the budget codes. She knew 00:10:06.809 --> 00:10:08.870 why things took so long. In a manner of speaking, 00:10:09.029 --> 00:10:12.129 yes. She won that election in November 2011 and 00:10:12.129 --> 00:10:14.769 served until 2019. And true to form, she didn't 00:10:14.769 --> 00:10:17.250 just sit on the board. She became the board president 00:10:17.250 --> 00:10:20.309 from 2013 to 2015. So at this point, she has 00:10:20.309 --> 00:10:23.090 been city council president and school board 00:10:23.090 --> 00:10:26.470 president. She has led the two biggest elected 00:10:26.470 --> 00:10:28.570 bodies in the city. Most people would call that 00:10:28.570 --> 00:10:31.350 a career and go home. Most people would. But 00:10:31.350 --> 00:10:34.450 Happy Hands wasn't done. And this next part is 00:10:34.450 --> 00:10:37.149 where the timeline gets a little crowded. Crowded 00:10:37.149 --> 00:10:39.519 is an understatement. We're looking at 2015. 00:10:39.740 --> 00:10:41.899 She's on the school board. And then she gets 00:10:41.899 --> 00:10:44.559 a new job. In September 2015, she is elected 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:47.019 or appointed to the position of executive director 00:10:47.019 --> 00:10:49.500 of Denver Parks and Recreation. Parks and Rec. 00:10:49.659 --> 00:10:52.379 That is a massive department. It's not just playgrounds, 00:10:52.460 --> 00:10:55.700 it's rec centers, it's maintenance, it's urban 00:10:55.700 --> 00:10:59.559 forestry, it's mountain parks. And she's doing 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:01.820 that. while serving on the school board. Yes. 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:04.460 And I think this is where her unique value proposition 00:11:04.460 --> 00:11:06.899 comes into play. We talked earlier about how 00:11:06.899 --> 00:11:09.179 the city and the schools are separate entities 00:11:09.179 --> 00:11:11.740 that often struggle to collaborate. By the silos. 00:11:12.019 --> 00:11:13.779 Well, if you are the executive director of parks 00:11:13.779 --> 00:11:16.179 and a leader on the school board, you are the 00:11:16.179 --> 00:11:18.639 silo buster. Schools and parks serve the same 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:21.360 population. They often share land. By holding 00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:23.460 both roles, she could theoretically create a 00:11:23.460 --> 00:11:25.960 synergy that is impossible for anyone else. It's 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:27.909 efficient. If the school board needs a permit 00:11:27.909 --> 00:11:30.370 for a field day, she could just approve it herself. 00:11:30.809 --> 00:11:33.070 Effectively, yes. It streamlines the bureaucracy 00:11:33.070 --> 00:11:34.990 because the bureaucracy is all reporting to the 00:11:34.990 --> 00:11:37.250 same person. But wait, it gets even more layered. 00:11:37.830 --> 00:11:41.110 In 2017, while she is serving as the executive 00:11:41.110 --> 00:11:43.669 director of Parks and Recreation, and while she 00:11:43.669 --> 00:11:45.409 is serving as the secretary of the school board, 00:11:46.049 --> 00:11:48.710 Mayor Michael B. Hancock appoints her as deputy 00:11:48.710 --> 00:11:51.730 mayor. That's correct. OK, hold on. Deputy Mayor 00:11:51.730 --> 00:11:56.370 Parks, director, school board secretary. Simultaneously. 00:11:56.690 --> 00:11:58.830 How does that even work? It sounds exhausting 00:11:58.830 --> 00:12:00.710 doesn't it? Yeah. But let's look at what the 00:12:00.710 --> 00:12:03.669 deputy mayor role in Denver actually is. It's 00:12:03.669 --> 00:12:06.129 often a cabinet official who is designated to 00:12:06.129 --> 00:12:08.870 step in when the mayor is unavailable or incapacitated. 00:12:09.190 --> 00:12:11.850 It's a role that requires absolute trust. It's 00:12:11.850 --> 00:12:14.690 the safe pair of hands. Exactly. Mayor Hancock 00:12:14.690 --> 00:12:16.970 looked at his administration and asked who knows 00:12:16.970 --> 00:12:19.789 how this city runs better than anyone else. And 00:12:19.789 --> 00:12:23.669 the answer was Happy Hanes. Who better than someone 00:12:23.669 --> 00:12:25.649 who has been a city council president and aide 00:12:25.649 --> 00:12:27.830 to two previous mayors and runs a major city 00:12:27.830 --> 00:12:29.809 department? It really highlights what you said 00:12:29.809 --> 00:12:31.610 at the beginning about institutional memory. 00:12:32.049 --> 00:12:34.409 Mayors come in with big visions and new slogans, 00:12:34.830 --> 00:12:37.370 but you need someone like Happy Haynes who remembers 00:12:37.370 --> 00:12:40.210 how they fixed the budget in 1991 or how the 00:12:40.210 --> 00:12:42.690 airport deal was structured in 2003. And look 00:12:42.690 --> 00:12:44.669 at the roster of mayors she has been connected 00:12:44.669 --> 00:12:47.909 to. Federico Pena in the 80s, John Hickenlooper 00:12:47.909 --> 00:12:51.710 in the 2000s, Michael Hancock in the 2010s. She 00:12:51.710 --> 00:12:53.529 is the thread that runs through all of them. 00:12:53.669 --> 00:12:55.529 It's rare to see that kind of cross -pollination. 00:12:55.750 --> 00:12:58.370 Usually you have education people and city planning 00:12:58.370 --> 00:13:00.529 people and they don't really talk to each other. 00:13:00.570 --> 00:13:02.990 And that is often a failure point in local government. 00:13:03.149 --> 00:13:05.669 Having a leader who has run both systems creates 00:13:05.669 --> 00:13:07.889 an opportunity for connection. She understands 00:13:07.889 --> 00:13:11.029 that a kid in a park is the same kid in the classroom. 00:13:11.289 --> 00:13:14.169 So let's zoom out. What does this all mean for 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:17.960 us, you know, the citizens. When we look at a 00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:20.779 career like Allegra Happy Haynes's, what's the 00:13:20.779 --> 00:13:22.580 takeaway? I think the takeaway is about the nature 00:13:22.580 --> 00:13:24.779 of public service and the value of stability. 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:27.440 We live in a culture that often fetishes the 00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:29.779 new. We want fresh faces. We want outsiders to 00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:31.960 come in and shake things up. We complain about 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:34.700 career politicians. It's usually an insult. It 00:13:34.700 --> 00:13:36.960 is. But Haynes presents the counter argument. 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:40.019 She shows us that shaping a city isn't just about 00:13:40.019 --> 00:13:43.019 passing a flashy new law. It's about implementing 00:13:43.019 --> 00:13:46.059 it. It's about the grind of bureaucracy over 00:13:46.059 --> 00:13:48.960 40 years. It's about knowing which lever to pull 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:51.360 because you pulled it 20 years ago and you know 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:54.539 what happened. It's about showing up. From the 00:13:54.539 --> 00:13:57.759 debate tournament in 2009 to the city council 00:13:57.759 --> 00:14:01.299 meetings in 1990. Precisely. And we can't forget 00:14:01.299 --> 00:14:03.659 the barrier breaking aspect. She started as the 00:14:03.659 --> 00:14:06.220 first African American woman on the city council. 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:08.960 That opened a door. But she didn't just walk 00:14:08.960 --> 00:14:10.559 through the door and stop. She built a whole 00:14:10.559 --> 00:14:13.539 house. She proved that she belonged in every 00:14:13.539 --> 00:14:16.659 room. Legislative, administrative, executive. 00:14:16.779 --> 00:14:18.980 A house with a lot of different rooms. Schools, 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:21.500 parks, council chambers. It makes you look at 00:14:21.500 --> 00:14:23.220 your own city differently. Next time you see 00:14:23.220 --> 00:14:24.879 a park renovation happening next to a school, 00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:26.559 you're going to wonder who the Happy Hanes is 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:28.840 behind the scenes, making those pieces fit together. 00:14:29.059 --> 00:14:31.960 There is almost always someone like her holding 00:14:31.960 --> 00:14:34.539 the institutional knowledge, even if we don't 00:14:34.539 --> 00:14:37.129 always know their name. They are the ones who 00:14:37.129 --> 00:14:39.309 ensure that when a new mayor comes in, the city 00:14:39.309 --> 00:14:41.929 doesn't have to reinvent the wheel. So here is 00:14:41.929 --> 00:14:43.809 a provocative thought to leave you with today. 00:14:44.269 --> 00:14:47.429 We often talk about term limits and the need 00:14:47.429 --> 00:14:49.769 for turnover in government. And there are good 00:14:49.769 --> 00:14:52.389 arguments for that. But consider the alternative. 00:14:52.850 --> 00:14:55.470 What happens to a city without a happy Hanes? 00:14:55.649 --> 00:14:58.409 What happens when you lose that 40 years of connective 00:14:58.409 --> 00:15:01.279 tissue between the school board? the mayor's 00:15:01.279 --> 00:15:03.679 office, and the neighborhoods. Does the city 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:06.299 lose its ability to learn from its own history? 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:09.779 That's the question. Does deep long -term entanglement 00:15:09.779 --> 00:15:13.120 in government lead to stagnation, or is it the 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:15.759 only thing that creates true lasting continuity? 00:15:16.220 --> 00:15:18.659 Does a city need a memory to function? It's definitely 00:15:18.659 --> 00:15:20.539 something to think about next time you vote in 00:15:20.539 --> 00:15:23.100 a local election. Absolutely. Thanks for joining 00:15:23.100 --> 00:15:25.340 us on this deep dive into the career of a true 00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:27.940 Denver institution. Happy Hanes. We'll catch 00:15:27.940 --> 00:15:28.580 on the next one.