When mayoral candidate Kelly Brough laid out her “community safety policy” platform at a press conference last week, she purposefully picked two seemingly disparate supporters to stand with her — a former longtime police officer and a police reform advocate who worked at the ACLU.

The message she’s trying to send voters is her experience in bringing people with opposing points of view to the same conversation to enact changes.

“I did it at the chamber. I did it as chief of staff,” Brough said in an interview Thursday. “I was able to bring those diversity of views together to solve complex issues and find a path forward. Otherwise, we’re never going to make progress. We have to see a path forward together, for the whole community to work together to improve public safety.”

Brough headed the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce for 12 years until June of 2021. She worked for the City of Denver from 2003-09, including serving as then-Mayor John Hickenlooper’s chief of staff.

It was there she learned about the complexities of public safety and police work.

Vowing to “restore the promise of Denver,” Brough pointed to statistics showing how crime has risen in Denver with gun violence, increasing numbers of fentanyl deaths and homicides. She pointed to a 55% increase in homicides, from 60 in 2019, to 93 in 2021 to 86 last year, according to the City of Denver Overall Crime Dashboard.

“Many neighborhoods don’t feel safe,” she said. “Their lives are impacted by this every single day.”

Improvement plans Brough proposes includes making sure the Denver Police Department is fully staffed, citing 188 patrol officer vacancies; expanding co-responder models “that pair police officers with civilian trained responders,” and expanding the city’s Support Team Assisted Response (STAR).

“This is where the culture in the police department is critical,” Brough said. “There’s real trust issues, and we need to build and rebuild that with the community. … We’ve done it before and can do it again.”

Asked why public safety is such a priority to her, Brough pointed to her undergraduate degree in sociology and criminology. But it’s much more personal for her and her family.

“My family suffered when my father was murdered before I was a year old,” she said. “It was devastating. So I know how hard it is for a family to keep going forward after something like that. Fundamentally public safety is so important and it’s the government’s responsibility to do it – no one else can. I have deep respect for those who have committed themselves to public service.”

Brough wasn’t joking when she said she appreciated the large number of mayoral candidates, 26.

“I respect how many people care so deeply about our city,” she said. “But that said, I think I’m the only candidate with the kind of experience that allows me to do the job from day one. … Over half of my career has been in the public sector, specifically the City of Denver, so from day one knowing how to do the job is a big differentiator.”

Former Manager of Safety for the City of Denver Alvin (Al) LaCabe Jr., who was also a former police officer for many years, spoke in support of Brough.

“Having worked closely with Kelly in Mayor Hickenlooper’s administration, I can personally attest to her sound instincts on issues of public safety and her thoughtful and effective leadership style,” LaCabe said in a news release. “Kelly possesses the judgement, experience and commitment needed to restore safety in our city. She is ready to lead Denver forward.”

Denise Maes, attorney and former director of public policy for the ACLU of Colorado, also voiced support.

“Kelly is not just offering slogans and grandiose conceptual ideas,” Maes said in the release. “She has put forward substantive solutions and that’s more than any other candidate has done to date. She understands the need to build community trust and her record of collaborative leadership and commitment to transparency and accountability make her the best person the lead our city.”