The city of Denver is facing significant layoffs as it adjusts to budget cuts, with 171 city workers being laid off this week, including Scott Gilmore, an executive from the parks department and husband of Councilmember Stacie Gilmore.
At a city council meeting on Monday, Stacie Gilmore expressed her emotional distress over her husband’s layoff, highlighting the years of his service to the city.
“Thirteen years of service to the City and County of Denver. That means that when he started serving, our youngest daughter was 7 years old,” she shared, visibly shaken during her address.
Scott Gilmore, who spent most of his tenure as a deputy executive director before moving to oversee mountain parks and special projects, has been vocal about his concerns regarding the current administration’s approach to city management, particularly under Mayor Mike Johnston.
In her remarks, Stacie Gilmore suggested that her husband’s job loss was a form of retaliation linked to her criticisms of the city’s budget decisions, especially regarding spending related to homelessness and other initiatives.
“He is a 61-year-old man that only wanted to serve out the last four years of his time until he was 65,” Stacie said. “And because of his sassy loudmouthed wife, he got let go.”
Scott Gilmore echoed his wife’s sentiments, stating that he felt targeted since he raised questions about transparency and communication within the administration. “This hasn’t been a very transparent process,” he stated in an interview, expressing frustration with the environment he encountered since July 2023.
Gilmore’s alleged mistreatment and subsequent layoff have drawn attention, especially as he was originally appointed to his leadership role by former Mayor Michael Hancock, who converted his position to a career service authority in 2021. This change had previously made it more challenging for any mayor to terminate his employment, a move that had faced scrutiny at the time.
Now, with six other individuals from the parks department also being laid off, Scott described his suspension as potentially retaliatory, suggesting that it reduces his influence within the department he helped build over 14 years.
In his correspondence, he shared, “I have had a very influential position and role within the city and department over the past fourteen years. The removal of my leadership could have been done to minimize my influence on decision-making within the department.” He voiced concerns over what he characterized as a hostile work environment coinciding with the Johnston administration’s ascendency.
The city’s decision-making process for layoffs has come under scrutiny, with Council members expressing that they were not consulted on the layoffs or the criteria for selection, leading to dissatisfaction within the council.
Councilmember Amanda Sawyer and others have denounced parts of the layoff process, calling for increased transparency.
“I cannot safely say that these are the steps that needed to be taken,” said at-large Councilmember Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez. “I would’ve loved to partner with the administration and our Department of Finance to find some other creative solutions.”
Michael Wallin, president of AFSCME Local Union 158, reiterated this sentiment, stating that alternative measures like early retirement should have been considered over layoffs.
The budget crisis facing the city is significant, with Denver trying to close a $250 million gap for this year and next. Many city council members and residents have shared their frustrations over the layoffs, viewing them as detrimental both to the workforce and to the services the city can provide.
Council President Amanda Sandoval empathized with those impacted, saying, “It’s a loss for our residents. It’s a loss for people I know in my family.”
In addition to the emotional toll on affected city workers, the layoff process and its execution—and whether it was influenced by political dynamics—remain key concerns for council members.
As the city grapples with this major shake-up, Scott Gilmore finds himself at the center of a controversy that raises questions over the intersection of public service and political discourse.
The future for Stacie and Scott Gilmore remains uncertain, but they have both made it clear that they view this experience as more than just a personal loss; it represents a broader issue regarding accountability and transparency in local government.
A spokesperson for Mayor Johnston, Jon Ewing, stated that the city would not comment on individual personnel decisions but emphasized the rationale behind the layoffs, which were determined using a formula based on factors such as years of service and performance. However, there are indications that individual circumstances led to specific layoffs, raising questions about the fairness of the process.
As the city of Denver continues through this challenging period, the impacts of these layoffs—on employees and the community—will likely linger, prompting ongoing discussions about governance, equity, and the future direction of the city.
image source from：denverite
