Denver Mayor Michael Hancock delivered his second "State of the City" address at the Forney Transportation Museum on Monday morning.
The address celebrated accomplishments of the last year, outlined the work the city is dedicated to and pledged improvements in key areas across the city for the coming year.
"Denver has grown from an isolated mining town to an up-and-coming metropolis," Hancock said. "I am, as your mayor, proud to stand here today to state the great position of our city. Denver is strong. Poised to get stronger. And primed to compete in the global marketplace."
Hancock celebrated Denver's high employment numbers as well as his elimination of the city's budget deficit, "Over the past year, Denver's economy added 15,000 new jobs and 1,000 new businesses. Joblessness has dropped two points since 2011 and our housing market is one of the strongest in the nation," Hancock said. "On top of that, we’ve created a solid foundation for our city by growing our reserves and maintaining our AAA bond rating."
The mayor was also proud to announce the number of same-sex civil unions licenses that have been issued since the law went into effect earlier this year. "Over the past year Denver has demonstrated that the value of inclusion is more than rhetoric," Hancock said. "We threw open our doors to Denver's GLBT community and have already issued more than 400 civil union licenses."
Hancock also stressed the importance of revitalizing some of Denver's forgotten, poor neighborhoods. “We must better connect neighborhoods to resources and opportunities, particularly those that are under-served and overlooked,” Hancock said. “By strengthening our neighborhoods, we strengthen our city’s global connectivity.
Read the full text of Hancock's speech here or watch The Denver Post's video of the full address above.