Resident proposes Denver pilot of citizens assemblies to improve local deliberation

Duncan Gilchrist, a Denver resident, urged City Council during the July 28 public comment period to consider piloting citizens assemblies as a way to rebuild deliberative civic forums.

Gilchrist described citizens assemblies as randomly selected, demographically representative groups briefed on facts by experts and facilitated to deliberate and produce recommendations. He cited Fort Collins’ process over two weekends to advise on uses for the former Hughes Football Stadium site as an example of a successful mini‑public whose recommendations were presented to that city’s council.

Why it matters: Gilchrist said citizen assemblies can reduce polarization, surface trade‑offs, and produce recommendations that reflect a broader public perspective than interest‑group lobbying. He asked Denver council members to explore piloting such a process, saying other Colorado jurisdictions including Fort Collins and Boulder have used deliberative methods.

Next steps: the remark was a public comment request; no formal council action was recorded in the July 28 session.