Layoffs affect 169 Denver employees

August 18, 2025

What Happened

Close to 170 city employees were laid off in August 2025. Even more open positions were closed. The mayor cited decreased federal funding which is no doubt true but criticism he received about over spending and mismanagement can't be ignored. The mayor's actions were a part of our financial situation and that can't be cast aside.

What Should Have Been Done

The situation with the federal government and the migrant crisis in Denver were real and caused real strain on the city however a more cautious financial stance would have been appropriate. The city sets a budget for a reason.

When the CFO of your department of transportation leaves and says “There was an opportunity to have this entire thing be far less severe than it actually ended up being,” it's not a good look.

---
title: "Layoffs affect 169 Denver employees"
date: 2025-08-18
visible: true
category: governance
sources:
  - url: "https://denverite.com/2025/08/18/denver-layoffs-announced-2025/"
    title: "Denverite: Denver to lay off 171 and close hundreds of open jobs, cutting $100M from budget"
  - url: "https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/local-politics/denver-laid-off-city-employees-notified/73-c7707b8a-355f-4468-9e70-10bc4140586f"
    title: "9News: Denver releases breakdown of layoffs by city department"
  - url: "https://rockymountainvoice.com/2025/08/20/denver-mayor-accused-of-political-purge-after-city-hall-layoffs/"
    title: "Mayor accused of political purge after city hall layoffs"
alternativeSources:
  - url: "https://www.denverpost.com/2025/09/01/denver-city-layoffs-workers-perspectives/"
    title: "Denver Post: From feeling betrayed to volunteering to leave, five former Denver city employees tell their layoff stories"
---

## What Happened

## What Should Have Been Done

When the CFO of your department of transportation leaves and says *“There was an opportunity to have this entire thing be far less severe than it actually ended up being,”* it's not a good look.