~MEET THE COUNCILMAN~ 

Charlie Brown brings a moderate, business-oriented, common sense perspective to Denver City Council.  As a voice for fiscal moderation he works hard to ensure that Denver continues to be a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Elected to City Council in May, 2001, Charlie won a close battle against eight tough opponents to fill a vacancy.  He was re-elected in May 2003 with two-thirds of the vote to his first four-year term and again in 2007 running unopposed.

District 6 includes more than 20 diverse neighborhoods in South Denver.  The 51,000 residents Charlie represents live in Belcaro Park, Bonnie Brae, Cook Park, Cory-Merrill, Indian Creek, Linwood, Polo Club, Stokes Place/Green Bowers, University Park, Virginia Village, Virginia Vale and Washington Park East.  “I represent residents who work two shifts and a few who are working on the 5^th million,” Charlie says.

Charlie worked with the Home Builders Association of Metro Denver and neighborhood activists to develop and distribute a new communications tool, Obey the Rules, a poster for work sites aimed at reducing conflicts among residents and contractors during the construction process. The Councilman is also a strong voice for individual property rights, and in an effort to reduce non-consensual down zonings, introduced and passed legislation that would require any application for rezoning to have the support of 51 percent of property owners before it is submitted to Community Planning and Development; a Rocky Mountain News editorial called his ordinance “A positive reform that would make the rezoning process less testy and abusive.”

Currently, Charlie chairs the Council’s Economic Development Committee and is a member of Blueprint Denver, Finance, and Public Works where he was previously chairman.  His special assignments include the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, FasTracks Policy Committee, Local Emergency Planning Committee and the Metro Wastewater Reclamation Board.

Charlie prefers boots, bolos and a cowboy hat to a three-piece suit.  That open, approachable attitude is reflected in everything he does including the rope “Howdy” sign on his district office front door.  His office décor reflects his love for the Rocky Mountains and includes a buffalo skull, branded cow hide, an antique elk antler coffee table from Yellowstone National Park and numerous Western paintings and artifacts.

Charlie was born six minutes before his twin brother, Eugene, who is now a City Councilman in their hometown of Durham, NC.  After high school he spent eight summers as a guide and naturalist on the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.  He attended the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) but his love for the West ruled and he transferred to the University of Wyoming where he earned a BA in Political Science.

The media has also been drawn to Charlie for his candid insights. He has appeared on local and national radio talk shows, and in newspapers including The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times and The Chicago Sun Times.  He has also appeared on The O’Reilly Factor, ABC’s World News Sunday, CNN, Fox News and NBC Nightly News.

His diverse background includes serving as a Colorado State Representative, president of an award-winning public relations firm, chief lobbyist for a statewide medical society, assistant public affairs director for an international trade union and a teacher at the secondary and college levels.