Councilwoman Robin Kniech was re-elected in 2019 to her third and final term as an at-large representative on the Denver City Council, beginning her tenure in 2011. Raised in a working-class family and with a professional background in community-based advocacy for justice and equity, she has dedicated her life to making Denver a better place for working families and others struggling to make ends meet.
The Councilwoman has a record of bold accomplishments that support access to and funding for affordable housing, good paying jobs, sustainability, police accountability and equity. By 2030, housing initiatives she spearheaded will have invested approximately three-quarters of a billion dollars into housing and homelessness through: Denver’s first-ever dedicated affordable housing fund, created in 2016 and doubled in 2018 to $300 million in 10 years. And voter-approved ballot measure 2B that will reduce homelessness through $40 million/year for expanded housing, improved shelter and wrap around services. Additionally, she launched an eviction defense pilot program, expanded housing protections against discrimination based on source of income, and sponsored the legislation legalizing Tiny Home Villages and helped champion Safe Outdoor Spaces to address gaps in the shelter-housing continuum for those experiencing unsheltered homelessness.
In 2019 she led passage of a citywide minimum wage that will deliver raises to 90,000 workers. That same year, Councilwoman Kniech co-led the establishment of a $15 minimum wage for city employees and contractors, giving a raise to nearly 10,000 working families who keep our city running.
In 2017 she co-sponsored one of the strongest immigrant protection ordinances in the nation which limits municipal cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
She has also helped revise standards for police use of force, strengthen independent police oversight, create energy efficiency and climate goals, and update of Denver’s regulations governing the marijuana industry. She has also been a longtime champion for inclusion for LGBTQ+ community members.
The Councilwoman was active in regional transportation and mobility efforts for her first two terms and continues to focus on equitable transportation and improved transit for Denver in her final term. She also chaired Denver City Council’s Housing and Homelessness Work Group.
Councilwoman Kniech is an attorney by training, with more than fifteen years of policy experience prior to being elected to Council, and serves on the board of Local Progress, the national policy network for progressive local elected officials. She is the first out member of the LGBT community to serve on the City Council and is the mom of a young son.
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