Wellington Webb

Infobox_Politician
name = Wellington E. Webb


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birth_date = 1941
residence = Denver, Colorado
office = Mayor of the City and County of Denver
term_start = 1991
term_end = June 2003
predecessor = Federico Peña
successor = John Hickenlooper
party = Democrat
spouse = Wilma Webb
children = (4)

Wellington E. Webb (born 1941) is a former mayor of Denver. He is a graduate of the city's Manual High School. He was Denver's first African-American Mayor.

Webb served as mayor of Denver for 12 years, from 1991 to 2003. One highlight of his years in office was the "South Platte River Corridor Project", involving commercial and residential redevelopment, as well as reclamation of park land, along the South Platte River in central Denver. He was also mayor at the time of the completion of Denver International Airport, started by his precessor, Federico Peña. Prior to Webb's tenure as mayor, he served as Denver City Auditor from 1987 to 1991, and as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agenices in the Cabinet of Governor Richard Lamm from 1981 to 1987.

He is married to Wilma J. Webb, has four children, two biological children from his first wife, the late Lyee Rogers-Webb, and two step children. A third biological child died in infancy, which, according to Lyee, precipitated his divorce, due to her extreme despondence over the death.

Wellington Webb's bid for mayor included his "Sneaker Campaign", in which he walked door to door through a large portion of Denver, introducing himself as a relatively unknown candidate against the popular incumbent, Federico Pena.

Unsubstantiated rumors indicate that a niece of Wellington Webb's may have been involved in a notorious drive-by shooting of a 5 year old boy in Denver's 1993 "Summer Of Violence", although the link was never reported.

Webb was mentioned in the documentary Bowling for Columbine during a speech by National Rifle Association president Charlton Heston. In April 1999, shortly after the high school shootings at Columbine High School near Denver, Heston claimed that Webb had asked him not to come to Denver.

Although he briefly sought the office of chairman of the Democratic National Committee in late 2004, Webb dropped out of the race in late January 2005 and endorsed fellow candidate Howard Dean, who went on to win the chairmanship. Webb was well known as the only African-American candidate for the DNC chairmanship.

In February 2007, Webb published his autobiography, "The Man, the Mayor and the Making of Modern Denver," (Fulcrum Publishing) co-written by former Colorado journalist Cindy Brovsky.

Webb is married to another Colorado politician, Wilma Webb.

The Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building, completed in Fall 2002, was named in honor of Webb. It houses some forty municipal agencies and divisions from the City and County of Denver, as well as the office of the District Attorney.

External links

* [http://www.denvergov.org/Auditor/template26077.asp Biography by DenverGov.org] - Focuses mostly on Webb's service as city auditor
* [http://www.denvergov.org/CCOB/ The Wellington E. Webb Municipal Office Building] - Information and pictures
* [http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/South_Platte_River South Platte project]