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FILE \u2013 Scott Gilmore, then-deputy executive director for Denver Parks and Recreation, addresses Denver City Council, Aug. 7, 2018. Gilmore was one of the nearly 200 city workers laid off during 2025\u2019s major budget deficit.<\/p>\n
Kevin J. Beaty\/Denverite<\/p>\n
Updated 8:39 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n The husband of a Denver city council member is among the 171 city workers being laid off this week<\/a>. Scott Gilmore, who is married to Councilmember Stacie Gilmore, had been an executive with the parks department for more than a decade.<\/p>\n \u201cThirteen years of service to the City and County of Denver. That means that when he started serving, our youngest daughter was 7 years old,\u201d Councilmember Stacie Gilmore said at Monday\u2019s regular council meeting.<\/p>\n The council member was visibly emotional, pausing at times to compose herself.<\/p>\n Scott Gilmore served most of his city career as a deputy executive director, a job that frequently put him front-and-center for media interviews and conversations with neighbors. But he recently became deputy executive director of mountain parks and special projects, a seemingly more specialized job.<\/p>\n He started working for the city before Stacie Gilmore was first elected in 2015. In her comments, Gilmore seemed to imply that he was fired as retaliation for her battles with Mayor Mike Johnston\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is a 61-year-old man that only wanted to serve out the last four years of his time until he was 65,\u201d Councilmember Gilmore said. \u201cAnd because of his sassy loudmouthed wife, he got let go.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott Gilmore agreed with his wife \u2014 he said he felt targeted because he and his wife have been outspoken behind the scenes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEver since this administration took over, I\u2019ve had questions about communications, transparency,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cAnd this hasn\u2019t been a very transparent process.\u201d<\/p>\n Scott Gilmore originally was appointed to parks leadership by former Mayor Michael Hancock. But in 2021, the Hancock administration converted Gilmore\u2019s job and a colleague\u2019s to career service authority positions, as CBS Colorado reported.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n The change made it more difficult for the city\u2019s mayor \u2014 including its new mayor, Mike Johnston \u2014 to dismiss Gilmore. The change included a raise to a salary of $170,000 a year and drew criticism from Councilmember Amanda Sawyer, CBS reported at the time.<\/p>\n Now, Gilmore said he is only one of seven people who are being laid off from the parks department, including himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI have had a very influential position and role within the city and department over the past fourteen years. I have directly hired a large majority of the Park Operation staff and the removal of my leadership of this team could have been done to minimize my influence on decision making within the department,\u201d he wrote in an email, adding that the elimination could be “perceived as a retaliatory action of this administration.\u201d<\/p>\n In the email, he said that he had encountered a hostile work environment since July 2023, which is when Johnston\u2019s administration took power.<\/p>\n Scott Gilmore said that Stacie Gilmore had criticized the city\u2019s budget decision and its spending on homelessness. The councilwoman also raised concerns about the administration\u2019s plan to study nuclear power at the airport, which was recently delayed as a result.<\/a><\/p>\n Stacie Gilmore ended her remarks on Monday by saying the \u201cdog muzzle\u201d had been removed from her and her husband.<\/p>\n Mayoral spokesperson Jon Ewing said the city couldn\u2019t comment on individual personnel decisions.<\/p>\n The city used a formula to determine layoffs, with decisions based on an employee\u2019s years of service, skills, abilities and performance. Agency leaders could adjust those factors\u2019 weights on a department level. But administration officials said last week the system was designed to avoid reverse engineering that could target individuals.<\/p>\n Scott Gilmore pointed out that his current job was not paid from the general fund. The city is looking for savings in the general fund and targeted most of the layoffs and job closures to related positions. But city officials said last week there were some circumstances where a person could be laid off even if they weren\u2019t paid out of the general fund.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/231016-DENVER-CITY-COUNCIL-KEVINJBEATY-14-1024x683.jpg\"\/)
District 11 City Council member Stacie Gilmore at the legislative body’s weekly meeting. Oct. 16, 2023.Kevin J. Beaty\/DenveriteScott Gilmore alleged a hostile work environment.<\/p>\n\n
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City Council member Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez at her desk during the body’s weekly legislative meeting. Jan. 16, 2023.Kevin J. Beaty\/Denverite<\/p>\n