But the latest message raised a few eyebrows. That's because Hancock, a Democrat in a predominantly left-leaning city, was welcoming the 24-member Republican National Convention's site-selection committee, who were in town June 9-11 to evaluate whether Denver should play host to the next Clint Eastwood chair-a-thon in 2016.
"This is Mayor Michael Hancock and I'd like to extend a warm Denver welcome to the entire RNC Site Selection Committee. We hope that our vibrant city and friendly people makes us the perfect host for the 2016 Convention," the message said.
(Listen to "Train Call" here.)
Hancock has done messages for specific events in the past. For instance, he wished Colorado swimmer Missy Franklin good luck before the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
He's also cheered on "the USA's women golfers as they compete in the Solheim Cup at the Colorado Golf Club" in August 2013 and wished "all the cyclists from around the world a safe and enjoyable journey as they race 600 miles through our beautiful state in the USA Pro Challenge" that same month.
But this one was different because it was highly specific (it was targeted toward just 24 people) and oddly divisive, since politics don't usually put people at ease -- something that airports try to do for their travelers. And that's all well and good with us. In fact, we've come up with a list of other very specific, possibly divisive messages that the mayor could record as part of the next "Train Call" message. Count them down below.
Number 7: Maureen Dowd "This is Mayor Michael Hancock and I'd like to extend a warm Denver welcome to New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd. We hope that our vibrant city and friendly marijuana salespeople remind you to read the instructions before you consume edibles." Number 6: Denver Comic Con "This is Mayor Michael Hancock and I'd like to extend a warm Denver welcome to the cast of Star Trek Deep: the Next Generation, in town for Denver Comic Con. We hope that our vibrant planet and friendly Ferengi makes us the perfect host. Make it so." Continue to keep counting down seven new DIA train greetings Michael Hancock should record. Number 5: Pot tourists "This is Mayor Michael Hancock and I'd like to extend a warm Denver welcome to pot tourists. We hope that our rules allowing you to purchase one ounce of marijuana -- but not to smoke it in public or in the airport -- makes us the perfect host for your, uh, trip." Number 4: Fracking lobbyists "This is Mayor Michael Hancock and I'd like to extend a warm Denver welcome to out-of-state fracking lobbyists. We hope that our plentiful shale and angry citizens makes us the perfect place for you to drink fracking fluid with Governor John Hickenlooper." Number 3: Weather-weary tourists "This is Mayor Michael Hancock and I'd like to extend a warm Denver welcome to all residents of other states. Please me cautious of fires, floods, tornadoes, June blizzards, hail, mudslides, minor earthquakes, e coli in the reservoirs and Miller moths." Continue to keep counting down seven new DIA train greetings Michael Hancock should record. Number 2: Seattle Seahawks "This is Mayor Michael Hancock and I'd like to extend a warm Denver welcome to the Seattle Seahawks, in town for a preseason game on August 7. We hope that our vibrant city and friendly people are as pliant an amenable to you as our football team was last February." Number 1: Skrillex "This is Mayor Michael Hancock and I'd like to extend a warm Denver welcome to Skrillex, playing Red Rocks on June 20-21. We hope that you can turn down the speakers just slightly so as not to bother nearby residents of Morrison. Thank you."More from our Politics archive: "Inside Michael Hancock's plan to divide Denver's pot-tax revenue."
