Denver Mayor Mike Johnston has nominated Al Gardner, a fellow candidate for mayor in this spring’s city election, to lead the city’s Department of General Services.

Johnston announced his selection on Friday afternoon. Gardner is an information technology professional and an adjunct professor at the University of Denver’s School of Technology and Communications. He has been a member of several city boards and commissions over the years, including the public safety department’s Citizen Oversight Board and the Denver Civil Service Commission.

In April, Gardner was among 16 candidates for Denver mayor in the first-round election. He trailed the leaders in fundraising and came in 13th, with 725 votes. Johnston earned the most votes in that election and defeated Kelly Brough in the June runoff.

Now Johnston has put forward Gardner as a nominee on his slowly growing list of mayoral appointees, with several key positions still unfilled.

Johnston previously tapped state Rep. Leslie Herod, who came in fifth in the mayoral election, to chair his inauguration committee. Gardner is the first among the large field of mayoral candidates to be selected for a city post.

If approved by the City Council, Gardner would lead the little-discussed but important general services department. The department provides support to more than 40 city agencies and offices. Its role includes managing and maintaining 134 city-run buildings and facilities, adding up to more than 5.75 million square feet of space, and overseeing project bidding, contracts and master purchase orders.

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