The result was one of Denver's classic political feuds. Tooley ran against McNichols for mayor in 1971 and again in 1975. Each time Tooley, then the darling of the Democratic Party's liberal wing, led McNichols in the first round of the nominally nonpartisan mayoral balloting in May. But each time, a Republican candidate, Joe Shoemaker in 1971 and Chuck Byrne in 1975, pulled enough votes to force a runoff. Both times, Republicans then backed McNichols, the more conservative of the two Democrats, and boosted him to victory over Tooley.
I remember the blizzard that took Mcnichols out of office. My green pinto was stuck in the snow down the street from where I lived with my roommate for 3 weeks. I had to take a bus to work.
