Councilman Paul López, who has served the longest current stretch among Denver’s council members, will run for a new position.

López, 40, said on Thursday that he had officially entered the 2019 race to be Denver’s clerk and recorder. Peg Perl, an ethics attorney, also is running.

The current clerk, Debra Johnson, is retiring instead of seeking re-election. The clerk’s office manages the city’s elections and records related to government, foreclosures, real estate, marriage and more.

López has represented Denver’s west side since 2007, when he was elected at age 28, but term limits prevent him from running again for council. He previously was a union and community organizer, and has said that he would bring a focus on social justice and voter turnout to the role.

“We have a great system in place, but I think it’s time to start working like organizers: It’s that grassroots component, to really expand (the clerk’s office’s) role into a full-fledged civic participation program,” López said in an interview. ” … Our democracy’s at stake. We need folks to be able to chime in, cast their ballot, and in a way that’s more face to face.”

Perl previously worked with the federal government and as senior counsel for the nonprofit Colorado Ethics Watch. Her priorities, she said, would include safeguarding voting rights, providing more nonpartisan information about elections and making records more accessible.

Amber McReynolds, the city’s former elections director, also has confirmed that she is considering a run for clerk.

Staff writer Jon Murray contributed to this story.