At this time in 1987 and 1995, when Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's two most recent predecessors approached the end of their first terms, each was gearing up for a bruising battle for re-election.

Both Federico Peña and Wellington Webb won, but not without all-out efforts that forced each into a bitter runoff.

Enter John Hickenlooper. With the filing deadline passed and no serious opponent in sight, the mayor won't break a sweat cruising to a first-round triumph.

Has Hickenlooper been that good - good enough to warrant a free ticket to a second term? We'd prefer every leader be tested periodically with bracing opposition; if nothing else, it sharpens the incumbent's focus. But Hickenlooper has disarmed potential opponents with his unflagging energy and humor. Plus, he's committed fewer high-profile errors in his first term than his predecessors - and when he has stumbled, he's moved quickly to limit the fallout.

His accomplishments are nothing to sneer at, either: taming a major revenue shortfall in his first two years; attacking homelessness with a novel initiative; raising college scholarship money for needy Denver students; promoting regional cooperation; revamping police tactics to thwart rising crime rates (which have since started to recede); pushing through a series of ballot measures involving everything from a new justice center to subsidized preschool.

Denver city government still has a long way to go, though, and the mayor knows it. The bureaucracy is still too sluggish. The backlog of deferred infrastructure needs, from park sprinklers to rec centers and other facilities, is huge. The streets are pock-marked from a rough winter. Civic Center should be an urban jewel but is instead a disgrace. Crime remains too high, while gangs thrive.

Focusing on such basics in Hickenlooper's second term - as he must - may present the biggest challenge of the mayor's career. Denver voters have approved a long list of tax hikes and bond issues in the past few years, for the schools, RTD and the city itself, and they may be nearing the point where they just say no to another plea for resources.

Hickenlooper may have to resort to creative approaches to tackle these problems. If he does, and succeeds, he will have earned his re-election cakewalk.