At least three Denver City Council members raised concerns Tuesday about the political fallout if Gov. Bill Ritter were to appoint Mayor John Hickenlooper as Colorado's next U.S. senator.

But Ritter's spokesman, Evan Dreyer, said the repercussions in Denver won't be a factor in the governor's decision-making.

"The only consideration is who will best serve all of the people of Colorado in the United States Senate," Dreyer said.

Hickenlooper told the Rocky Mountain News on Monday that he's interested in replacing U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, who was tapped for interior secretary by President-elect Barack Obama.

"To work in Washington at this critical time, at this moment in history, would be incredibly exciting and challenging and I think rewarding," Hickenlooper said.

But Hickenlooper, who met with Ritter recently to discuss Salazar's seat, also said he's in an "enviable position" where he can't lose.

"I'm one of those people that I almost can't wait to get to work," he said.

Council President Jeanne Robb and Councilmen Michael Hancock and Charlie Brown said a Hickenlooper appointment could be disruptive for Denver, especially during these tough economic times.

"The mayor's office just announced budget cuts," Robb said. "The mayor just announced speeding up what we can in terms of capital improvements through our bond issue" from last year.

Brown said a new mayor would have little time to put together a team and start running the city.

"I still think (Hickenlooper) has a good solid vision for Denver, and there's still a lot to do," he said. "We need his leadership now."

Even though qualified candidates have emerged to replace Hickenlooper should Ritter appoint him, Robb said an election would slow things down.

In addition, the field could be crowded, and the highest vote- getter would be the winner.

"You could have someone elected to the seat - I don't want to say through a fluke - but with far less than a majority of the voters," Robb said.

Among the council members interested in running for mayor is Hancock, who said Denver would need someone who could maintain continuity of leadership at City Hall.

"For someone to come in and propose wholesale changes, like a new administration, would be disastrous for us," he said. "We don't have that kind of time."

There's also the possibility of two elections, one to replace the mayor and another to fill a council seat if a council member were to be elected mayor.

"Do we need to be spending money like that right now? For a fiscally conservative mayor, that's not very conservative," Robb said.

The Denver Elections Division is starting to plan for various scenarios, said Nancy Reubert, a spokeswoman for the clerk and recorder's office, which oversees the elections division.

"You have to talk about these things in case they occur so that you're not caught off guard," she said.