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AUDITOR’S RACE HEATS UP
04-16-03

Who would have thought the campaign for the next Auditor for the City and County of Denver could be so exciting? In a one-hour television broadcast special on KBDI Channel 12, all five candidates contributed to making the race a competitive and highly contested event. Here’s a thumbnail sketch of the candidates.

Dennis Gallagher, the Denver City Councilman for District 1 and Speech Communication Professor at Regis University who served for 16 years on the Colorado State Legislative Audit committee (as both an elected State Representative and then State Senator from Denver), and has also served on the Denver City Council Finance Committee.

Debbie Ortega, the Denver City Councilwoman currently serving her fourth term in office who twice was President of Denver City Council (in 1994 and 1995), who and is presently the Vice-Chair of the Denver City’s Finance Committee. She is past co-chair of the city's Affordable Housing Task Force and has been a vocal champion for affordable housing.

Landri Taylor, the former Treasurer of the Regional Transportation District, who helped successfully launch Denver's first Light Rail Transit System on time and on budget. Known as a family man at heart, Landri also served as Co-Chair of the 1998 Neighborhood Bond Campaign, which brought in over $100 million to Denver's neighborhoods.

Ed Thomas, the twice-elected Denver City Councilman representing Council District 10, who had a long career with the Denver Police Department and has a 30-year track record serving Denver citizens. He also serves on the board of directors for the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Sunrise Assisted Living Community at Cherry Creek.

Bill Wells, the former President of the Rocky Mountain Toas™asters, who served as the Purchasing Agent for Arapahoe County before becoming a Management Analyst for the City and County of Denver, Budget and Management Office. He was the candidate endorsed by the Denver Post for City Auditor in 1979.

The program (which now is available for viewing on the Web) gave each candidate ample time to respond to a number of issues. A sampling includes the following.

WHY SHOULD A VOTER SUPPORT YOU? Wells stressed his ability to successfully manage the staff as a team and the fact he already has managed 50 people -- a number similar to the Auditor’s staff. Gallagher emphasized his many years on the State’s Legislative Audit Committee and his endorsement by former State Auditor Tim O’Brien. Taylor focused on his extensive private sector experience and the need to remember "It’s the taxpayers’ money." Ortega pointed to her detailed knowledge of the City and the importance of the relationship between City Council and the Auditor’s office. Thomas argued that there was an immediate need to take the politics out of the office.

WILL YOU USE THE OFFICE AS A STEPPING STONE? Gallagher and Wells unconditionally said they would not ever run for Mayor. Ortega and Taylor said they would not close out the option. Thomas said it wasn’t his "intention" to run for Mayor, if he were to win.

HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE THE CURRENT AUDITOR? Thomas believed the incumbent, Don Mares, has been very responsive. He would not criticize Mares Gallagher noted that Mares did "a great job" with the Denver Health transition but felt he could have been more aggressive regarding controversial nepotism issues in City government. Ortega praised Mares for leading an automation revolution in the office. She said she "couldn’t think of any mistakes" he had made. Taylor emphasized how Mares guided the City through the Y2K challenge in 1999-2000. He said, "I don’t know what he’s done wrong." Wells was the most critical and explained the City’s +$26 million automation effort was almost a complete failure and could have been done for a fraction of the total. This discussion was interesting because it was important to identify areas of weakness but few candidates were willing to criticize the incumbent Auditor who was one of the top tier candidates for Mayor.

WHAT WOULD ONE OF YOUR FIRST ACTS AS AUDITOR BE? Gallagher explained the City needed a hearing process to discuss historically ignored Auditor reports and get greater benefit from them. He also wanted to reduce the number of cars made available to employees at City expense. Ortega outlined the need for "an integrated technology plan" and detailed the fact "our [automated] systems don’t talk to each other." She emphasized the need for the Auditor to understand City processes better. Taylor argued the receipt of payments was not as well-managed as it could be and that the City was losing interest income it needed. He also said there were numerous costs savings he would propose. Thomas said his focus immediately after taking office would be on fraud and waste. He said it was time to get the Auditor together with the new Administration and City Council. Wells cited his specific examples of waste as well as what he believed were inappropriate accounting methods. He criticized City Council (including the three Council members running for Auditor) for its "Special Revenue Fund."

This accusation ended up sparking much controversy on the program because there was a struggle to get the Council members who were candidates to explain their own Council budgets. The discussion revealed there were undocumented loans being made and funds being used which seemed to have little in the way of controls or accountability associated with them.

Other issues discussed on the show ranged from the City’s now obvious upcoming financial crisis to some controversial campaign ploys to how the future survival or demise of United Airlines might impact the City. By the end of the session, a lot of ground was covered and the participants seemed exhausted. Everyone at the studio was surprised at how much give-and-take there was in the debate and how the candidates extensively revealed themselves. It may have been the most exciting political debate broadcast of the current season!