8 questions for Stephanie O'Malley Denver clerk and recorder

Daniel J. Chacon, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 9, 2007 at midnight

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Denver Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O'Malley's first stab at running an election didn't exactly go without a hitch Tuesday.

O'Malley, sworn in as the city's first elected clerk and recorder in July, had to summon the police SWAT team to help count ballots after exhausted election volunteers, many of them seniors, gave up and went home for the night.

An unexpected number of ballots dropped off on Election Day compounded the backlog, creating a counting delay and leaving several high-profile races and ballot initiatives in limbo.

But O'Malley, the daughter of former Mayor Wellington Webb, said Thursday she learned some valuable lessons from the experience. O'Malley also said she knows what to do differently next year as Denver - and the state - gears up for what is expected to be the largest election in Colorado history.

1 First of all, how are you doing?

Better than I was (Wednesday) because I was able to get a few hours of rest. I do have a change of clothes on, by the way. (Laughs) I tried like six times to go change my clothes, and I could never get away. When duty calls, man, you gotta do what you gotta do.

2 What lessons did you learn from Tuesday and how are you going to use them to get ready for next year?

We are really going to have to find a way to change the demographics of our election judges. As time goes on in the day and later into the night, our election judges, who are older and elderly, they make decisions to go home. They're tired . . . so we need to find out a way to bring this age demographic down.

3 Why didn't you foresee that being a problem before the election?

We tapped into our resources as they're available to us, and we went with our election judge list that has been here before. Plus, we had staff here that were willing to stay and were tasked to stay, if you will. The question is: Was that enough? I think the lesson that we learned is that we really have to augment those numbers.

4 The public expected election results Tuesday night. I bet you wish you had said ahead of time that results might not be available that night.

If there's something I'd do different, absolutely, so that the expectation is not out there that we're going to be done by 10 o'clock at night.

5 All eyes will be on Denver next year as host of the Democratic National Convention. Does that put more pressure on you?

No. I'm just focused on making significant improvements, continuing to work with a host of individuals to make this August and November election come off much better than some of the elections we've seen here recently. I can't get distracted.

6 As director of the city's Department of Excise and Licenses, you were under less scrutiny. Any regrets running for public office?

Absolutely none. I grew up in this world, and I understand what it brings. You are subject to public scrutiny, and you have to be strong. I recognize that, and I'll continue to trudge forward.

7 What advice, if any, has your dad offered these past couple of days?

(Laughs) My dad is my dad from a supportive role. In times like this, that's our relationship. Both him and my mom called me to offer support and continue to tell me to keep my head up and put one foot in front of the other.

8 Anything you want to add or that I'm missing to ask you?

Nope. My brain is fried. I can't think to ask anybody anything.

chacond@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5099

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