City leaders report their freebies

Records show array of perks for elected, appointed officials

Daniel J. ChacC3n, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, August 2, 2006

Working in government certainly has its perks.

Last year, Denver's elected officials and mayoral appointees were treated to a myriad of gifts that ranged from seats at rubber-chicken dinners to tickets to see the Broncos, Nuggets and Rockies.

Mayor John Hickenlooper, for example, got to see U2, Van Morrison, Jack Johnson and even Widespread Panic with gift tickets.

The freebies surfaced in financial disclosure statements that 29 city officials, both elected and appointed, are required to file annually under Denver's municipal code.

Tuesday was the deadline to file the documents, which also show what city bureaucrats own and owe.

"These documents are to give citizens and voters an understanding of all the financial forces at play for every politician," said Alex Knott, political editor for the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C.

"It allows the common citizen to understand whether a politician is pushing legislation to help his or her constituency or whether it's to help their portfolio," he said.

Hickenlooper, according to the documents, holds interests in four businesses, including AMG Restaurants, Inc. and Harrow Sports, Inc.

The mayor also owns 264 acres of unimproved land in Park County southwest of Denver.

Hickenlooper owes First Bank of Denver and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Inc., at least $5,000 each.

Officials have to report the name of each creditor owed more than $5,000, not the amount they owe.

Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, the mayor's spokeswoman, said Hickenlooper "feels it goes with the territory" of being an elected official.

"Mayor Hickenlooper firmly believes that transparency is vital to public trust, and public trust is vital to everything that we try to do here in city government," she said.

For gifts, such as tickets and meals, only items worth more than $25 have to be reported. But City Attorney Cole Finegan, who is also the mayor's chief of staff, listed them all.

Finegan reported going to breakfast, lunch or dinner at least 77 times and somebody else picking up the tab. But late Tuesday, Finegan said that wasn't the case.

"I obviously overdisclosed because I listed all of the breakfasts, lunches and dinners, including those that I paid for and those under $25," he said. "But I wanted to be as open and transparent as possible."

Finegan dined with a who's who of Democratic insiders last year, including campaign consultants Steve Welchert and David Kenney and attorneys Steve Kaplan, Steve Farber and Mike Stratton.

"That's just part of my job," Finegan said. "Certainly, as the chief of staff and as the city attorney, a major responsibility that I have is to make sure that we're talking to people in the community."

Finegan, who owns 50 percent interest in a home in Grand Lake with his wife, said he doesn't view reporting personal financial information as an intrusion of privacy.

"We understand that public service is a privilege and with that privilege comes the duty to disclose," he said.

Jenny Flanagan, associate director of Colorado Common Cause, a watchdog group, said disclosure statements serve the public interest.

"For example," she said, "one of the major functions of a city or local government is to zone and develop land. If one of the elected officials or appointed officials who is required to do this disclosure owns that land or has some connection, that's important to know."

Flanagan said the reports have been useful in the past.

"Aside from us, there are a lot of citizens who are in touch with our office and want to find ways to obtain this information, so they can be informed about the people who are making decisions about their lives."

Financial disclosures

Every year, Denver city officials are required to report what they own, owe and received in gifts. Here's a sampling:

• Mayor John Hickenlooper: His friend Don Bailey gave him a ticket to rock out at a U2 concert. His friend Gov. Bill Owens gave him a ticket to root for the Rockies.

• Clerk and Recorder Wayne Vaden: Vaden got a guest pass to experience the thrills at Six Flags Elitch Gardens.

• Public Works Manager Bill Vidal: Vidal ate lunch twice for free, thanks to John Lehigh, chief operating officer for Forest City Stapleton Inc.

• DIA Manager Turner West: United Airlines took West out to dinner twice, in March and in April. British Airways treated him to dinner in the summer of 2005.Source: Office Of The City Clerk

chacond@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-892-5099