Parks and Recreation boss is MIA

Frequent absences put heat on city department chief

Daniel J. Chacon, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 1, 2007 at midnight

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Denver's Parks and Recreation Department has been in hot water with the public in the past 13 months.

From allowing Xcel to plant a giant transmission line in park land in exchange for $50,000 to proposing an aggressive tree-protection ordinance that the mayor called "crazy," the department has generated heated criticism.

From March 1, 2006, through March 31, 2007, Manager Kim Bailey has been away from work on sick, vacation or administrative leave for 424 hours - or 10.6 weeks - significantly more than any other department head, according to documents obtained through a request under the Colorado Open Records Act.

That total does not include time Bailey has taken off from work since September as she works toward a doctorate.

However, Bailey estimates she's spent 110.5 hours at school during regular business hours.

Combined, that's 13.4 weeks off work, or more than three months. Bailey, who earns $110,423 a year, was paid for all those off-hours.

After the Rocky Mountain News questioned city officials about Bailey's time, Mayor John Hickenlooper met with her Monday. After the meeting, Hickenlooper said that Bailey would discontinue her graduate program and that she would no longer accept out-of-town speaking engagements. She made the decision to make sure there was no doubt her job comes first, he said.

"She's going to make her job her undisputed primary focus," Hickenlooper said.

Bailey was emotional after the meeting.

"The truth is that I'm here in Denver to do this job, and there's nothing more important to me than to do it well and to do it sincerely," she said.

"If the perception is that my educational pursuits are preventing me from doing the work well, then discontinuing my studies is a sacrifice I'm willing to make," she added. Bailey said her time away from work didn't interfere with her job.But not everybody agrees.

A member of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board said Bailey's absence has "absolutely" affected her ability to do her job.

"She hasn't been able - it could be a personality problem - to extend and communicate with the citizenry of Denver," said the member, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.

Councilwoman Kathleen Mac-Kenzie agreed, saying there have been "substantial and serious gaps in the public-outreach component" of the department.

MacKenzie said Bailey approved the Xcel deal in her district without consulting the council or the parks board. Whether to allow utilities in public parks is a "huge policy question" that deserves extensive debate and public discussion, she said.

"I don't think she's, by nature, a sneaky person," MacKenzie said. "I think she just was looking for the most expeditious route and didn't have time to do the appropriate public outreach."

Councilman Rick Garcia said he wants a manager who's "more visible" with the public.

"Frankly, I have not seen Kim in my northwest Denver community," he said. "It doesn't mean she has to tell me she's here. I'm sure she's going to parks. I suspect she is. But I have heard a couple of comments from time to time from constituents about 'Where's Kim been?' I'll leave it at that."

Last month, Hickenlooper told council members he was out of the loop on a proposal prohibiting homeowners from cutting down the trees from their front yards.

"I was a bit surprised that the issue of the tree ordinance was one that the mayor was not completely aware of," City Council President Michael Hancock said. "That caught him off guard. It certainly caught City Council off guard. That's why it was pulled off the table."

Bailey, who was pursuing a doctorate in design and planning from the University of Colorado at Denver, took two courses last semester but said they were in the evening. In addition, she worked "very part time" last summer doing playground observations at city schools as part of her course work.

Hickenlooper said he's a "results person" and that Bailey has delivered despite tight budgets. Her department has extended pool hours and implemented summer day camps for the first time, among other successes, he said.

"That being said," he added, "when you see someone out of the office that much, you wonder whether they couldn't do more."

chacond@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5099

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