Denver Council Perks

What freebies did your Denver City Council member receive?

The most recent public records show that representatives accepted a number of gifts in 2005. Those are actually the freshest records members of the public can view do to a problem with the city’s disclosure system.

But in spite of belated disclosure reports, this series will focus on council members and the gifts.First up are Councilwomen Jeanne Robb (Dist. 10) and Peggy Ann Lehmann (Dist. 4).

Robb disclosed over 20 items in the span of one paragraph without reporting the costs of the gifts or when they were received.  Sometimes such details aren’t so easy. While the disclosure is generally for gifts valued over $25, the report notes that some of the items may be below that amount because the value is unknown. Robb did not return a request for comment.

Notable perks include attending a Downtown Denver Partnership dinner courtesy of Kaplan Kirsch and Rockwell, a local law firm with experience in airports.

Then there was a lunch with Dennis Humphries. Humphries is one of the founders of Humphries Poli Architects PC, an architecture firm responsible for a number of developments in the area.

Robb also had lunch with what she designated as “Triton,” although it’s unknown if that is an allusion to Triton Properties, Triton Development, or Triton Investment.

United Airlines also paid for a dinner and ticket to the play Wicked.

Council member Lehmann kept the some of the best records, with prices, givers, and dates disclosed.

The report shows she was treated to a $15 lunch from Michael Dino, a lobbyist and former advisor to Denver’s last mayor, Wellington Webb.

Lehmann received lunch and candy from the Police Protective Association worth $30, and concert tickets from Qwest with a value of $60.

Yesterday, Lehmann  also said she would be willing to fill out more recent disclosure reports.

A complete listing of gifts for the two council members will be available later today.

Disclosure report for Jeanne Robb

Disclosure report for Peggy Ann Lehmann

Disclosure report for Peggy Ann Lehmann – Page 2

Erin Rosa was born in Spain and raised in Colorado Springs. She is a freelance writer currently living in Denver. Rosa's work has been featured in a variety of news outlets including the Huffington Post, Democracy Now!, and the Rocky Mountain Chronicle, an alternative-weekly in Northern Colorado where she worked as a columnist covering the state legislature. Rosa has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for her reporting on lobbying and woman's health issues. She was also tapped with a rare honorable mention award by the Newspaper Guild-CWA's David S. Barr Award in 2008--only the second such honor conferred in its nine-year history--for her investigative series covering the federal government's Supermax prison in the state. Rosa covers the labor community, corrections, immigration and government transparency matters. She can be reached at erosa@www.coloradoindependent.com.