Denver Council Perks

Colorado Confidential continues the series on perks members of the Denver City Council have received. The first part can be read here, along with the initial story on lagging transparency.

This part will focus on three council members: Michael Hancock (Dist. 11), Judy Montero (Dist. 9), and Doug Linkhart (At-Large).All disclosures are from 2005, as that is the most recent record available.

Hancock did not disclose dates or values for the year, but he did report receiving meals and tickets form The Kenny Group. The exact number of meals and tickets is not disclosed.

Metro Taxi, a large provider of cab services around Denver, is reported to have provided meals to Hancock. David J. Cole & Associates, a lobbying group, also paid for tickets although no specifics are mentioned.

Councilwoman Montero didn’t report any tickets, but she did list the Latin America Education Fund courtesy of United Airlines. She also attended a district event sponsored by Friends of Union Station, a group in favor of renovating Union Station.

Unlike other council members, Montero did report financial values. Not counting her official parking tag, the total comes to approximately $1,000 in dinners and other engagements.

Linkhart disclosed a number of items with dates and givers, but no numerical values.

Notable perks include a stock show luncheon sponsored by the Denver Chamber of Commerce, along with dinners sponsored by Coors and Comcast.  United Airlines also sponsored a lunch with Glenn Tilton, CEO of the company.

Disclosure report for Michael Hancock

Disclosure report for Judy Montero

Disclosure report for Doug Linkhart

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.