Audit Plan

It's fall, and it's that time of year, the season of cooler weather and yellow leaves. As Shakespeare put in in one of his most beautiful sonnets (from memory), fall is "that time of year when thou mayest in me behold, when yellow leaves or none or few do hang upon bare ruined choirs where late the sweet bird sang." In the auditor's office this is the time of year for reaching out to ask what steps we can take to fine tune our annual audit plan. Every year we seek input from various stakeholders in our city to help me and the audit staff determine which audits we should do for the coming year, 2112.

We ask the Mayor, City Council and the Clerk and Recorder to chime in their opinion as to areas where they see weak internal controls or areas of risk. Let's say 'amen' to the mayor and council for their suggestions.

We will meet with the newly appointed CFO, Cary Kennedy. As former treasurer for Colorado she understands how important performance audits can be to improve the city agencies. As sure as leaves turn bright yellow, we are reaching out to find out where we can best serve. Sing to us, Cary.

Looking ahead to 2113 we will seek input from citizens as well by holding public meetings to seek help from Denver's citizens about perceived risks to city agency performance. We will hit the four quadrants of the city. We hope citizens, city employees, and business leaders will bring forward their concerns. Experts have written many books about how good auditors should get out from behind their desks and get in the trenches with the citizens and city workers to find out and hear first hand what is going on. We want to be citizen centric, citizen friendly and citizen centered. We will put out the call and hope the citizens will provide the response.

I want to thank members of the Denver Audit Committee for their good work in serving on behalf of their appointing authorities, 2 from the mayor, 2 voted on by council, and two appointed by me who also serves as chair of the city's audit committee. Fiercely independent, the audit committee members ask the tough and necessary questions about the audit findings of various agencies. This is not about hurt feelings, this is about improving how our city runs and how agencies serve the taxpayers. The auditor and audit committee members here in Denver hold the administration, council and agencies accountable for how our city is running. We will do regular follow-up to make sure agencies are singing the same tune in response to audit recommendations.

And after all this, we hope the citizens of Denver will hear, not angry cacophony, not setups nor spiteful gotchas, but rather a collaborative chorus of audit recommendations marked by harmonic accountability and syncopated commons sense business practices. Can you hear those sonorous birds chirping on the ruined abbey walls in Shakespeare's sonnet?

Things I would miss if the Stock Show leaves Denver

A customer in Common Grounds, Lodo, prompted this reflection when she said she would miss the smell of all the cows and horses during January. I told her the smell which oozes down to Lodo during the stock show is partly bovis excrementum, but more likely, the odors from the Purina Dog Chow plant just south of I-70 near Swansea. But this got me to reminiscing about what I would miss too about the Grand Daddy of 'em all, Denver's Ntional Western Stock Show.

1. I would miss the parade of long horns up 17th Street. The people of Denver have come to love that parade and the children especially. And it affords me the opportunity to say in response to horse pockey and bovine rounding or splashing clumps, "Stand back, everyone, I work in the Auditor's Office, I deal with this stuff all the time.

2. I would miss visiting the Grand Champion Bull with Tom Noel when the bull stays in a pen in the grand lobby of the Brown Palace Hotel. Tom and I always get our picture taken with the grand old big bull. We always wear name tags so folks looking on can tell which is the real bull.

3. I would miss the Mexican Rodeo and the Martin Luther King Rodeo.

4 I would miss seeing all the little creatures, the chickens, the rabbits and goats on full display in the exhibition hall.

5. I would miss the sellers and hawkers demonstrating vegetable crushers with the voices of auctioneers.

Technology and civil unrest

Mark Cleverley, a researcher for IBM corporation, originally from the "United Kingdom," as he coined it commented on the use of cell phones for texts in the recent civil unrest in England. Cleverley spoke at a mini conference at our Colorado Convention Center sponsored by IBM concentrating on use of statistics and information for cities and states in dealing with various problems. Promoters billed the conference as a class on analytics in government in solving problems and acheiving goals. In reality it was a soft sell for the IBM systems available for governmental folks in dealing with statistics and issues. I would have preferred a more direct sales pitch about programs available rather than a shrouded sales promotion. Cleverley reported to the crowd of almost 50 people that bands of lawless brigands and other folks would email and text each other deciding where and when to pillage and steal next. He shared that the English parliament is contemplating legislation which would give police authorities the power to shut down electronically mediated communications: emails, tweets and texts to try to control flash points of where rioters and urban pirates might focus their next escapade.

He said rioters went after such luxury items as perfume, cosmetics and the like, not food as might be expected in a time of financial chaos and monetary shortfall.

I asked Cleverley if in his research he found anyone who had studied the new media: tweets, texting and emails and had predicted the use of such in riotous violent activity. He could think of no researcher who had predicted those illegal uses. This issue should be of concern to us in Denver. Have gangs used cell phones to focus on targets for group assaults in lodo after ball games and bar closings? A Denver police representative said the department is looking into this new twist of tweets and emails.

Marshall McLuhan, the first Media Ecologist who taught for years at St. Louis University, got it right so many years ago when he wrote: "Innumerable confusions and a feeling of despair invariably emerge in periods of great technological and cultural transition." Couple this with the huge number of people out of work, the increase in forclosures and home losses and you have a witches brew which makes us think of MacBeth's old crones who cried, "Fair is foul and foul is fair." Something to think about for sure and nothing seems fair at all.

Analytics and accountability

Today I attended a mini conference at our Colorado Convention Center sponsored by the Performance Institute, an adjunct of the IBM Corporation. The conference had lots of good information on "analytics." There were other speakers who illustrated how good information from their analytics programs can help city agencies confront problems. There are lots of definition for Analytics but in a nutshell, this process of information gathering encourages government officials and staff workers to look at patterns statistics which can then become predictors of all sorts of activity of interest to police, fire and other city agencies.

David Edinger, Mayor Hancock's recent appointment as Chief Performance Officer for the city, the keynote speaker at the conference said he hopes to revamp program delivery, execution and performance management based on stakeholder feedback. The agenda item describing what he hopes to do mentions: "to gain citizen support and enthusiasm for government and public service, (to) reform and better utilization of tax payer dollars must be executed throughout all government entities."

One of the speakers for the conference could not come to Denver due to weather conditions somewhere in Canada. So I took a few minutes to fill in for the absent speaker to let David and the other members of city and state agencies present that I really looked forward to working with him. I told him we need his help with recalcitrant city agencies who fail to address recommendations in city audits. I gave several recent examples of city agencies who tried to deny problems in the city. I told him we need his help when agencies deny us access to records. I asked David to attend Audit Committee meetings during which members of the committee hear how audit recommendations are are being implemented.

Someone at the conference asked Edinger what enforcement power goes with his office? He said the Mayor would be the backup if an agency is not performing at peak quality. I responded briefly that the Mayor will have to call his appointees to task if they are not being accountable in running the various departments to which he has appointed them. I did add that Cary Kennedy, new CFO, gets the audit process and will help David and the mayor pull any reluctant appointees in line. One of the IBM software sales people said Denver is on the map because of the focus on performance in Denver. Unfortunately, David is the only employee of the Performance Office. This reminds us of Mike Henry, the only employee of the Ethics Department. Enough said.

So we march up the mountain of accountability at our city. And analytics is like a piton which fixes the rope deep in the stone so a hiker can pull others up to the mountain top.

As auditor I make it a habit to drop in on neighborhood association meetings. In December the Golden Triangle Museum Neighborhood District invited me to their meeting. I always enjoy going to this neighborhood association because they have their meetings in the Byers Evans House on 13th and Bannock next to the Art Museum. It's like stepping back into the 1880's in old Denver town. I thought of William Newton Byers who started the Rocky Mountain News sitting at his desk composing copy for an edition of the paper announcing "paddle wheels leaving the Platte River docks for Omaha and St. Louis."

After Paul Fiorino, former candidate for Governor and now candidate for mayor, and president of the neighborhood group, did the minutes and treasurer's report, the members began sharing what was happening in the neighborhood.

One member reminded those present, including Carol Boigon, councilwoman at large and candidate for mayor and Josh Davies, president of the Downtown Residents Association and candidate for council at large, that the new jail releases prisoners into the neighborhood regularly and to be on the alert for problems.

The representative from the Firefighter's Museum on Tremont shared that their Christmas Tree had recently been stolen from in front of the museum. Several other neighbors reported that Civic Center Park presents a continuous stream of drug dealers selling their wares to folks passing through the park. Others commented that latrines at the large events at civic center sometimes spill into the gutters and leave odors. Some of the concessionairres leave refuse which builds up in gutters as well. During the large Civic Center events the neighborhood feels fenced off from itself because of the large fences surrounding the events. Someone mentioned the latrines in the park are often not clean. I reminded folks when I was on Council, I weekly inspected latrines at Sloan's, Berkeley and Rocky Mountain Parks. I called them latrine audits.

Residents have complained that cars have been broken into while shopping at some of the stores in the district.

The group resolved to contact the new captain in the district to see what can be done about some of the crime issues, especially in Civic Center Park.

My hat's off to the 30 folks who attended the December meeting of the Golden Triangle Museum Disctrict. They serve on the front line in involvement working to make our city the special place it is.

Remembering Hiawatha Davis

On December 22, at the Doubletree Hotel on Martin Luther King and Quebec Councilwoman Carla Madison and Councilman Michael Hancock hosted the annual Hiawatha Davis Senior Citizen Lunch. It is always a great event highlighted by holiday music from the Denver Municipal Band. Students from local schools serve the waiting seniors. The officers from the local police district head quarters cheerfully chatted and assisted in serving the roast chicken lunch.

Hiawatha Davis started this wonderful community tradition many years ago and we thank the two councilmembers for carrying on this event. He served his community with distinction and humility. He represented the citizens of the district with an unruffled style that brought people together to solve issues. Hiawatha was a unifier who worked for the common good of the district and our city. We stand on his broad shoulders and quiet leadership. I will always appreciate his advice and kindness to me when I was first elected to city council so many years ago.

Sister Claudette Sweet is always there and I just wish the organizers would have arranged for her to sing. Listening to the mellifluent tones of Claudette Sweet almost fulfills a Sunday obligation. Her songs raise the spirits of all who hear her.

I want to thank Councilwoman Madison for carrying on Councilman Davis's community building event where so many good friends enjoy each other's friendship, old acquaintances and good company. It's a wonderful way to end last year with days of Auld Lang Syne and begin next year with a spirit of kindness and cups full of good cheer across the communities which make our city a great city.

Prepping Legislators

When I was first elected to the legislature many years ago, Representative Jerry Kopel (D- Denver)gave me and others in my newly elected class some excellent advice. Older members of our caucus gave Jerry the accolade as sort of the uncontested "Dean" of our delegation. "Kopel knows the rules," Dominic Coloroso, (D-Denver) whispered to me as he gave me his worn book of rules. As I read some of the sage advice former legislators are sharing with the newly elected, I did not notice Kopel's common sense and simple advice. So now with his permission which I know he would give, I share it with all, even Republicans.

Jerry suggested that we find pictures of the legislators, all 100 of them from the Speaker on down. Clip out the picture and paste it on a 3 x 5 card. On the other side write in the legislator's name; home town; birth date; wife or husband and children's names; cities and towns within the district; committees assigned; schools attended; and businesses operated. Jerry always said leave space so you can write down things which come up during the session: hobbies, favorite songs, movies or latest book read. At the time I joked that we probably would not have to fill in many books read recently. Everyone has been too busy campaigning, I figured. But I was wrong on that joke. Most legislators were well read. And I was familiar with the principle of flash cards: I encouraged my Latin and Greek students at Regis to do the same for vocabulary practice. "Happy Birthday, Senator!"

I christened my picture cards: "Kopel's Legislative Flash Cards." Jerry suggested we flash them several times a day; when you get up; at lunch time; and when you go to bed. Flash the cards in the morning and flash the cards at night. "Eventually you will remember all the material on the cards and it will impress your colleagues that you cared enough to find out about them and their lives" was what Kopel told us. Dean Kopel would actually give us spot quizzes on which legislator was from where and all the rest. Our caucus developed information envy. And the points of information made for good discussion between heated arguments. The cards lowered blood pressures and made us laugh. Indeed, we shared our humanity with each other in moments of intense partisanship.

And Kopel, as usual, was right. Legislators and their spouses appreciated the human touch that one remembered little facts in their lives. I know one legislative wife appreciated my knowing her family name which I still use as a memory test. I fondly recall Senator Fay DeBerard, (R-Kremmling) a conservative west slope rancher. His wife, Beverly Burford, no relation to Speaker Bob, inspired Jack Kerouac's "Babe" in On the Road. I think it often made the Republican Assignables nervous when I crossed over to their side to sit next to her in the Senate Chamber. I would ask her if she "had seen Jack lately down at Capelli's Bar." That bar is now My Brother's Bar on 15th and Platte in North Denver, famous for Kerouac, Neal Cassidy and others sipping brews there in the Beat days gone by; gone alas like our youth too soon.

And I remember Senator Ralph Cole, (R-Littleton),who was very conservative, but always thoughtful. I once heard him argue a point from the Senate well on an issue, "English parliamentarians lost their heads over this issue. The king, and now the governor, wants to grab more power from us in the legislature," Senator Cole shouted hitting his fist reverberating on the lectern. Ralph and I did not agree on lots, but when we talked about English Parliamentary History, we were the best of friends. Ralph gave his tattered copy of English Constitutional History which has a Latin Magna Carta amongst its well-worn pages. I confess I keep this revered text from Ralph on my bookshelf near my bed for when I can't sleep. I still hear Ralph: "Don't let those parliamentarians die in vain."

Years later I suggested to leadership that we get two constitutional experts from DU or CU law schools to summarize the principles found in the US and Colorado Constitutions for the new and older legislators. They laughed me out of the room, but I still think it is a good idea. I remember one House Majority Leader in all seriousness arguing, "The Constitution really doesn't count for much on second reading." Any one remember who said that? I still believe that the Constitutional legislative teach-in could do much to cut down patently unconstitutional legislation and rhetorical blather on floor debate.

Now today with all the computers and social networks, legislators can put the faces and information on face book. Can you flash face book? But I would use face book as backup for the printed and oral comments written on the regular flash cards.