Thread by @CPRMarkus

THREAD: Sometimes as a reporter I'm embarrassed by the things I probably should have known all along.

This story is a good example. cpr.org/news/story/den…

One lobbyists told me "lobbyists being cozy with politicians is not a news flash.”

This all started last summer.

I reported a story on how the airport provides business class international travel to the mayor and city council, sometimes before big airport contract votes. cpr.org/news/story/is-…

I got an anonymous tip in the mail after that, essentially saying look into the businesses that fly on these trade mission/delegation trips, it’s some of the same folks again and again, and they pay a fee to be a part of the delegation.

I asked for the list from DIA, for trips to Tokyo, Dubai, Munich, London, etc. And one thing that jumped out immediately was: why are city lobbyists part of all the delegations? CRL Associates, Sewald Hanfling, The Pachner Group.

From there I wanted to quantify how big these lobbyists are ie who are their city clients. And how they interact with the city.

Denver is apparently the only city in Colorado that requires lobbyists disclosures. So I poured over those, putting a dollar figure on how much those clients got in city money for various contracts.

More than $1 billion in city money to the companies the lobbyists represent.

(side note) $1 billion sounds like a lot, but the mayor's office says this isn't that much in the grand scheme of city work.

But these lobbyists clearly are busy, with the largest contractors (Kiewit, Mortenson) and real estate developers (Oakwood, Forest City) in Denver.

Then we asked the city for calendars, emails and text messages between top staff and these lobbyists.

The mayor’s office charged a whopping $750 for the records. (That number made my boss @kevindale sit up in his seat.)

(side note) The mayor's office refused to provide text messages, even those made on taxpayer phones, because "Text messages are not made, maintained or kept by the city."

Some things became immediately clear, Joshua Hanfling is a close friend of the mayor, CRL and Pachner have city contracts. Sometimes the lobbyists are so close to city projects the city requires them to sign NDAs so their construction clients can’t get a leg up in bidding.

The lobbyists are also among Hancock’s largest donors, $54,000 directly, and they amplify their giving by throwing fundraisers. They do this for city council as well, and have done this across administrations.

We could find no evidence of wrongdoing, just a tangled web of connections between a few lobbyists and local elected officials.

As Hancock said to me at one point “What is new here?”

Maybe this is the way it has always been done, and there are good reasons for it, ie business do a lot for Denver and need lobbyists to navigate the city.

But I thought if it was news to me, it was probably news to many of you.

/End cpr.org/news/story/den…

Epilogue: Mayors get a lot of weird, small gifts.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock admits he over-reports. Every little thing makes it into his required gift disclosures. Both the small … and the BIG.

Let's zoom out on that first picture. This is from Hancock's 2013 gift disclosure form.

We reviewed all of Hancock's (and Hickenlooper's) gift disclosures as mayor. We wanted to know how much lobbyists give the mayor in gifts.

It turns out not much. But we discovered something else. Over the years Hancock has accepted about $22,000 in Broncos and Nuggets tickets (suites and courtside) ... from the largest airline at DIA, United. The largest Denver home developer, Pat Hamill. From Comcast. Etc.

These are companies, that in many cases, have direct contracts with the city. At first glance, I thought Denver's ordinance precludes this. I was wrong. library.municode.com/co/denver/code…

It turns out the mayor rarely has Direct Official Action over even the largest city contractors, because his role in administering and negotiating contracts is limited, according to his city attorney.

And if he doesn't have Direct Official Action, he can accept as many gifts of any size he wants. Groups like Colorado Common Cause called this logic into question, even if it is totally legal.

Take Pat Hamill, with Oakwood Homes, the city's largest home developer. Hamill has known Hancock since before he was in politics. Considers him family.

Hamill also has a clear interest in the city.

Yet, because Hancock doesn't technically have direct official action over Hamill, Oakwood doesn't have a contract with the city, Hamill is free to give Hancock unlimited gifts.

Hamill also, unabashedly, uses the companies, LLCs, he controls to multiply his campaign contributions to Hancock. This is a common practice in city campaigns. @JonMurray I think was first to make this connection with Hamill. denverpost.com/2015/05/30/hig…

Anyway, if you want a little chaser for yesterday's lobbyist coverage, I suggest checking out our story on gifts and contributions in Denver. The second and final look at the ways people seek to influence and access elected officials in Denver.

/End cpr.org/news/story/den…

(side note) even if Hancock or another official had direct official action, they could take four tickets of any value. That loophole was closed in 2017 changes to the ordinance that put a cap of $300 on ticket value.