The role of city auditor in Denver government
Re: “Mayor, auditor near showdown on city finance,” June 28 news story.
I smiled as I read about the rift between old friends, Denver Auditor Dennis Gallagher and Mayor John Hickenlooper. What made me smile even more was this administration’s assessment that government should be run like a business with nary a raised eyebrow from The Post, much less the voters. I suppose it becomes difficult for voters to question the idea of government operated as a business when we’ve heard it repeated so often.
The basic premise of business is that profits are maximized when productivity is raised while lowering production costs in the context of increasing market share. That premise is irrelevant to providing government services, especially in a marketplace that is competitive. Democratic governance is collaborative and our politicians have no real incentive to develop the entrepreneurial skill to adjust to consumer demands. They don’t risk the loss of their money in the enterprise; they risk the loss of ours.
When the voters don’t ante up, someone else does. If the example of corporate executives getting paid millions of dollars to drive pension funds into the ground isn’t enough to frighten voters away from a corporate-style government, then the fact that we’ll trade a designer “Hickenlooper Civic Center Park” for true downtown development should.
Bill Janssen, Denver
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The city auditor performs an important role in reviewing Denver’s operations. However, refusing to relinquish responsibility for payroll and accounting is being short-sighted. Structure should be at the top of the list, not at the bottom, as suggested by a former state auditor. Let’s move Denver forward to a modern organizational structure.
John W. Mathews, Denver
Newspapers’ outing of government programs
Re: “Round up the usual suspects,” July 4 editorial.
In your editorial, you defend The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times for their seditious publication of articles on our government’s secret monitoring of bank transactions to cut off money transfers between terrorist groups. This is a sad commentary on both you and the perpetrators at the offending newspapers.
Most all Americans celebrate our nation’s First Amendment right to free speech, but a good many of us also realize it is our government’s job to determine what is best kept secret from our enemies. As our troops encounter roadside bombs and hostile fire, I’m sure they wonder whether it could have been stopped had our papers not instructed terrorists how to skirt our financial surveillance.
In the future, please spare us self-righteous rants that attempt to glorify a renegade press. Our government, though not always perfect, is fighting a war with an enemy that depends on using technologies to communicate and disperse money where needed, and they don’t need any assistance from our press on how to avoid detection while doing their evil work.
Kerry Harwick, Arvada
Respect on the trails
I have adopted three rescue dogs, one of which was kept penned up and used as a breeder in Kansas. This dog developed a fear of runners and bicyclists. I walk my dogs every morning along a local walking path. During these walks, we often encounter joggers and bike riders and, for the most part, they are courteous enough to warn me when approaching from the rear. I always get off the path to let them pass well away from my dog’s leash.
However, there are some who seem to enjoy coming as close as they can, without warning. When this happens, and they are within 6 feet of us, the one dog reacts strongly, and often I have been cursed for not controlling her. Had they been thoughtful enough to give warning, I would be glad to move off the path. However, the attitude of these Lance Armstrong wannabes is that the path is their private property. The self-centered few who put themselves above anyone else would be the first to scream if my dog would injure them, even if they invade her space.
So bikers and runners, if you approach a dog-walker from behind, give us a warning far enough ahead of time and we will give you all the room you need.
Ed Beard, Aurora
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