The Lakewood Housing Authority, which has acknowledged the agency illegally contributed $10,000 to last fall’s successful sales-tax increase campaign, has finished overhauling an agreement that city officials say will prevent future such incidents.
“There is no indication that this incident reflects a pattern of behavior or problems,” City Manager Mike Rock stated in a memo to the City Council released this week.
The Yes on 2A campaign returned the donation as soon as questions were raised.
The agreement review was requested in February by City Council members. Changes include: the authority board and city manager will meet as needed, but at least once a year to discuss joint issues; an annual written performance evaluation of the executive director will be done; and the city will select the executive director in conjunction with the authority board.
Rock said Tami Fischer, who is the authority’s executive director as well as the city’s housing and family services director, “erred in not getting a legal opinion” before making the contribution.
A citizens group called the Lakewood T Party, which was formed to fight the 1-cent tax hike, filed a complaint with the Colorado secretary of state’s office that the donation violated the Fair Campaign Practices Act.
In May, an administrative law judge dismissed the complaint when the authority’s board agreed not to make future political contributions.
Bill Smith, spokesman for the Lakewood T Party, said Tuesday that he disagreed with Rock’s assessment that the situation was an anomaly.
“There’s a habitual situation when there’s a tax increase that the city is trying (to) promote that it is done through the guidance of Mike Rock,” Smith said. The housing authority “didn’t do this on its own.”
Smith said the grassroots group decided to accept the settlement because it put a spotlight on inappropriate city actions and “there was recognition that all is not fair in politics.”
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
