Wellington Webb endorses Erik Clarke for Denver auditor over incumbent

Wellington Webb, a former Denver mayor, offered his endorsement last week to Erik Clarke, a political newcomer, to take the helm as city auditor over the incumbent candidate Tim O’Brien.

“Erik is a professional auditor who has done hundreds of audits countrywide and worldwide, including financial and performance audits,” Webb said in a release.

Webb served as Denver’s auditor from 1987 to 1991, which is when he took over as the city’s mayor. He said in the release that Clarke would “independently make sure our city is running efficiently.”

Clarke, who has never held elected office, is the only challenger for the seat that O’Brien has held since 2015. He said in a release that he wants to restore trust in the position’s construction oversight, accusing O’Brien’s office of scrutinizing the Denver International Airport’s Great Hall project “several years too late.”

Similarly, Clarke said O’Brien took too long to audit redevelopment construction work on Peña Boulevard and the city’s general obligation bond projects.

“As our next Denver Auditor, I’ll build coalitions to expand Denver Labor, implement a proactive auditing forward program, and modernize this office to get results on topics residents care about,” Clarke said in a release.

O’Brien ran unopposed for his second term in 2019 and first won his position in 2015, earning 53% of the vote over former City Councilman Chris Nevitt.

Clarke works at Deloitte, an auditing, consulting and tax services firm, where he specializes in audits, financial advisory and strategy, according to his LinkedIn page and campaign website. He and O’Brien are the only two candidates for the position who qualified for the ballot in the April 4 election.

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