Timothy O'Brien has secured a third term as Denver Auditor, despite being outspent by a spirited challenger.
Political newcomer Erik Clarke was one of the first candidates to enter the 2023 municipal election, he raised about $150,000, and got some high-profile endorsements, including former mayor and former auditor Wellington Webb. O'Brien raised $8,000.
None of it mattered.
"I ran on my record, and I think my record is solid," O'Brien said. "And I think my opponent's record is questionable, at best."
O'Brien had argued in debates that Clarke, an auditor in private practice, had extremely limited experience managing the kind of deep dive audits conducted at the city. O'Brien cited his own substantive accomplishments in going after lost pay, returning millions of dollars in unpaid wages over the years.
O'Brien was slow to get a campaign off the ground, but his incumbency and his own key endorsements (particularly unions, including carpenters and firefighters) helped him to gain more than 60 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning.
This was Clarke's first campaign, and he said that he learned a lot about political races.
"I'm proud of the race we ran," Clarke said. "I ran a race focused on issues and facts and [I] stuck to a positive message about transforming the office. So I, frankly, feel good about what I did."
Clarke said he wasn't sure what the next step is for him.
"I'll obviously stay active in some capacity," Clarke said. "Whether that's as a candidate or just as a private citizen who cares about Denver and wants to work on issues to help people here."
O'Brien, meanwhile, said he would continue to ramp up Denver Labor, and use data analytics to dig deeper into city agencies.
O'Brien also said his office is getting ready for a new mayoral administration -- mayor Michael Hancock is term-limited after 12 years in office.
"We have a report in draft form right now," said O'Brien. "Really pulling together, by department, and summarizing the major issues that we see, so that the new mayor can hit the ground running."
