It’s not uncommon for newly elected Colorado executives – mayors and governors – to organize pre-inaugural hearings intended to measure public opinion regarding the challenges they expect to face. For that purpose, Mike Johnston’s 28 public forums are not unusual. Their breadth, scope and number are surprising, however. The good news is they were even attempted, the bad news is the quality of results are likely to vary wildly. More than 400 citizens were recruited through the campaign’s “vibrant Denver” website to serve on steering committees charged with reviewing public comments and formulating recommendations.

I sincerely hope the Johnston administration recognizes its use of the “vibrant” brand name comes with a “use by” expiration date that should survive no more than six months. The Polis administration still yaks about its “bold” initiatives which were promised five years ago during the governor’s first campaign. Recent press releases keep repeating this refrain, together with “saving Coloradans money,” and both are starting to make my teeth ache.

Following this week’s swearing-in ceremonies, Johnston will find himself trying to swallow information spewing from a fire hydrant. Whether his public forum reports find their way to the top of the pile on his desk remains to be seen. Initial drafts were supposed to be completed by Saturday, July 15. When Dennis Ryerson with the Sloan’s Lake Foundation asked whether the preliminary Parks and Recreation report would be available for review and subsequent comment, no one seemed to have an answer. The division of responsibility between the professional staff of paid meeting facilitators and appointed committee co-chairs was also unclear.

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The quality of facilitators has improved immensely since the profession first appeared three or four decades ago. I still recall a water policy discussion authorized by Gov. Dick Lamm at the University of Colorado during the 1980s and facilitated by Marshal Kaplan, cean of the School of Public Affairs in Denver. Summarizing comments from a cowboy-hatted rancher, Kaplan was interrupted by the speaker who objected, “Professor, don’t try putting words in my mouth. That’s not what I said or what I meant!” Oops! Still, there was a feeling at several “vibrancy” forums that organizers were attempting a forced march to predetermined conclusions.

Although lip service was expressed in favor of “outside the box” and innovative suggestions for policy initiatives, the structure of forum conversations stifled their emergence. Worksheets on each table often kicked off, as did the Parks and Recreation discussion, with “What is going right with Parks and Rec that you want to see more of?” At my table, disgruntled neighbors expressed a desire to discuss what’s been going wrong.

Kelly Kitts, a Parks and Rec retiree, interrupted the scheduled discussion to demand an explanation for why two political appointees had been moved into career service positions last year with $170,000 salaries. The entire room erupted with cheers. Then the 60 or 70 pickleball zealots in attendance leapt into the conversation demanding more courts. Once assured expanded pickle ball facilities were needed, many of them left. Those remaining felt liberated to offer actual suggestions for change including more commercial services available in Denver parks – coffee stands, Wi-Fi, food trucks, even beer.

The Labor Relations Transition Committee hearing may have attracted just a dozen people, but they knew one another and were familiar with term-limited City Councilwoman Debbie Ortega who quickly focused on recommendations. Debbie apparently sent out a notice of issues she felt required attention, mostly problems concerning municipal contracting practices. You always pick up a few alleged facts when you pull any group together. Can it be true Amazon has become Colorado’s largest private sector employer? Or that Colorado’s economic misery index has doubled during the past 12 years?

A week into the hearing process, several committees discarded the “how do we make things even better” template in favor of “what needs to be fixed.” Hannah Metzger reported the planning committee jumped directly into what’s wrong with Denver’s licensing process in her Gazette report. My own experience running Excise and Licenses for Federico Peña was the discovery that city inspectors embraced an enforcement mentality over assisting applicants with compliance. Building, childcare and restaurant inspectors petitioned for badges and firearms. Few appreciated each new business helped pay their salaries.

The Immigration Committee kicked off by asking whether anyone had an issue they wanted to be sure was included in a final report. One of the co-chairs pointed out if Congress fails to renew DACA status in September, 14,000 workers could immediately lose their jobs when they lose work permits. Should Denver be prepared to issue its own work permits? It’s worth Mayor Johnston thinking about how the city will respond. Currently, the delay for immigrants arriving in Denver and receiving a work permit is 180 days. Many DACA kids are currently supporting families. Allowing them to keep their jobs, rather than placing them on assistance, makes sense.

The Public Schools and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meetings held on successive nights at the Carla Madison Recreation Center were far less productive. With just a few days before draft reports were due, it was apparent and even admitted their drafts were already mostly written. There was considerable confusion about what the proper roles of the city and the school board should be. The transportation and infrastructure discussion was dominated by the viewpoint that Denver’s goal should be a relatively auto-free future, which sounded delusional. Largely untouched were discussions of why the department appears in thrall to contractors at the expense of neighborhoods, disregarding impacts on residents, commuters and local businesses. It was also pointed out pedestrian and bicycle deaths have jumped by 50% since the launch of the Target Zero campaign.

It should be apparent the mayor’s plate is overflowing. I’m sure the homeless and affordable housing committees had much to offer. A revolving loan fund for affordable housing projects seems worth considering – perhaps even offering city land as co-developer. An unspoken truth is the bloom is off our Front Range rose. A little vibrancy is needed.

Miller Hudson is a public affairs consultant and a former Colorado legislator.