Denver’s elected auditor has lambasted Mayor Mike Johnston for slashing his budget, writing in a new letter that he doesn’t believe Johnston has the authority to do so.

“Mr. Mayor, your office and the Finance Department must stop interfering with the Auditor’s Office and stop preventing me from doing my job,” Auditor Timothy O’Brien wrote in the Thursday evening letter, according to a copy obtained by The Denver Post.

The Denver Auditor’s Office, which is established in the city charter, is charged with serving as a check on the mayor’s office and other city officials. O’Brien’s performance audits have been critical of Johnston at times, including harsh reviews of the way he runs his homelessness initiative.

Under the mayor’s 2026 budget proposal released Monday, O’Brien’s office

See Full Page