March 15, 2010 05:37 PM UTC

Pinon Canyon and the Governor's Race: A Bright White Line

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• by: Colorado Pols

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

No ambiguity on the issue of the Army’s hotly-contested proposed expansion of the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site for gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper–and a clear distinction between himself and GOP opponent Scott McInnis. As the Pueblo Chieftain reported yesterday:

If residents of Southeastern Colorado don’t support the expansion of the Army’s Pinon Canyon training facility, gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper said Saturday he doesn’t support the expansion either.

“With the way (the expansion) was presented, I’m a ‘No,’ ” the Denver mayor said in an interview before the Pueblo Democratic party’s St. Patrick Day’s fundraiser, held at the Union Depot.

“Unless there is a deal embraced by the residents of Southeastern Colorado that they feel is better for their community, it’s hard for me to support it. I don’t think the military is so foolish that they want one part of the community to thrive at the expense of another.”

Hickenlooper is running against Republican Scott McInnis, who supports the military’s position on site expansion…

Despite being an urban mayor, Hickenlooper said he should appeal to rural voters because of his agricultural roots that trace to his grandparents, who were farmers. When he was a restaurant owner, he bought from Colorado food producers.

“What the agricultural community needs is a governor who can be a salesman and who can actually promote their products, and not just in-state. That creates the value of what they produce,” he said.

For background, see our original post titled “So Much For Southern Colorado, McLobbyist.”