I am one of those folks who has become disillusioned with politics. I've been a pretty darn active Democrat for years. But moving into this new election season, I've decided to step back and limit my involvement. As of today there is no expected challenge for our either of our HD/SD seats and I haven't heard of any other Democrat challenging Obama in 2012 for the nomination. I have no desire to go the any of the party's County, CD, State or National Conventions or Assemblies and I'm not planning to actively support any candidates other than voting for them in Nov. 2012. So as a registered Democrat, are we holding caucuses in uncontested districts, when the we already know who's going to be on the ballot in November?
The Occupy Denver lawsuit is about Democratic Mayor Hancock using hundreds of police and very minor laws in a constant effort to drive away Occupy's supporters, who, in the main , come from the Democratic Party rank and file. The constant presence of multiple police cars there is a 24/7 warning to all supporters to stay away, Especially rank and file Democrats, who are the majority of attendees.
Actions against Occupy Denver by Democratic Mayor Hancock have caused the turnout by supporters to drop precipitously from nearly 3000 as reported by the Denver Post, to just a few hundred. If that isn't evidence of a planned effort to shut down the protest, what would be? Machine Gunning them, like at Ludlow, CO?
In a letter to the editor of the Northglenn-Thornton Sentinel a resident took to lamenting partisan politics at Thornton City Hall. Considering the source is as partisan as they come, the dispatch is almost comical.
Linda Wisniewski rips into freshly seated Thornton Mayor Heidi Williams, apparently concerned about Williams' party affiliation, campaign contributors and associations. One would think if you were not for partisan politics, you would give someone a fair shot no matter their political affiliation.
In signing her name to the letter, Wisniewski should have provided full disclosure. She and her husband, Marty, in fact serve on the State Central Committee for the Colorado Democratic Party. She is also intimately involved with the Adams County Democratic Party of which Marty serves as chair.
Now that we have established the source and the far left direction it comes from, we could easily point by point refute the ridiculous claims and accusations in the letter. However, we can see that it is actually a thinly veiled attack piece that attempts to use smoke and mirrors to obfuscate the truth about Wisniewski's own party and its scandalous role in Adams County.
Was the 2011 mayoral campaign, one which is ostensibly non-partisan, more partisan that past elections? Absolutely it was, as it should have been.
Voters of Thornton and Adams County as a whole have seen what form of leadership Democrats and the Adams Family provide. Scandal after scandal has rocked our community.
Let's take a look at some of the names who have shamed us: Noel Busck (D), Gil Reyes (D), Ken Riley (D), Alice Nichol (D), Larry Pace (D), Diane Christner (D), Doug Darr (D), and James Hibbard (D).
Do you see a pattern there? Hint: The D means Democrat.
Those eight alone are responsible for dozens of scandals involving Adams County Democrats from the city to the county level. Adams County's decades long history of corrupt politicos with D's after their name is catching up to it.
In an ideal world, yes, local elections would be non-partisan but that isn't reality. Perhaps it isn't always as visible as it was this year but it is always there.
The reality is that we have corrupt politicians that steal from taxpayers and cling on to power at all costs (and all have the same letter following their name). We also have an Adams County Democratic Party that rather than clean house, made officers of those involved in scandals.
Wisniewski and other leftist partisans can whine and cry about the lost battle of 2011 or those in the past and the ones coming in the future but the fact of the matter is that Thornton and Adams County voters have woken up. We have seen the type of leadership they provide and have had enough.
If the Adams County Democrats are so concerned about the citizens of Thornton and the county, then they should start by looking within and getting their own house in order. Until then, we will look elsewhere and in doing so we will certainly find people with real solutions, leadership ability and the moral fiber deserving of our vote.
While I am new to the ColoradoPols world, some of you may know me. My name is C. J. Garbo and I recently ran for House District 9 on the Republican ticket and was defeated in the Primary.
What you may not know is that on March 27th of this year, after months of thoughtful and careful consideration taking into account all that I learned and observed within the last couple of years, I resigned from the Republican Party. While there were certainly attacks from some party members, I was very much surprised and encouraged privately by many more in the party who fully agreed with my reasoning for leaving. It has been a quite an interesting journey for me.
In many ways I am grateful for having lost in the primary as I have come to know and respect Rep. Joe Miklosi. While he and I may not agree politically on some issues, it is undeniable that he cares very much for the people in Southeast Denver and Colorado.
While I have no doubt that had I won the primary, Joe would have had to actually work after August 10, I can't argue that the outcome was absolutely the best thing for HD9 and for Colorado.
The concept of government transparency is simple.
Citizens have the right to know what their government is doing in their name.
Colorado passed the Colorado Open Records Act CORA) to shed light on decisions by local and state governments.
The intent and spirit of the law was to hold government accountable to the people. It's supposed to be easy and affordable for anybody to request and examine documents.
Unfortunately, some of our elected officials would prefer that you and I don't know what goes on behind the closed doors at the county building. My recent experience with a CORA request of outgoing Garfield County Commissioner Tresi Houpt can only be described as frustrating, time consuming, and expensive.
I filed a CORA with Garfield County and then Commissioner Houpt on October 18. I was investigating whether a push poll paid for by an environmental group was in any way being used to exploit public health fears or shape the outcome of an upcoming COGCC hearing.
I didn't file these requests with the intent of creating more work for already overworked officials and staff; and in the interests of full and complete disclosure, I am an unapologetic supporter of responsible energy development .
I requested additional information because I believe in the public's right to full and complete disclosure from their elected officials and their government.
CORA requires that requested documents be made available for inspection within three to ten days of the request. However, what unfolded for me was a full month of delays that began with a response letter from Houpt, which read, in part, that she would have to consult with the IT department to "determine whether or not the information requested can be obtained, how long it will take to achieve production, if at all, and how much it will cost to comply."
That cost was estimated to be over $2500. I was aghast. Twenty-five hundred dollars to pull the "sent" items folder from Houpt's county computer?
Finally, a full month after I filed the request, I received the information. Lots of it; and in a form that doesn't make it easy to sort the wheat from the chaff and accompanied by a letter about the redaction file from Garfield County Attorney Don DeFord that baldly states that if I want to know the details of the redaction file I can meet Garfield County in court.
What's so time consuming, top secret, and expensive about a county official's interaction with a short list of individuals in a snapshot of time regarding a single issue?
When information is withheld and only given out under threat of legal action, and to those with the funds to get it, people naturally think you have something to hide.
I intend to pursue the answers to these and other questions, and I hope by doing so the residents of communities like Garfield County will have a better understanding of those who are deserving of the public trust and those who are not.
(I'd like to see a diary from the Republicans up there too - promoted by DavidThi808)
I've been quiet for a good long while of late, because there's work to do up here in Larimer County.
Still, it was good to take a moment away from my county map long enough to see that 1) Cory Gardner seems to have forgotten the Republican aversion to the New York Times
A primary battle has broken out in northeast Denver over whether the "symbolism" of race should matter to voters choosing a state representative to replace term-limited house speaker Terrance Carroll in District 7.
In an op-ed flyer distributed late last month, Jon Goldin-Dubois was supported by a number of African-Americans who claim that, especially in a post-Obama US, voters should choose the candidate with the best ideas and experience regardless of race. Goldin-Dubois is white while his opponent, Angela Williams, is African-American and the only black candidate running for the state legislature this year.
Support for Hickenlooper for Colorado Results in $850,000 for Fall TV Ads
Hickenlooper for Colorado supporters in May enabled the campaign to reserve $850,000 worth of advertising time on television this fall, the campaign announced today.
A significant amount of those resources came, once again, from an overwhelming response to email requests for contributions. Their efforts mean the campaign will be able to deliver to voters John Hickenlooper's message of job growth and economic development for Colorado.
In my PPP diary, as well as other diaries, we're seeing a back-and-forth take place over polling. People are saying that polls are cooked, and using various results to advance their ideological agendas, whether from the right or from the left.
A letter from Polly Baca and Ramona Martinez to Barack Obama, the DSCC and the DNC leadership. I think they nail this on the head. No Democrat in a position of leadership within the official party structure should be taking sides on the primary race between Bennet and Romanoff prior to its conclusion.
Support for Hickenlooper for Colorado Results in $850,000 for Fall TV Ads
