February 16, 2009 11:17 PM UTC

Bennet Hits West Slope After Stimulus Vote

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• by: Colorado Pols

Sen. Michael Bennet is again visiting Western Slope communities today, introducing himself to voters and local officials and taking questions on the recently passed economic stimulus plan. He’s also appearing as his own headliner on this tour, notably getting out from under Governor Bill Ritter’s wing.

After a town hall in Ridgway that just got underway a few minutes ago, Bennet will host another forum in Delta at 3PM before heading to the Museum of Western Colorado in Grand Junction this evening. Yesterday, Bennet appeared in Durango to a large crowd and directly addressed criticism of the plan, as the Herald recaps:

“It’s only the first step,” he told about 175 people gathered for a town hall-style meeting at the Durango Public Library. “It’s not even close to being the final step.”

For about 45 minutes, he talked about his work before being appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter to replace Sen. Ken Salazar, who was tapped by the new administration to head the Interior Department.

Bennet had been the superintendent of Denver Public Schools, making him something of a dark horse for the position because of his lack of political experience. But he said his experience reforming a dysfunctional institution made him well-qualified for the job.

Opening the floor for questions, he was asked about everything from creating green jobs to closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay…

To a question about an apparent lack of emphasis on alternative energy in the stimulus package, Bennet said, “Don’t give up to soon.”

He said developing a new energy economy remains a priority in Washington.

“This is a great opportunity for our country to create jobs that can’t be shipped overseas,” he said.

With the country hemorrhaging jobs and every sign pointing to continued recession, Bennet took pains to emphasize the limitations of what even a $787 billion stimulus bill can accomplish.

“Maybe the best we can actually hope for is that it slows the decline,” he told an Editorial Board meeting at The Durango Herald.