August 22, 2007 08:43 PM UTC

Club 20 and Ritter kumbaya - will it last? New audit could be trouble

• 0 Comments
• by: Steve Balboni

Go Blue pointed out these positive comments from Club 20’s Reeves Brown about their relationship with the Governor,

“‘I think Club 20 has enjoyed a good, working relationship with the governor since he was inaugurated.’

‘We are absolutely thrilled to have the governor and Congressman Salazar join us,’ Brown said in a press release issued Tuesday. ‘It is an honor to have both of these gentlemen make time in their hectic schedules to meet with Club 20 members and share their perspective on the issues which are affecting our region.'”

I think that’s a positive development. Brown was often times an outspoken critic of the new administration. It is good that progress has been made in that relationship.

It will be interesting to see if the relationship makes this upcoming fight any easier or if relations deteriorate again. From today’s Denver Post,

“Colorado towns with booming populations due to oil and gas development are getting an unfair share of state funding to cope with growth caused by mining and drilling, according to a report released Tuesday by the state auditor.

The disparity is a potential violation of the state law that created the ‘direct impact’ program…”

The story continues,

“The auditor recommended that officials at the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), which oversees the program, work with lawmakers, local governments and energy-industry officials to re-evaluate the program.

Susan Kirkpatrick, executive director of DOLA, said, ‘The stakes are high and the conversation will be lively'”

Yes, yes they will.

This is a potentially huge fight amongst these towns, their legislators and county officials, within Colorado Counties Inc and the Governor’s office. Keep an eye on this debate folks…