(D) J. Hickenlooper*
(D) Julie Gonzales
(R) Janak Joshi
80%
20%
10%
(D) Jena Griswold
(D) M. Dougherty
(D) Hetal Doshi
40%↓
30%
30%
(D) Jeff Bridges
(R) Kevin Grantham
80%↑
20%↓
(D) Diana DeGette*
(D) Milat Kiros
(D) Wanda James
70%↓
20%↑
10%↓
(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(R) Jeff Hurd*
(D) Alex Kelloff
(R) H. Scheppelman
60%↓
30%↓
20%↑
(R) Lauren Boebert*
(D) E. Laubacher
80%
20%
(R) Jeff Crank*
(D) Jessica Killin
53%↓
48%↑
(D) Jason Crow*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(D) B. Pettersen*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(R) Gabe Evans*
(D) Shannon Bird
(D) Manny Rutinel
45%↓
30%
30%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
(crossposting from Jeffco Pols) Democratic challenger Tracy Kraft-Tharp has blown incumbent Representative Robert Ramirez (R-29) out of the water in fundraising, surpassing the incumbent’s 2010 fundraising total with more than four months left to go in the campaign. Keep in mind that Ramirez unseated a Democratic incumbent, Debbie Benefield, in 2010. If Kraft-Tharp has already […]
Democratic challenger Tracy Kraft-Tharp has blown incumbent Representative Robert Ramirez (R-29) out of the water in fundraising, surpassing the incumbent’s 2010 fundraising total with more than four months left to go in the campaign. Keep in mind that Ramirez unseated a Democratic incumbent, Debbie Benefield, in 2010. If Kraft-Tharp has already raised more than Ramirez needed to win against an incumbent in the last election cycle, could anything short of an act of God keep Ramirez in his seat for 2012?
The press release just gets uglier for the Ramirez campaign:
In just the latest two-week reporting period, Kraft-Tharp more than quintupled the $1,038 Ramirez raised over the same period with over $5,000 raised. Kraft-Tharp also has more than a two-to-one cash on hand advantage.
Jefferson County Commissioner Don Rosier took a trip to the east coast earlier this month, apparently visiting Washington, DC to participate in a “national leadership institute” for county officials.
If nothing else, it’s clear that Rosier learned how to craft a buzzword or two.
From the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners:
Donald Rosier, chairman of the Jefferson County (Colorado) Board of Commissioners, was one of a select group of 23 leaders in county government from across the U.S. who participated in the a national leadership institute developed by the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the Cambridge Leadership Associates.
The 4 day Institute, held June 3-7 in Washington, D.C., challenged the county officials to consider innovative approaches to address key issues facing their home county and residents.
Participants worked with the faculty as a group to develop a sense of direction and vision; a mechanism for innovation and creativity; a resource for invigorating organizational culture; and increased risk taking, improved decision making, team building and effective communication.
“The Institute provided a unique opportunity to learn from experts in leadership development and to work with my colleagues from across the country,” Commissioner Rosier said. “I was really amazed at how similar the problems are from county to county across the nation. We can learn so much from each other by sharing and applying the principals we learned from the experts.”
“The county officials who participate in the institute get information, ideas, and perspectives they can’t get anywhere else,” said Larry E. Naake, executive director of NACo. “These county leaders not only discussed the core principles of public service leadership with faculty, they also collaborated intensively with each other to develop new ways to attack real-life issues of importance to the residents of their counties.”
Was this particular learning experience paid for by taxpayer funds? If so, Rosier better have done more than just “develop a mechanism for innovation and creativity.” What the hell does that even mean? Seems like Rosier dozed off during the “effective communication” seminar.
One thing’s for certain, though, his “sense of direction and vision” no doubt plows directly through Golden.
Rumor has it Rosier also led the “hand puppetry” breakout session.
Governor Hickenlooper signed State Representative Robert Ramirez‘s HB-1272 into law last week. HB-1272 authorizes enhanced benefits such as job training and unpaid internships without penalties for those receiving unemployment insurance.
Ashley Reimers of the Westminster Window, Westsider, and the Arvada Press reports:
House Bill 1272 extends a program until 2014 that was set to expire June 30. In the program, claimants can receive up to 50 percent more on their weekly unemployment benefit for up to 20 weeks if they are actively engaged in an approved training program. [Rep. Robert] Ramirez said at the beginning it took some time to convince some Republicans to get on board, but once he explained the bill, more people understood the concept of the bill.
“Some people felt the bill would just extend unemployment to people, but really it’s a bill that helps people get off the government payroll,” he said. “The first thing I’m concerned with is putting people back to work and helping people get their lives back on track.”
This bill will help Colorado’s unemployed by permitting retraining in new employment fields. Pro-business groups such as the Colorado Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Colorado Republican Business Coalition, HB-1272 passed both houses of the Colorado General Assembly with bipartisan support.
State Representative Robert Ramirez, representing House District 29, is a freshman legislator running for his second term in the Colorado House. He faces a Democrat lawyer-lobbyist from Arvada and a Libertarian candidate from Westminster in the November general election.
CD-7 Republican candidate Joe Coors may not be a beer — or a yacht or pile of money — but he is one of the National Republican Campaign Committee’s “Young Guns,” according to a press release issued by the NRCC on Friday. Coors’ acceptance into the competitive GOP program is made all the more remarkable […]
CD-7 Republican candidate Joe Coors may not be a beer — or a yacht or pile of money — but he is one of the National Republican Campaign Committee’s “Young Guns,” according to a press release issued by the NRCC on Friday. Coors’ acceptance into the competitive GOP program is made all the more remarkable by the fact that he’s 70 years old, giving the term “young” a whole new meaning.
In fact, the septuagenarian’s hip new label has attracted some additional national attention to the race.
Unfortunately for Coors, however, that attention focuses more on the novelty of his age than his candidacy as a whole.
From The Atlantic’s David Graham:
Just because you’re a Young Gun doesn’t mean you have to be young.
Take Joe Coors, one of the 10 candidates just added to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Young Gun list, a group of candidates the NRCC hopes to propel into office. The candidate for Colorado’s 7th district has never held elected office before; he is also 70 years old and has eight grandchildren. (He’s also not a beer.)
Overall, the average age of the latest group of Young Guns is 52 years old.
Which makes you wonder: how old would the average age of the group be without Joe Coors?
Despite the fact that former Jefferson County Commissioner Jim Congrove passed away earlier this year, his ethically questionable decisions and attendant legal missteps will continue to cost the county taxpayer dollars, as ordered by a recent decision of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Congrove, remember, was taken to court in 2005 by blogger Mike Zinna. In that lawsuit, Zinna alleged a gross violation of his First Amendment rights after the commissioner used county funds to hire a private investigator to tail the county critic. A jury eventually agreed with Zinna’s claims, awarding him a symbolic $1,791 in damages. U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch then ruled that the gadfly was entitled to $8,000 in reimbursement for lawyer’s fees.
As it turns out, the county’s tab for that particular lawsuit may run up even higher.
From the Denver Business Journal:
A federal appeals court says the amount of attorneys’ fees awarded to a blogger critical of Jefferson County government isn’t enough and is sending the case back to the lower court to increase that amount, The Denver Post reports.
It’s unlikely that Zinna will receive the $500,000 he’s requesting, but there’s no question that the county will be forced to spend more public money to finally end this particular legal skirmish. No matter how much the lower court decides Zinna deserves — and it’ll be considerably more than $8,000 — it will only add to the half a million dollars the county has already spent litigating this case.
While it’s ridiculous that taxpayers are continuing to foot the bill for the incredibly stupid decisions made by their erstwhile elected officials, it’s merely symptomatic of a larger problem with Jefferson County government. Congrove may be dead and buried, but his tenure as a commissioner is still hurting Jefferson County. Likewise, former Commissioner Kevin McCasky’s recent ethical violations continue to paint Jefferson County as a cesspool of corruption.
Bottom line, Jim Congrove was most certainly not the “good steward of taxpayer funds” that the legislature retroactively defined him as. In fact, just the opposite: Congrove and his cohorts left such an indellible black mark on Jeffco that it has taken — and will continue to take — years for the county to move beyond their years on the Commission.
Unfortunately, while the current Board of Commissioners hasn’t been mired in scandal (yet), history has a nasty habit of repeating itself in Jeffco.
Check your mailbox!
Ballots will be arriving this week in advance of the all-mail primary election on June 26th.
From the Columbine Courier:
Primary election ballots will begin arriving at South Jeffco addresses the week of June 4, and there will be many names listed but very few decisions to make, since there will be one or two contested races at the most on local ballots.
As previously announced, the June 26 primary is an all-mail election this year. Ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters registered with either the Democratic, Republican or American Constitution parties.
The deadline to turn in ballots is June 26. The general election will be Nov. 6. The registration deadline for the general election is Oct. 9.
While the ballots are going out by mail, voters may mail the ballots back or drop them off at service centers or drop-off sites after June 4 (see the box accompanying this story). Voters can also receive replacement ballots and vote in person.
In Jefferson County, five contests (out of a potential 19 races) have more than one candidate. Four are Republican races, and one is Democratic. There is only one candidate from the American Constitution Party for each race.
As noted by the Courier, there aren’t very many primary races on the ballot this cycle. South Jeffco Republicans will have to choose between either Loren Bauman or Justin Everett for the HD-22 nomination, while Republicans across the county can cast a ballot in the CU regent-at-large primary. A select few Republicans can also cast votes in the Republican primaries in Colorado house district 1 and congressional districts 1 and 2.
There are, however, no Democratic party primaries on the ballot this year – except for a handful of voters who live in the Jefferson County sliver of HD-1. Incumbent Jeanne Labuda is facing off against Corrie Houck for the majority Denver County seat.
The vast majority of Jeffco Democrats, then, should be able to breeze through their ballots:
If you are a Democrat and don’t live in House District 1, you will receive a ballot with no choices at all. Some people think that’s a waste of money, said Josh Liss, Jeffco deputy of elections.
“The No. 1 call we get is, ‘Why did you send this? There are no choices,’ ” said Liss.
Sending out ballots and other costs for the primary election will total between $400,000 and $600,000 for Jeffco, Liss said. But the county isn’t allowed to decide not to send out the mailings.
“The statute requires that if there are any contested elections for any party, then ballots have to go out for all the parties,” Liss said. The rule was upheld by a district court in connection with an El Paso County case just this month.
State Representative Sue Schafer was one of just three Democrats in the legislature endorsed by the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, according to a press release issued by the business group last week.
From CACI:
CACI Board Approves Pro-Business Slate of Legislative Incumbents for November Elections
On Thursday of last week, May 24th, the CACI Board of Directors approved a slate of 26 incumbent legislators who are seeking re-election or, in the case of two representatives, election to the Senate, for an endorsement by CACI and, in most cases, a contribution of $400.
Under Colorado’s campaign finance laws, $400 is the maximum contribution that a political committee-in this case, CACI’s Colorado Business Political Action Committee-can give to a legislative candidate over the 2011-2012 election cycle.
Toward the end of the legislative session, the CACI lobbying team began assessing the voting record of incumbent legislators, who are seeking re-election or election to the Senate, for the 2011 and 2012 sessions through the prism of CAC’s lobbying agendas.
A “pro-business” voting record, when viewed through “the prism of CAC’s lobbying agendas,” invariably results in Republican legislators earning the CACI endorsement. Indeed, nearly all of Jeffco’s GOP legislators — State Representatives Cheri Gerou, Libby Szabo, Robert Ramirez, and Ken Summers, specifically — garnered CACI’s seal of approval.
Still, that Schafer also received kind words from the state’s most visible business lobby isn’t too surprising. Her predecessor, former boss, ideological advisor — and now State Senator — Cheri Jahn was endorsed by CACI several times in the past, perhaps because Jahn, a small-business owner, views every piece of legislation by gauging “how it will affect her business.”
Jahn, elected to the Senate in 2010, isn’t up for re-election this year, so she couldn’t possibly benefit from CACI’s check. It’s logical, then, that Jahn’s former aide gets to enjoy the perks of being “pro-business.”
We suspect both legislators will earn the endorsement in 2014.
In what may be one of the last legislative outreach events for State Senator Betty Boyd — and the last for either Rep. Andy Kerr or Rep. Ken Summers — the Lakewood legislative delegation will be hosting a “post-legislative session wrap up” town hall tomorrow, the first since last month’s meeting which presaged the contentious civil unions debate.
From the Colorado House Democrats:
MEDIA ADVISORY
Saturday, June 2; 9:30 a.m.Town Hall Meeting with Rep. Max Tyler, Rep. Andy Kerr, Rep. Ken Summers, Sen. Betty Boyd, & Sen. Cheri Jahn
WHAT:
Join the Lakewood legislative delegation for a town hall meeting next Saturday and a post-legislative session wrap-up.WHO:
Rep. Max Tyler (D-Lakewood)
Rep. Andy Kerr (D-Lakewood)
Rep. Ken Summers (R-Lakewood)
Sen. Betty Boyd (D-Lakewood)
Sen. Cheri Jahn (D-Wheat Ridge)WHERE:
Lakewood Cultural Center (map)
470 S. Allison Parkway
Lakewood, CO 80226WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Given the volatile close of the regular session this year — and the special session which followed as a result — the lawmakers at tomorrow’s town hall might have a few choice words for members of House leadership.
Well, except for Ken Summers. It’s almost as if the lone Republican is entering the lion’s den.
Have a political or community event coming up? E-mail us: info(at)jeffcopols.com
Democrat Brittany Pettersen only narrowly outraised Republican opponent Amy Attwood in the HD-28 race, according to finance reports filed earlier this month.
In Pettersen’s first fundraising period as a candidate – she kicked off her campaign in mid February – the New Era Colorado staffer raised $13,650, spending $3,620 of that. As expected, Pettersen collected checks from a dozen or so politicos with whom she worked as a staffer. Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb contributed, as did 2011 mayoral candidate James Mejia. Denver School Board Members Arturo Jimenez and Jeanne Kaplan also wrote checks, alongside a handful of members of the House Democratic caucus, including Minority Leader Mark Ferrandino, and Representatives Beth McCann and Lois Court. While the lion’s share of Pettersen’s notable contributions came from Denver’s elected officials, she also cashed checks from local leaders such as Jeffco School Board Member Paula Noonan and former State Representative Sara Gagliardi. Strangely, Pettersen also accepted money from controversial Lakewood City Councilman Pedro Roybal.
Still, no matter the caliber of Pettersen’s donors, she’s still lagging far behind Attwood. The Republican raised $12,750, spending $4,300. Attwood started this period with $13,200 in the bank, so she’s left with $21,603 on hand — more than double the amount, it should be noted, of her opponent.
Pettersen may have narrowly outraised Attwood, but she should’ve done better for her first period as a candidate. The notable names among her contributor list indicate that Pettersen has no qualms in opening her rolodex. They also indicate that Attwood’s picked off all the “low-hanging fruit” there is to harvest — she can’t count on Wellington Webb or James Mejia to finance her campaign going forward. Indeed, Pettersen’s probably collected every penny of easy money she could — and yet Attwood still came within striking distance. Pettersen’s going to have a much harder time raising money now that the novelty of her candidacy has worn off, which is a particular problem considering that Attwood has already brought in twice as much.
Pettersen’s been a candidate two months fewer than Attwood, of course, and the latter’s eventual candidacy for the state house has been expected since she launched her bid for city council three years ago.
Still, while it’s easy to rationalize Attwood’s initial lead at this stage of the game, Pettersen is really going to need to prove her fundraising chops as the campaign continues lest people start to think of her as the longshot candidate in a district with a considerable Democratic tilt.
We’ve previously written that the viability of Democrat Tim Allport’s campaign against Republican Representative Libby Szabo hinges on Allport’s fundraising numbers. The GOP hold an 8% lead in voter registration within the district, so Allport needed to outraise — or at least come close to — the incumbent Szabo.
Szabo had an average period, adding $11,000 to her massive $34,500 war chest. Spending nearly $3,000, Szabo’s left with about $42,530 on hand.
While it would’ve been impossible for Allport to narrow such a colossal fundraising gap, the labor activist posted a respectable $9,400, adding to the $3,500 he previously held. He spent about $4,300 of that, leaving him with just under $8,700 on hand.
Szabo holds an incredible fundraising advantage, there’s no question. HD-27 is a difficult seat for any Democrat to win, and while Allport hasn’t yet proven that he can raise enough money to do it, he has shown that he’s a credible candidate — noteworthy for any Democrat faced with such a steep uphill battle. That Allport came within $1,600 of Szabo’s numbers shows that he’s connected and charismatic enough to elude being labeled a “sacrificial lamb.” Allport’s legitimacy as a candidate is self-perpetuating; proving that he can raise money will bring more money in.
More importantly, it may also draw outside attention (and money) into the race. Given Szabo’s predilection for religious zealotry and loyal opposition to this year’s civil unions effort at the Capitol, she makes a pretty target for wealthy LGBT donors who have already promised to do whatever it takes to give Democrats the speaker’s gavel. Because Allport has proven his electoral credibility, the path to a Democratic majority for these outside groups might go straight through HD-27 — if only because of the sheer symbolic weight of a Szabo defeat.
Although Democrats enjoy a 4% registration advantage in Lakewood’s newly-reapportioned House District 23, the district is competitive such that the right Republican could really give incumbent Max Tyler a run for his money. While Tyler fended off Republican Edgar Johansson during last cycle’s Republican wave, 2012 opponent Rick Enstrom might not fade away quite so easily.
Enstrom, after all, has proved his mettle as a fundraiser according to finance reports filed earlier this month. The candyman raked in a whopping $27,950, spending $4,350 of that. A $5,000 personal loan — odd for this early in the campaign — leaves him with just over $28,000 on hand.
Enstrom’s donor list is a veritable who’s who of GOP politics. Controversial Jeffco School Board member Laura Boggs donated to Enstrom, as did former United States Senator and CU President Hank Brown. Several members of the Coors family have also written checks. Curiously, Enstrom’s also received hundreds of dollars from employees of Black Hills Exploration and Whiting Petroleum. There’s no oil and gas exploration in Lakewood, of course, so these contributions are the direct result of connections Enstrom made as a businessman and elected official on the Western Slope.
For his part, Rep. Tyler started the period with $16,000 on hand, to which he added a meager $2,380. Tyler spent just $900, leaving him with $17,500. In total, the incumbent’s raised just under $26,000, about $3,500 less than his opponent. Enstrom’s loan, then, just barely earned him the lead.
Tyler’s going to really need to bolster his fundraising before Enstrom leaves him in the dust. Sure, the candy maker picked off “low-hanging fruit” in his first full period as a candidate, but he’s ending that period with more money than an incumbent who’s been raising funds since last year. Even if Enstrom’s well runs dry — which likely won’t happen anytime soon — he retains the ability to self-fund, and as seen, loan himself money. The district favors Tyler, of course, but if Enstrom continues to outpace the incumbent in fundraising, it won’t matter how good Tyler’s ground game is.
Tyler is still the favorite, but in Rick Enstrom, Republicans recruited the exact kind of candidate they need to win competitive seats: a moderate businessmen with previous elected experience, long donor lists, and deep pockets.
Although Justin Everett’s nomination as the Republican candidate in House District 22 is all but a foregone conclusion, he and primary opponent Loren Bauman will be facing off tonight at a debate in South Jeffco.
Who knows? This debate might just be the tipping point at which Bauman proves that he’s the more qualified candidate to campaign for and serve in the legislature. Or perhaps Everett will have his “macaca” moment –gaffe-ing so miserably that Republican voters will have no choice but to nominate his opponent.
Then again, probably not. Still, if Bauman wants to have any chance when election day rolls around a month from now, he’ll need to walk away this evening as the debate’s undisputed victor. Likewise, a resounding win for Everett gives primary voters even less reason to pay attention to Bauman’s candidacy.
House District 22 Republican Candidate Forum
Here is your opportunity to meet Justin Everett and Loren Bauman, candidates for the State House of Representatives.Registered Republicans will elect one of these individuals on June 26th to run against other political party candidates in the general election. Candidates will be asked to answer a number of pertinent questions with time allotted for audience questions.
Be prepared to make an informed decision at the June Primary by attending this event.
Where: Columbine Library 7706 W. Bowles Ave
When: Tuesday, May 29, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Although we’ve heard of some searing criticisms levied against GOP HD-22 candidate Justin Everett by members of his own party, his primary victory over Loren Bauman is all but assured by virtue of Everett’s sizable fundraising lead.
Everett raised $6,500 in the most recent fundraising period, compared to just $600 for Bauman. While the 10-1 disparity is striking, the difference in campaign spending is even more drastic. Everett’s spent just about $9,000 on the campaign; Bauman, only $1,800.
It takes money to connect with voters, and Everett’s spent enough to guarantee his victory. Despite all of his opponent’s flaws as a candidate, Bauman simply has not raised enough money to make the point that he’s a better fit. Even if Bauman’s knocked on every Republican voter’s door three times this cycle, Everett’s expenditures on robocalls and campaign literature ensure that he has connected with more voters more often.
Bottom line: Money isn’t everything in political campaigns, but if you don’t have enough money to make yourself visible, the odds won’t be in your favor.
A few months ago, one of our diarists profiled Hans Romer, a Libertarian candidate running in House District 29 against Democrat Tracy Kraft-Tharp and Republican Representative Robert Ramirez.
Because Ramirez narrowly beat Representative Debbie Benefield by under 200 votes in 2010, a terrible year for Democratic incumbents by all accounts, we’ve heard rumblings from Republicans worried that Romer will “spoil” the race — siphoning enough conservative-leaning voters away from Ramirez to deliver Kraft-Tharp the seat. Indeed, Ramirez’s narrow margin-of-victory in 2010, combined with his inherent flaws as a legislator, give Romer’s candidacy particular importance. Ramirez, after all, simply needs to earn every single right-leaning vote he can, a feat all that more difficult with a Libertarian in the race.
We want to know: is Romer’s candidacy the final nail in the Ramirez campaign’s coffin? Will he hurt Kraft-Tharp’s chances? Or will the third-party candidate have no impact at all? A poll follows.
Jeffco Young Dems’ annual Legislative Session Wrapup meeting will be held tonight in Arvada, featuring updates from Senator Evie Hudak (SD 19), Representative Sue Schafer (HD 24), and Representative Max Tyler (HD 23). What: Updates from and Q&A with three Democratic legislators. Where: Udi’s on Grandview in Old Town Arvada. Gluten free, veggie, and vegan […]
Former Arvada City Council candidate Cody McNutt has pivoted from his loss last year and is now working as the field director on Lang Sias‘ bid for the SD-19 seat against Evie Hudak.
McNutt scored 45% of the vote in 2011, losing to incumbent City Councilman Mark McGoff by about 500 votes. McNutt ran a decent campaign. Sure, he made a couple major mistakes, but we heard good things about McNutt’s ground game. His campaign was doomed from the outset, but it was a good foray into politics for the twenty-something first time candidate.
That said, finding a few friends to knock on doors for your upstart city council bid is a lot different than recruiting volunteers for an expansive State Senate race. We’re not sure that McNutt’s skills as a candidate will translate well into working on someone else’s campaign, especially given his incredibly odd personality. McNutt’s enthusiasm may be charming when he appears on your doorstep as a candidate, but in a campaign as competitive as Sias’, perhaps someone a little less caustic and with a little more experience would be a better fit to manage field efforts.
While SB-2, this year’s civil unions bill, handily passed the State Senate last week, its future in the House is markedly less certain. This Saturday’s town hall on the issue, then, could as much be a discussion on why the legislation didn’t pass as why it did.
From the Colorado House Democrats:
Town Hall Meeting with Rep. Max Tyler, Rep. Andy Kerr, Sen. Betty Boyd, & Sen. Cheri Jahn
WHAT: Join the Lakewood legislative delegation for a town hall meeting this Saturday to discuss Civil Unions in Colorado. The Civil Unions bill was recently passed in the Senate and will be debated in the House in the week ahead.
WHO: Rep. Max Tyler (D-Lakewood)
Rep. Andy Kerr (D-Lakewood)
Sen. Betty Boyd (D-Lakewood)
Sen. Cheri Jahn (D-Wheat Ridge)WHERE: Lakewood Cultural Center (map)
470 S. Allison Parkway
Lakewood, CO 80226WHEN: Saturday, May 5, 2012 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Notably absent from Saturday’s roster is State Representative Ken “Homosexuality is a behavior” Summers — he’ll undoubtedly vote to kill SB-2 if it makes it to the House floor. Still, you have to wonder: if the point of these town halls is to educate voters, doesn’t it make sense to invite every area politician, no matter their stance on any particular issue? Summers has participated in town-halls with Democrats before, so it’s unusual that he’s not coming to this one.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that SB-2 will even be “debated in the House” at all, so this whole town hall, with or without Ken Summers, might just be an exercise in futility.
It’s been widely known for months that State Senator Evie Hudak is seeking re-election to her SD-19 seat. Her campaign kickoff this weekend, then, is all but a formality.
From the Hudak campaign:
OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN KICKOFF!
Please join hosts
Glenda Barry, Jim Carpenter, Margaret Chapman, Sheryl Lemon,
Jim Polsfut, Jack Robinson, Emily Sirota,
Judy & Manuel Solano, Sue Windels, and Kathryn Wallace
To help me kick off my 2012 re-election campaign!
Saturday, April 28, 3-5 p.m.
7649 Harlan Way, Westminster, CO 80003
RSVP to Julia at 720-233-2168 or democratjulia@hotmail.com
While almost every candidate for public office usually kicks off their campaign near the start of the summer, it’s a little odd that Hudak is doing it while the legislature is still in session: lobbyists are barred by statute from contributing to state-level candidates until the General Assembly concludes its business next month. As a result, holding a kickoff now precludes Hudak from accepting lobbyist donations.
Hudak is, of course, trying to raise as much money as possible before the secretary of state’s fundraising deadline next week. The timing of this kickoff, then, should give her campaign an infusion of cash that’ll look really good on fundraising reports.
Kicking off your campaign right before session ends is always a risky endeavor. In this case, it’ll improve Hudak’s fundraising haul for this quarter at the cost of opening her up to the criticism that she’s raising money for her re-election before she’s even concluded the work of the people she’s elected to represent.
Have a campaign event coming up? Add us to your press list: info(at)jeffcopols(dot)com.
Faye Griffin is set to breeze through election year. Democrats failed (or were unable) to draft a candidate to run against her, so she’s a lock for re-election. Given that Griffin’s the only sitting commissioner displaying any modicum of common sense, perhaps that’s for the best.
District 2 Commissioner John Odom, however, is left alone to defend his seat from Democratic attorney Casey Tighe. Make no mistake: it’s an uphill battle for Tighe. Odom’s incumbency will lengthen his fundraising lists, and as a Democrat, Tighe’s already starting out behind in a county which favors the GOP for countywide offices. It doesn’t help that Odom, unlike his predecessors, is more or less untouched by scandal. At least, scandal that we know of.
Still, Odom’s never won an election before. He was appointed to his current position in the wake of Kevin McCasky’s now-controversial resignation last year. His only electoral qualification, in fact, is his failed bid against Cheri Jahn in 2010.
We want to know: who do you think will be the next Jefferson County commissioner from District 2, John Odom or Casey Tighe? Remember, vote for the candidate you think will win, not the candidate you’d like to win.
Lookout Mountain residents are suing Jefferson County Commissioners John Odom and Don Rosier over the controversial expansion of a neighborhood church, according to a report from CBS4 News.
Homeowners have filed a lawsuit against Activation Ministries, which plans to triple the size of a church west of Golden.
Many residents who live in the area claim the Jefferson County Commission was unlawful in issuing a permit allowing the church’s expansion. In response, a few dozen neighbors have banded together and filed suit.
A group of concerned citizens met Tuesday afternoon to hear about the lawsuit. Many of the concerns mentioned focused on property rights, safety and traffic.
Sound familiar? It should, considering that the exact same thing happened four years ago.
From a June 2008 report in the now-defunct Rocky Mountain News:
Last month, McCasky and Congrove came under fire when they approved, again by a 2-1 vote, expansion of the Rock South Baptist Church in Littleton.
The church, which sits in the Westridge subdivision, plans to construct a 16,000-square-foot youth center and a parking lot west of its current building along the intersection of West Alamo Place and Kipling Street in Littleton.
Neither Kevin McCasky nor Jim Congrove are commissioners anymore, but you’d think their idealogical successors might’ve remembered the uproar the last time the Board approved a massive church expansion without citizen input.
Indeed, McCasky and Congrove might be gone, but the culture they created within Jefferson County Government remains: development will always trounce both homeowner concerns and longstanding zoning requirements.
Republicans Justin Everett and Loren Bauman are facing off in a primary to determine who will take on Democrat Mary Parker for the HD-22 seat.
Republicans maintain an insurmountable registration advantage in the district, and former State Treasurer Cary Kennedy lost her 2010 campaign there by nearly 4,000 votes. As such, whoever wins the primary will almost certainly be south Jeffco’s next state representative.
Everett has a healthy fundraising lead. He’s also well-recognized in the community from his tenure as president of homeowners’ group COHOPE. We’ve heard talk that his aggressive, almost abrasive personality has turned some voters off, however, so Loren Bauman’s not totally out of the hunt yet.
We want to know: who do you think will win the primary? That is, if the election was held tomorrow, which candidate do you think would come out on top? Remember, vote for the candidate you think is going to win, not the one you’d like to win.
Last week, State Senator Evie Hudak co-sponsored a resolution honoring former State Senator (and Jefferson County Commissioner) Jim Congrove on the floor of the Senate. Congrove, who opted not to run for re-election in 2008 after becoming embroiled in several corruption scandals, died earlier this year.
From the Colorado Senate Majority:
DENVER─ Today, the Senate honored former Republican Senator Jim Congrove in a bipartisan memorial resolution sponsored by Senator Evie Hudak (D-Westminster). Senator Congrove was a Vietnam War veteran and former undercover narcotics officer. He was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1994 and to the Colorado State Senate in 1996. Senator Congrove also served as a Jefferson County Commissioner from 2005-2009. He passed away on January 10.
Below is the full text of Senator Congrove’s Senate memorial:
WHEREAS, Our respected former colleague, Jim Congrove, a past member of the Colorado Senate and House of Representatives, departed this life on January 10, 2012, at the age of 65, in Arvada; and
WHEREAS, Senator Congrove was born on May 5, 1946; and
WHEREAS, Senator Congrove graduated from Boys Town in Nebraska, where he was named head commissioner in the cottage where he resided; and
WHEREAS, After serving in the Vietnam War, Senator Congrove returned to Colorado and enrolled in Adams State College; and
WHEREAS, Senator Congrove served first in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1994 to 1996, during which time he served on the House Finance and State Veterans and Military Affairs committees; and
WHEREAS, From 1996 to 2000, Senator Congrove served in the Colorado Senate, where he was a member of several committees, including the Health Environment Welfare and Institutions, Local Government, and State Veterans and Military Affairs committees; and
WHEREAS, While serving in the Colorado General Assembly, Senator Congrove, who was a former undercover narcotics officer, sponsored a bill that further restricted no-knock warrants; and
WHEREAS, While serving in the Senate, Senator Congrove also sponsored a bill granting disabled veterans free entrance to parks, legislation affecting the governance of charter schools, and legislation updating the certification system of the Peace Officers Standards and Training Board; and
WHEREAS, Senator Congrove’s public service did not end with his tenure in the General Assembly; in 2004, he was elected as Jefferson County Commissioner for District 1; and
WHEREAS, Senator Congrove said that the primary job of a county commissioner was to be a good steward of the taxpayers’ dollars and support property rights, government accountability, and limited taxation; and
WHEREAS, As a pilot himself, Senator Congrove had a particular interest in improving the Jefferson County Airport, which he called “the absolute crown jewel of Jefferson County”, and he was instrumental in changing its name to the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport; and
WHEREAS, In addition to his involvement with public service, Senator Congrove cherished his family and loved spending time with them, especially his two daughters and three grandchildren; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-eighth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
That, in the death of Jim Congrove, the people of the state of Colorado have lost a dedicated public servant and outstanding citizen, and that we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, do hereby extend our deep and heartfelt sympathy to the members of his family and pay tribute to a man who served his state well and faithfully.
Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Memorial be sent to Senator Congrove’s wife, Judy Congrove; his two daughters, Jennifer Fawcett and Jamie Lombardi; and his sister, Marie Hebdon.
We’re sure that this resolution means a lot to Congrove’s grieving family. That said, however, Congrove’s reputation as a crook most certainly overshadows the positive contributions he did make to public service.
After all, this is the same Jim Congrove who was a card-carrying member of the Jeffco “Kings of Corruption,” alongside former Commissioner Kevin McCasky and former Treasurer Mark Paschall. This is the same Jim Congrove who was accused of using public funds to spy on county employees, county critics, private citizens, and even other elected officials; who cost Jeffco taxpayers thousands of dollars in legal fees; who was accused of lying to investigators about his role in the mysterious disappearance of legal files. The list goes on and on.
What was Senator Hudak thinking? We understand the mentality behind memorializing recently-deceased politicians, but usually, those politicians left behind a legacy worth honoring. Jim Congrove’s repeated ethical missteps as a county commissioner should have totally precluded the passage — or even the introduction — of this resolution.
Put simply, you can’t whitewash over Congrove’s ethical missteps just because he passed away.
Congrove might have believed that his job as a county commissioner was to “be a good steward of the taxpayers’ dollars” and to champion government accountability. The problem is the gigantic chasm between what Congrove said and what he did. It’s absurd to celebrate his words while ignoring his actions.
Evie Hudak and the General Assembly could pass hundreds of gushing resolutions honoring Jim Congrove, but they won’t make his tainted legacy go away. You can’t forgive the unforgivable.
After all, people will remember Jim Congrove not for the kind words spoken about him in the halls of government but instead for the gallons of newspaper ink directly tying him to scandal.
Jefferson County Commissioner Don Rosier should have little difficulty stepping in for LeVar Burton if and when Reading Rainbow comes back on air.
Rosier, after all, did a commendable job reading a bunch of books about fishes to pre-school students earlier this month at the Lakewood Library.
If you have 20 minutes to kill, and you really, really love public access television production value, you can check out the entire video on the Jeffco Business Guide TV website.
Rosier gets really into his storytelling. To be fair, of course, you have to be enthusiastic when you’re reading a story to children if you want them to stay put for more than a minute or two. He seems to take particular pleasure in retelling Ugly Fish, a story in which an abrasive, territorial pet fish eats any other fish which enter into his tank — until he’s devoured by a bigger, uglier fish. There’s got to be a political lesson in there somewhere.
We’re a little surprised Rosier was let anywhere near preschool children with that beard of his, but that’s neither here nor there. What’s important is that Don Rosier reading picture books to preschoolers is, at the very least, less controversial than, say, the ill-informed appropriation of public funds for bridge-building.
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