(D) J. Hickenlooper*
(D) Julie Gonzales
(R) Janak Joshi
80%
40%
20%
(D) Jena Griswold
(D) M. Dougherty
(D) Hetal Doshi
50%
40%↓
30%
(D) Jeff Bridges
(D) Brianna Titone
(R) Kevin Grantham
50%↑
40%↓
30%
(D) Diana DeGette*
(D) Wanda James
(D) Milat Kiros
80%
20%
10%↓
(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Somebody
90%
2%
(R) Jeff Hurd*
(D) Alex Kelloff
(R) H. Scheppelman
60%↓
40%↓
30%↑
(R) Lauren Boebert*
(D) E. Laubacher
(D) Trisha Calvarese
90%
30%↑
20%
(R) Jeff Crank*
(D) Jessica Killin
55%↓
45%↑
(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%
Political news followers may recall a story from ’09 about a Colorado mental patient named Rick Strandlof who pretended to be a decorated Veteran named Rick Duncan, rose to the top in the Veteran’s advocacy community, and made political allies with many of the state’s top legislators and candidates, on both sides of the aisle. […]
The Los Angeles Times updates on debt-ceiling negotiations this weekend: Picking up the pieces after the latest round of debt negotiations imploded, congressional leaders met Saturday with President Obama and began work on a Republican-backed plan to cut spending by roughly $3 trillion over 10 years in exchange for their vote to raise the debt […]
One of the quirks that come in a redistricting year is that the Federal Election Commission is a bit lax on requiring candidates seeking a Congressional office to actually state which office they plan to run for. Take, for example, the case of Democrat Perry Haney, a wealthy Greenwood Village chiropractor who wants to run […]
(Talk about your bizarre legislation – promoted by Colorado Pols) POLS UPDATE: We understand that this is just a new way to weaken environmental laws, but we were curious as to the official “rationale” behind this legislation. According to Public News Service: Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, introduced the bill, claiming federal and local laws and […]
(When misogynists say “don’t dress like a slut in order to avoid being victimized,” there always seems to be an unspoken “…by someone like me.” – promoted by ProgressiveCowgirl) Fourth of July festivities abound in Colorado this weekend, and many legislators will practice their retail politicking at parades, marches, firework displays and other photo opportunities. […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) Original Title-GOP House Guts Food Safety, Rural and Food Aid to Benefit Agribusiness UPDATE Conservation programs also hit, in extended text In the continuing saga of ‘money for our supporters is not really government spending’ being wrought in the GOP House, Colorado’s R-delegation is in lock step with wealthy […]
WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Important details added by the Fort Collins Coloradoan, who put together the probable bottom line here without much help from local Rep. Cory Gardner: The bill is being carried by Rep. John Sullivan, R-Okla., and has 188 co-sponsors from both parties. But its most prominent backer is energy magnate T. Boone Pickens, who […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) POLS UPDATE: Look who the New York Times’ Carl Hulse leads off the story with: Sal Pace, the Democratic leader of the State House in Colorado, was already preparing to run for Congress in a district captured by Republicans last year, but his party’s special election win last week […]
As the AP reports via the Durango Herald, here’s something else that Colorado Republican Reps. Doug Lamborn and Mike Coffman don’t agree on–an interesting parallel with their opposing positions on cuts to the Department of Defense. A Colorado congressman who has viewed photos taken of Osama bin Laden after he was killed thinks the least […]
A hint dropped by freshman Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire today, advertising a Charlie Black fundraiser for herself–and also for former Colorado Senate candidate Jane Norton: Jane Norton, former Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, was a terrific Senate candidate with whom I became friends. Jane and I both had competitive primaries. I won my primary […]
Answering the latest round of proposed congressional redistricting maps from Republicans, Democrats unveiled today a new map they say is the result of discussions with Republicans “at all levels,” and a compromise from their previous “City Integrity” map proposal. While acknowledging feedback they’ve received in the last couple of weeks–“some organic and some produced from […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) EDITED-Corrected: This photo was misidentified as Gateway’s iconic feature, The Palisade, which is among the areas in Tipton’s Third Congressional District where BLM would be prohibited from protecting the land’s wilderness character. It is correctly identified in the comment thread. Apologies for the mistake Scott Tipton is at it […]
Photo via Rep. Amy Stephens’ newsletter Yesterday, as news outlets around the state are reporting, tensions over competing redistricting maps from three parties–Democrats led by Sen. Rollie Heath, Republicans on the Joint Select Committee led by Rep. Dave Balmer, and GOP Speaker Frank McNulty’s own proposed maps–boiled over. As the Colorado Independent’s Joseph Boven reports: […]
You heard the complaints Friday, with varying degrees of factuality, from both Republicans and Democrats about the other side’s proposed redistricting maps and the underlying strategies they reflect. The Durango Herald’s Joe Hanel reported this weekend: [House Speaker Frank] McNulty alleged that Democrats were trying to draw a map that Senate President Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, […]
UPDATE: It was so hard to keep these from you, folks. Unembargoed at last: “City Integrity 4” – Democratic proposed map with detail (old districts outlined in blue) After the jump: five more Democratic maps, two proposed maps from Republican Dave Balmer with Denver metro-area detail, and three maps from House Speaker Frank McNulty and […]
(An excellent guide to why Scott Gessler’s “illegal immigrant voter” numbers are nonsense, as we’ve said repeatedly – promoted by Colorado Pols) Conspiracy theories are odd things. They typically involve byzantine logic, wild leaps of faith and holding discussions with people who have some type of extreme agenda. A large dose of skepticism is called […]
In the Denver newspaper today, two stories that should put a swift end to the push by Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler to pass House Bill 1252–as we’ve discussed several times, a controversial bill that would grant his office authority to purge audit the voter rolls for anyone he “believes is not a citizen […]
In case you missed it, here’s President Barack Obama’s speech on Libya in its entirety: With local (Democratic) reaction from the Colorado Independent: Colorado’s senior member of Congress, Democrat Diana DeGette, expressed her doubts tonight after President Barack Obama delivered a national speech making his case for U.S. military action in Libya over the last […]
(We Googled it–“eejit” is an English word. So it’s okay. – promoted by Colorado Pols) Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! But better make sure that’s the Queen’s English you’re speaking. Or, rather King’s: Colorado Republican Congressmen Mike Coffman and Doug Lamborn have co-sponsored a bill that would make all federal government operations use English and […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) On February 14 I declared Jared Polis King of Colorado because his online presence was the strongest of all the Colorado Delegation. As of today, Polis is still king. However, maybe some legislators do listen to CPolsters because in the three weeks since that diary, our legislator’s online presence […]
The U.S. Census data for congressional districts has been released. Floyd Ciruli has a handy chart for comparison: The big redistricting changes, as you can see, are likely to make the biggest difference in CD-1, CD-6 and CD-7. It would seem that Rep. Mike Coffman’s district will be changed the most, with tens of thousands […]
Former Jefferson County Commissioner Kevin McCasky had a parting gift for the county upon his departure: An ethics complaint filed with the Independent Ethics Commission over his lobbying for extra money to the Jefferson Economic Council — which happened to hire him as its new president.
Here’s the press release from Colorado Ethics Watch:
Colorado Ethics Watch filed a complaint with the Independent Ethics Commission (IEC) against Kevin McCasky, former member of the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners and current CEO of the Jefferson Economic Council (JEC), for violating state ethics laws when he voted to increase the county government’s contribution to the JEC reportedly in the midst of negotiating his own future employment at the organization.
This is the second complaint Ethics Watch has filed with the Independent Ethics Commission since it was approved by voters in November 2006. The first, a complaint against former Secretary of State Mike Coffman, resulted in the first public hearing of an ethics complaint by the IEC.
On February 16, it was revealed in the Columbine Courier that McCasky had encouraged his fellow county commissioners to increase JEC funding from $380,000 to $400,000 even while he was being considered for the high-paying position at the JEC. At the time, the county was facing significant budget cuts.
“It appears as though McCasky abused his position as county commissioner for private gain, either gaining increased consideration of his candidacy for the position at the JEC, or an increased budget for the organization he would work for in the future, or both,” said Luis Toro, director of Colorado Ethics Watch. “The IEC should investigate this matter immediately to determine if a violation of state ethics laws occurred, and impose the proper penalty.”
While Commissioner McCasky’s salary as CEO of JEC is not publicly known, JEC’s Form 990 filed with the Internal Revenue Service for 2009 reported that the salary of the previous CEO was $121,000. Salary for a Jefferson County Commissioner is set at $87,300.
If Commissioner McCasky was involved in negotiations for future employment with the JEC at the time he took direct official action benefiting the JEC in December 2010, then Ethics Watch believes McClasky violated Colorado’s Ethics Code, which includes “prospective employment for which negotiations have begun” as a type of financial interest that could create a conflict of interest. In addition, the gift ban provisions of Article XXIX of the Colorado Constitution include “promises or negotiations of future employment” within the definition of gifts that are generally limited to $50 per person per year.
The Independent Ethics Commission was established in 2006 as this state’s primary recourse for ethics complaints and investigations. It is authorized to conduct investigations, hold public hearings, and render findings on complaints regarding allegations that any public official failed to comply with appropriate standards of conduct under state law.
For the complaint and all related documentation, or for more information on Colorado Ethics Watch, visit www.coloradoforethics.org.
The Colorado Independent’s John Tomasic: Colorado Springs Congressman Doug Lamborn for the second year in a row has been announced one of five “most conservative” members of Congress by the National Journal. “This is an honor I share with my constituents in Colorado’s Fifth District,” Lamborn wrote in an email to supporters. “I am privileged […]
I did a fun and admittedly superficial study today by visiting each of our congressional delegation’s websites to look up their total number of fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter. I wanted to see which member had the most overall “love” from Colorado by way of followers, as well as which were the most […]
Sorry, I can not provide the Sunday Denver Post link to “Colorado Votes” the section that shows how the Colorado Delegation voted last week. I did however scan it for perpetuity. The sub heading was “Sending U.S. Jobs Abroad” Sending U.S. Jobs Abroad For: 184/ Against: 242 Members Defeated a Democrat- ic bid to use […]
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