(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%
As the Durango Herald’s Joe Hanel reports: A Republican bill to punish cities and counties that get in the way of natural-gas and oil drilling appears to be dead before it even got off the ground… The bill would withhold payments of severance taxes to any city or county that “in any way restricts or […]
This new ad from conservative group Americans for Prosperity is up with a $6.1 million ad buy in a number of swing states, including Colorado. You’ve probably seen it by now, by off-air or cable. We haven’t seen any of our local fact-checking operations review this ad yet, but if national reviews are any indication, […]
Even in their heyday, the big urban news outlets almost never covered state legislative races very well, much less school board, city council, and other local elections. Small-time election campaigns were seen, for the most part, as boring to the mass audience, especially on local TV news. New media offer great ways to get to […]
In advance of a campaign in which we will hear a lot about how President Obama believes the United States is an unexceptional, mediocre nation for which apologies must constantly be given, it’s worth thinking about what exceptional means. The author E.L. Doctorow has a not-to-be-missed Op-Ed in the NYT. You can find it here: […]
(As pointed out by my main CoPolster on my flank (Rocco) ArapaGOP and his ilk failed to respond on Friday.) Mitt Romney’s plan to help veterans is simple – . Yep. None. And it appears that no plan exists on Romney’s campaign website to address various issues affecting the U.S. military – […]
(So many wars, so little time… – promoted by Middle of the Road) It can be a funny thing, rhetoric. The ‘War on the West’ as an imagineered battle being waged in the governance of the Western Slope and Eastern Plains, for example, from the secret progressive enclave in Boulder. (Sorry, the word is out, […]
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.
(Did they REALLY think nobody would catch them, in the age of the iPhone? Good grief. – promoted by ProgressiveCowgirl) Maybe Colorado’s legislative sessions, committee meetings and hearings are only observed by policy wonks, political junkies and reporters. But that doesn’t mean that the Sunshine Laws that require public access to the sausage making in […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) On KHOW’s Caplis and Silverman show Wednesday, Republican House Speaker Frank McNulty tried to make the argument that it’s illegal to give undocumented college students a more affordable tuition rate. Citing federal laws, McNulty said he doesn’t support “picking and choosing which laws we follow and which laws are […]
Last week Denver Post Editorial Page Editor Curtis Hubbard fired back at all those people who’ve said The Post’s commentary pages favor right-leaning points of view over left-leaning ones, or vice versa. Hubbard presented the results of a bean-counting project conducted during the first quarter of 2012. He categorized editorials and columns on the Post’s […]
UPDATE: According to Lynn Bartels of the Denver paper, one of GOP Sen. Shawn Mitchell’s amendments, on adoption agencies’ freedom to decline for personal or religious reasons, did indeed pass the Senate today. This would seem to correct the report below that all of his amendments were defeated. But it wasn’t enough, disappointing to proponents […]
Yesterday, a second meeting was held in Vernal, where commissioners from across three states met (past Colorado participants include Garfield, Mesa, Moffat, and Rio Blanco Counties). The reason: to figure out how to give 2 million acres of western public lands to oil companies in the name of the failed energy source – oil shale. […]
We’ve talked a few times recently about a new “nonpartisan” government ethics watchdog group that seems to be operating as an unusually overt hit squad in the service of Republican partisan politics. The so-called Open Government Institute of Colorado earned press back in March from a complaint they filed against a former Democratic lobbyist. The […]
A double-take inspiring press release moments ago from Colorado House Republicans: The state of Colorado will step up and take responsibility for its mistakes. That’s the message that state Reps. Bob Gardner and Cheri Gerou want the people of Colorado to know after a controlled-burn by the Colorado Forest Service ignited parts of Jefferson County, […]
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.
I’ve been somewhat amused to watch Representative Ray Scott during his first term in office. When he was in a primary race he made two notable comments-that for him this would be a one term deal because he had a business to run in Grand Junction and that he was shocked to take his first […]
(Cross-posted from Jeffco Pols) The completion of a Denver-metropolitan “Beltway” has been as long of a process as it has been contentious. Opening shots were fired nearly 40 years ago, when then-Governor Dick Lamm famously vowed to drive a “silver-stake” through the heart of the project. Since then, of course, most of the Beltway has […]
Colorado State Senator Pat Steadman has been leading the fight in the Colorado State Capitol on two separate issues: crafting together a state budget and civil unions rights for LGBT couples.
While the budget may have taken center stage for the past few weeks, the civil unions bill is set to hit the Senate floor this week.
From Outfront Colorado:
DENVER – The Colorado state Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved SB-2, a bill to recognize same-sex civil unions. It passed 5-4 on a party-line vote with all Democrats voting yes and all Republicans voting no. The bill will be debated and voted on in the full Senate next week.
According to Public Policy Polling, 62 percent of Colorado voters support the bill, while 53% of Colorado voters say same-sex marriage should be legal. Only 22 percent said that there should be no legal recognition whatsoever of gay couples.
In addition, “the divide on the issue of civil unions is generational, with voters under 30 supporting gay marriage by a 77-23 margin.”
Public Policy Polling concludes that this “should be a real warning sign to the GOP that continuing to tack right on this issue is going to significantly hurt its ability to appeal both to the next generation of voters and to swing voters who are somewhere between moderate and liberal on social issues.”
The bill should sail through the Senate, given the Democratic majority and willingness of some GOP legislators to respond to public opinion on the issue.
Its future in the House, however, is much less certain. Even if the bill is once again defeated by the House GOP, it’s safe to say that Pat Steadman will run the same legislation session after session until it’s signed into law.
Sometimes persistence is the best antidote to hardheadedness.
The completion of a Denver-metropolitan “Beltway” has been as long of a process as it has been contentious. Opening shots were fired nearly 40 years ago, when then-Governor Dick Lamm famously vowed to drive a “silver-stake” through the heart of the project.
Since then, of course, most of the Beltway has been completed, with the exception of what has been called the “Jefferson Parkway” — a stretch of road just north of Golden that would finally, some sixty years after the project was first discussed, loop a belt around the waist of the Metro area.
Former Golden Mayor Jacob Smith was elected in 2007 in part because of his pledge to obstruct the Beltway’s completion. Golden has always opposed the construction of an arterial road so close to home, citing fears of congestion that would forever change the dynamics behind the city’s small-town charm. Negotiations on the issue between Golden, its neighbors, and the county broke down in December.
Since then, the issue has lingered over much of Golden’s relationship with Jefferson County, just as it has for the better part of the last two decades.
Lingered, that is, until last week, when a mysterious piece of legislation popped up under the Golden Dome. Fox 31’s Eli Stokols has the story:
DENVER – Legislation now being drafted to create a government board with the power to complete a toll road beltway around the metro area over the objections of local town and cities is unlikely to go anywhere during the current legislative session, which ends in a few weeks.
“This bill hasn’t even been introduced yet,” said Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, who’s considering sponsoring the legislation if it can be introduced this year. “I haven’t even seen a draft yet, and I have some concerns of my own. So it’s not looking realistic that we can do this in a few weeks.”
But even if the legislation isn’t an imminent threat, the cities it would affect are sounding the alarm over what they perceive as a sweeping extension of the government’s ability to invoke eminent domain.
“The legislature, over the last five-to-10 years, has been limiting eminent domain,” Mike Bestor, the city manager for the City of Golden, told FOX31 Denver Monday. “And now here is this huge grab for dominant eminent domain.
“People want to build this high-speed tollway through our little valley here with no concern for the impact on the quality of life for our homeowners, for our citizens.”
What Bestor is calling a “secret attack” marks the latest impasse in a long-running battle between the city and Jefferson County over the proposed “Jefferson Parkway”, a toll road that would connect C-470 from where it ends just south of Golden north to Colo. 128 in Broomfield, essentially completing the beltway encircling the Denver metro area.
Jefferson County Commissioner — and storybook enthusiast — Don Rosier is happy to take credit for this particular “secret attack,” telling KUNC:
Golden has attacked really the entire region and the state by walking away from the negotiation table. They thumbed their nose at the Governor, [and] at CDOT. They didn’t negotiate in good faith…when you look at it, they started it. I hate to say that, but in essence, I want to complete the road and do the best job possible…I do not believe the citizens of Golden have been given all the information. I don’t believe the City Manager, nor has the Mayor been transparent with them.
Rosier’s comments, of course, make this complex issue seem nothing more than a schoolyard fight. “YOU started it!” “No, YOU started it.” Is this kind of dialogue really what we expect from elected officials? With back-and-forths like this, you have to wonder whether or not Jeffco has a little crush on the City of Golden.
The Beltway has always really just been talk — it’s never once come close to becoming a reality. This particular piece of legislation, for example, is doomed to fail: no legislator has stepped forward to sponsor it, but even if they did, it would no doubt die an ignominious death. The Jeffco delegation would likely vote against it — except Senator Boyd, who is term-limited and has no plans for future office — and would be joined in their opposition, no doubt, by small government Republicans playing lip-service to “local control” and railing against eminent domain.
Still, you’ve got to appreciate the sheer ballsiness Jeffco is displaying in drafting this bill. Rosier’s basically saying “see what you’ve made me do, Golden?” in attempting to push this project at the state level. Indeed, the county has shown that it wants this project completed no matter what the cost. The commissioners — all Republicans, mind you — will use big government to trample small communities if they have to.
Jeffco’s unprecedented aggression in pushing the Beltway’s completion should be a major cause of concern for Golden officials. By opposing the project at every step of the process, Golden may be left having no say if and when the Beltway does come to fruition.
“No Means No” is a great strategy for opposition, but it’s downright terrible for negotiation. When Jeffco finds a way to get its Parkway completed without any support from Golden, it’s pretty safe to say that Golden’s not going to get anything that it wants out of the deal.
If Jeffco continues to act so brashly, the question for Golden administrators needs to go from “How can we stop this?” to “What’s the best we can get out of this?”
(Fascinating to watch – promoted by Colorado Pols) At the top of the home page of Colorado Hispanic Republicans’ website sits this quote by President Ronald Reagan: “Latinos are Republicans. They just don’t know it yet.” It’s not a quote that I’d slap across the top of my website if I were trying to make […]
It’s Earth Day, Denver! If today’s heat hasn’t been reason enough to celebrate, the Environmental Protection Agency’s $350K grant for the South Platte River Corridor restoration should do the job nicely.
From the EPA:
Denver’s Sun Valley neighborhood among several benefitting from EPA funds
(Denver, Colorado – April 20, 2012) At an event today at Denver’s Shoemaker Plaza, Nancy Stoner, Acting Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, joined Mayor Michael B. Hancock, to announce $350K in EPA funding for efforts to restore and revitalize the South Platte River corridor. The EPA funds will be used by the City and The Greenway Foundation for several projects, including extensive riverfront restoration and water quality improvement at the Denver Housing Authority’s redevelopment project in the Sun Valley neighborhood.
“Today we announce investments that will increase access to a clean and healthy South Platte River,” said Stoner. “This EPA funding will help extend the vitality that we see along Lower Downtown’s riverfront to neighborhoods that still struggle with economic and environmental challenges. Together with the City and partners like The Greenway Foundation, EPA is making sure that a new generation of families can enjoy the South Platte River.”
The EPA funding includes $262,500 for riverfront restoration and green infrastructure along the South Platte River near Sun Valley, which borders the west side of the river between Sports Authority Field at Mile High and 6th Avenue. Funds will also help improve river access and recreational opportunities at Johnson-Habitat Park near Santa Fe Drive. These projects will advance two of the top five River Vision Implementation Plan projects identified by the City of Denver and the non-profit Greenway Foundation.
“Thanks to EPA’s tremendous financial support, we can continue our efforts to revitalize the South Platte River and Sun Valley Neighborhood,” said Mayor Michael Hancock. “It is these types of partnerships that will help us achieve our mission to improve the sustainability of River Corridor and deliver a world-class city where everyone matters.”
Sun Valley, one of the few Denver communities located directly on the South Platte River, includes a Denver Housing Authority affordable housing community that will be redesigned in a similar manner to the new South Lincoln/Mariposa project at 10th and Osage. EPA funding will be used by Denver Parks and Recreation and The Greenway Foundation for wetland and riverfront restoration, river access and water quality improvements, and environmental education, including a nature trail. These projects will complement redevelopment along the new light rail corridor, the construction of a new riverfront park, and additional projects to restore habitat and wetlands along Weir Gulch, which enters the South Platte in Sun Valley.
“The Environmental Protection Agency has been a valued and engaged partner with The Greenway Foundation for over 35 years,” said Jeff Shoemaker, Executive Director of The Greenway Foundation. “This latest grant for additional water quality and riparian improvements to Denver’s South Platte River will allow our City’s greatest natural resource to become an even healthier and more vibrant urban waterway.”
Improvements to Johnson-Habitat Park, an innovative urban camp and river recreation area near Interstate 25 and Santa Fe Drive, will create a camping area and enhance public access to the River. These improvements will be made in coordination with Denver Parks and Recreation and the U.S. Forest Service’s Children’s Forest project.
EPA is also providing $75,000 to the City of Denver to enhance Brownfields planning efforts that are restoring blighted properties along the River. An additional $12,500 will help the Urban Drainage and Flood Control District and the City take steps to improve water quality and recreational opportunities in the River North area between 31st and 38th Streets.
This is an incredible get for Denver, particularly given shrinking municipal budgets. Still, it probably would’ve been better to host this particular press conference on Thursday the 19th instead of Friday, April 20th — “weed day” is probably the worst time of the year to host a press conference featuring a woman named Nancy Stoner, after all.
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.
A brief note in the record from this week’s news, CBS4: Rep. Mike Coffman believes it’s time to start pulling out U.S. troops that are stationed in Europe… “The Cold War has been over since 1989, the mission where these soldiers were initially sent over there has long since changed and it’s time to bring […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) A tea-party radio crowd is mad at Fox 31 reporter Eli Stokols for failing to report what they see as the real story behind Rep. Chris Holbert’s lone no vote against the state budget bill April 12. Citing unnamed sources, Stokols reported Friday: “Republicans privately groused that Holbert’s vote […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) This week the Mesa County Commissioners passed a resolution regarding development of Colorado’s oil shale. Everything about this resolution should raise questions about how Mesa County is governed and who Commissioners represent. First, the resolution was written in a closed door meeting in Vernal, Utah. Craig Meis met with […]
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