(D) J. Hickenlooper*
(R) Janak Joshi
80%
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
60%↓
40%↑
(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%
(Here come the recaps – Promoted by Colorado Pols) This year's session of the Colorado General Assembly was truly historic. After two years of divided control and stagnation in the legislature, a large backlog of high-priority, common-sense reforms awaited lawmakers in January. Working tirelessly in the face of right-wing obstruction, smear campaigns, and even threats […]
(Promoted by Colorado Pols) Last month I reported that Larry Pratt, Director of Gun Owners of America, praised Weld Country Sheriff John Cooke for his opposition to gun safety legislation. On KFKA's Scooter McGee show, Pratt said some 400 sheriffs in the U.S. are promising not to enforce gun-safety laws, like Colorado's new statute expanding […]
We were recently forwarded copies of the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners candidate questionnaire for 2010 candidates for county sheriffs, with some responses from now-incumbent sheriffs. As you are probably aware, an ad hoc coalition of county sheriffs is threatening to sue, along with the right-wing Independence Institute, to block the two principal gun safety bills passed […]
(To protect, serve, and kowtow? Promoted by Colorado Pols) In 2010, when he was running for Sheriff of Larimer County, Justin Smith answered a "candidate questionnaire" from Rocky Mountain Gun Owners. It posed 10 questions for candidates running for the office of sheriff, and it advised that "failure to answer this survey" would be viewed […]
UPDATE: Another reader photo, we're delighted to inform you that what pro-gun protesters lacked in numbers today outside President Barack Obama's speech, they made up for in classy! Hopefully we don't have to explain this one (it's pretty straightforward). —– We reported yesterday about the National Rifle Association's call for a protest outside President Barack Obama's […]
KRDO-TV puts what may be closure on the big story from the weekend of wild allegations from El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa of "extortion" against county sheriffs testifying against gun safety legislation. Saturday, Maketa was so certain that a possible felony had been committed, and threats had been made by the Democratic Senate leadership regarding […]
We didn't want to let this week get away from us before passing along some incredible, though sadly believable, news from our neighbors in Utah. As the Salt Lake Tribune reported earlier this week, the Utah legislature is doing everything it can to try to get rid of that pesky federal govm'nt and its so-called […]
MONTANA GOVERNOR STEVE BULLOCK: WE WILL CRAFT A PLAN THAT “DOESN’T GO BACK ON THE PROMISES” WE’VE MADE TO MONTANA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. GOVERNOR, UNIONS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AGREE: USE COAL SEVERANCE TAX REVENUES TO PAY THE STATE’S PENSION DEBT. BILL SPONSOR: “WE HAVE A CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION TO EMPLOYEES AND RETIREES WHO ARE CURRENTLY IN THE TRS […]
Florida Supreme Court: Accrued Public Pension Benefits Are Inviolate; However, Pension Benefits Not Yet Earned Can Be Altered . . . Prospectively. Vested Public Pension COLA Rights in Florida Remain Untouched – Legislative Impairment of Previously Accrued Benefits is Unconstitutional. The Florida Legislature “Cannot Retroactively Alter Accrued Benefits.” The Florida Supreme Court has reached a […]
(The super wacko conspiracy that just won’t die – promoted by Colorado Pols) Until I received a phone call last night asking about the Western Slope Conservative Alliance’s Sheriff’s Forum, I had forgotten all about the meeting. I had planned to attend, but got busy preparing for my surgery, scheduled for later today. Reading about […]
We were a bit surprised at City Council District 1 candidate Ken Padilla‘s strong showing in the first round of the election, but not too surprised. After all, Padilla had heavy support from AFSCME that really made the difference in such a crowded race.
It’s not as though Padilla’s opponent, Susan Shepard, isn’t without her own union backing. We’ve heard from reliable sources that she was expecting the AFSCME endorsement until Ken jumped into the race. She didn’t get that endorsement, obviously, but she did score one from the Firefighters Local 858 earlier in the year. She’s also following up the Firefighters with backing from the Denver Police Protective Association and the Fraternal Order of Police Sheriffs #27. From a press release we received from the Shepard campaign:
Firefighters and Police Say Shepherd is the Public Safety Candidate in District 1
Denver, CO – Denver City Council District 1 candidate Susan Shepherd is proud to accept the endorsements of the Denver Firefighters Local 858, Denver Police Protective Association, and the Fraternal Order of Police Sheriffs Lodge 27. Susan will work to keep officers on the streets and to make sure that our firefighters continue to have the resources they need to protect our citizens.
“As a strong advocate for public safety, Susan Shepherd will ensure that the safety of the citizens and the Firefighters will never be jeopardized by closing fire stations or eliminating fire trucks. She will also make sure that our minimum staffing needs are met on a daily basis throughout the city,” says Derrick Delgado, Denver Firefighter, and Resident of City Council District 1.
“Susan is the best choice for Northwest Denver’s public safety. She has demonstrated that she will listen to the citizens and work with the department to get the community the necessary resources to maintain essential services,” says Nick Rogers, President of Denver Police Protective Association.
“Our public safety officials are crucial to keeping our residents safe. I am honored to have the endorsement of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day make this a great place to live and raise a family. I look forward to working with them to make Denver even safer,” says Susan Shepherd.
Susan Shepherd is in a run-off election for Denver City Council District 1 on June 7th.
.
Shepard is smart to paint herself as the “public safety” candidate. Voters react well to those they’ll think will protect their property and lives, and this kind of endorsement counters Ken’s AFSCME support from an image perspective. Of course, who knows if Shepard will get any much needed field help. That’s what she needs to win, and we’re close enough to election day that a candidate’s image isn’t as relevant as their ability to share it with voters as ballots are filled out.
From a release mailed to us by the James Mejia campaign:
DENVER – Denver Mayoral Candidate James Mejia, who recently released his “Denver’s Public Safety Department: Building Trust Through Leadership, Transparency & Accountability” policy paper, has secured the endorsements of the Denver Police Protective Association (PPA) who join Denver Sheriff Department Lodge 27 of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) in endorsing Mejia. Also announcing their support of Mejia are Former Manager of Safety Butch Montoya and prominent constitutional law and civil rights attorney Joe Salazar.
Folks, this is a big endorsement. It’s one of the best endorsements Mejia could get at this stage of the game.
Police and sheriffs are big in Denver. Certainly there have been issues within Denver’s police community for the past few months, but by and large, communities still look at policemen as beacons of trust. With this endorsement, Mejia’s improved his standing as a public safety candidate, and that’s an angle we know voters love to get behind.
This will expand Mejia’s field campaign, to be certain. He’ll have PPA and FOP members walking communities with him. It’s an even bigger deal in terms of branding: that “endorsed by police” label carries as much or more weight as “endorsed by firefighters.” Voters tend to trust the people trusted by the people who protect their property and lives, and Mejia would be smart to make the most of this endorsement while it still matters.
In an expected move, Gov. Bill Ritter announced today that, in response to recommendations from a study group he appointed in 2008 to look at “gaps” in state and federal immigration law, Colorado will join 35 other states in the federal government’s Secure Communities Initiative–essentially a program that loops the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s […]
From FDL: http://firedoglake.com/2010/05… I’ll never forget my own trip to Dixon, Illinois, Ronald Reagan’s “hometown.” It was late in 2003, and I was sounding out some of the redder parts of Illinois for an article on George Bush’s upcoming reelection campaign for the Village Voice. There was, for one thing, a suffusing atmosphere of fear. […]
Why is law enforcement SOOOOOO upset at the idea of dispensaries? OK, I am not supporting the guy who was on TV bragging without “knowing” for sure if he was legal or not… But the fear mongering by DEA and AG Suthers is becoming a cross of Jim Crow and McCarthyism. Asking neighbors […]
As the Denver Post reports: The fight to regulate the rapidly growing number of medical-marijuana dispensaries took a drastic swing toward shutting down the hundreds of Colorado storefronts after state Sen. Chris Romer announced Sunday that a pending pot bill would reflect the wishes of law enforcement groups. The attorney general, sheriff’s organizations and police […]
You elevated John Hickenlooper to political sainthood in Ritter Ends Re-Election Campaign. The HickTruther movement starts now. 1. He has pissed off city law enforcement. Recent raise reductions aren’t sitting well with the DPD. The sheriffs don’t like Hick after clashing over pay, firings and arrest powers. Police are the most powerful union in the […]
Two competing schemes to regulate the burgeoning medical marijuana industry in Colorado we’ll be talking more about this session, summarized by the Boulder Daily Camera: The debate facing Colorado legislators on medical marijuana regulation is taking shape with the release of two draft bills, one from state Sen. Chris Romer, a Denver Democrat who has […]
Charles Davis, a journalism professor and Executive Director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, wrote an interesting column urging the media to report on what’s really happening at many congressional town halls around the country: Hate, shuffled off stage in the post-racial haze of the election of the nation’s first black president, is back […]
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) A press release from Udall and Salazar names three candidates for US Attorney. Names also submitted for US Marshall. Al LaCabe is listed for Marshal. See the release below the jump So who is your pick? Three names will be submitted to the White House tomorrow as potential US […]
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office will be losing 65 employees this year alone, reports the Denver Post:
A reduced county pension contribution coupled with lower-than- market pay has Jefferson County sheriff’s employees heading for the door.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is on track this year to lose 65 of its more than 700 employees – most of them sworn officers. Many will go to departments in Denver, Aurora, Commerce City and Adams County.
“It’s a competitive market right now,” said Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink.
Mink recently told county commissioners: “It will be pretty hard to maintain our level of service at some point.” [Pols Emphasis]
Mink and his commanders blame a retirement program that was behind other agencies’ offerings. In January, it lost more ground when the county reduced its match for the defined contribution plan – which works as a 401(k) plan – from 10 percent to 8 percent.Arvada, Boulder, Commerce City, Littleton and Westminster all contribute 10 percent; Thornton, 9 percent; Aurora, 10.5 percent; and Golden, 13 percent.
Jefferson County not only hasn’t kept up, “They’re going in the wrong direction,” said Don Christensen, executive director of County Sheriffs of Colorado. [Pols Emphasis]
Sorted by passage percentage and if the amendment to the state constitution was a referendum (referred to the state ballot by a 2/3 vote of each house) or initiative (put on the ballot by the petition process). I gathered this information from the State Ballot History Page. Why? I was interested to see what would […]
Quo vadis, conservatives? By Michelle Malkin Thursday, February 7, 2008 “Quo vadis,” conservatives? It’s the ancient, apocryphal question the apostle Peter asked Jesus while fleeing persecution in Rome. Where are you going? Where do we go from here? The contest for the GOP presidential nomination is over. The conservative movement is not. Sen. John McCain’s […]
There are some things that are just too easy to get right. How could Lamborn get it so wrong? WARNING: This is not a joke. Do not link to this expose on SquareState.net if you have a squeamish stomach. Link: http://www.squaresta… QUESTIONS: 1. What would El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa and other 5th CD […]
Republican John Wesley Anderson, one of about three dozen candidates running in CD-5 to succeed Rep. Joel Hefley, announced a handful of endorsements from the law enforcement community. Click below for the full press release…
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!