Coyote Gulch

Wednesday, December 3, 2003

2004 Presidential Election
Update 6:50PM Dave Cullen "But these guys (the Dean guys) . . . They're starting to make me salivate. I was drawn to Dean because of Dean, but the longer this goes on, the crazier it gets, the more I think it may be one of those amazing marriages of the right man at the right time, coming together with the right band of wiz kids to help make it happen."
Dave, maybe we're seeing a Tipping Point in national politics. Thanks to my new boss for recommending the book.
Here's the latest Zogby Poll for Iowa. Thanks to the Daily Kos for the link.
6:27:41 AM

Denver November 2004 Election
Here's an article from the Denver Post about the fallout from Monday's decision by the Colorado Supreme Court on redistricting [December 3, 2003, "Cries of bias greet remapping ruling"]. Two state Democrats are proposing a constitutional amendment to create a non-partisan remap panel, according to the Denver Post [December 3, 2003, "Democrats seek to lift task from legislature"]. From the article, "Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, and Rep. Michael Merrifield, D-Manitou Springs, are recommending that the state pass an amendment to the state constitution that would form a redistricting commission. The commission would be made up of approximately seven members - two Republicans, two Democrats, two unaffiliated and one wild card chosen by the other six. The hope is that a more neutral commission would avert future redistricting debacles."
In general I support the idea but I'm always worried about tweaking the constitution since it's very hard to change or remove language that has unforseen consequences.
Here's the coverage from the Rocky Mountain News [December 3, 2003, "Dems aim to let panel set districts"].
Peter Blake looks at the idea of a redistricting commission in his column in today's Rocky [December 3, 2003, "Blake: Redistricting by panel?"]. He thinks the idea will be accepted, "It was fun while it lasted, but we'll never see another Great Congressional Redistricting War in Colorado."
Al Knight offers up his opinion of the redistricting ruling in his column today in the Denver Post [December 3, 2003, "Ruling all about politics"]. Mr. Knight focuses on the legal aspects of the ruling, "The pernicious thing about the court's decision is that if it is allowed to stand, it provides a sure- fire formula for further mischief. In the future, a political minority will have a positive incentive to pull out all the stops to resist a legislative redistricting plan so as to throw the matter into the courts. This incentive is made all the stronger by the court's recent ruling that once the courts take over redistricting, the elected representatives are put out of business. That cannot be what the plain language of either the state or federal constitutions requires, and that is why this case should be appealed to the federal courts."
6:24:12 AM

2003 Denver Mayoral Transition
Here's a story from the Denver Post [December 3, 2003, "Denver mayor adds 2 to senior staff"] about Mayor Hickenlooper's two appointments yesterday. From the article, "Peter Park, 40, will leave his post as city planning director of Milwaukee to take the similar post in Denver on Jan. 12. His annual pay will be $115,000. Mary Buckley, 47, joined the mayor's staff as the city's director of business development on Monday. Formerly, she had been deputy city manager of Centennial. She will make $81,000 a year." Here's the coverage from the Rocky Mountain News [December 3, 2003, "Park to shape Denver's future"]. The Rocky also has a background piece on Peter Park and Mary Buckley [December 3, 2003, "New city directors"].
Former City Council member, Susan Barnes-Geldt, weighs in on Peter Park's appointment in her column in today's Post [December 3, 2003, "New planner has his hands full in Denver"]. Says Barnes-Geldt, "Effective implementation of Blueprint Denver and quality development of transit stations and two soon- to-be-abandoned hospital sites will depend on unprecedented cooperation between Public Works and Community Planning and Development. Arcane charter language gives the manager of Public Works "exclusive authority" over streets, sidewalks and alleys. That and a decade of departmental indifference to thoughtful transportation planning and design suggest Park ought to be given veto power over the appointment of the new manager of Public Works."
6:12:27 AM

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