Coyote Gulch

Thursday, June 5, 2003

2003 Denver Municipal Election - Gulchie Awards
The burning question for many of the readers of Coyote Gulch is, "How did the winners of the Gulchie Awards do overall in 2003 Election?" Well the Gulchie recipients went 9 for 15. The tally is still respectable even if you throw out Kathleen Mackenzie and Elbra Wedgeworth both of whom were not opposed in their re-election. Do you suppose that candidates in 2007 are going to hire Coyote Gulch as a consultant? Probably not.
Conclusions? None to offer really except that it is my firm belief that a well designed Internet presence is one key to winning elections today and the importance will increase over time as campaigns seek new ways to reach voters.
The Internet screw up for this year's election goes to John Hickenlooper's campaign. Last Sunday I received e-mail from the campaign (sent by Tony Young, dated June 1st) that revealed hundreds of e-mail addresses of subscribers. There are city workers, business owners, and well-heeled people on the list. I guess all of us can expect some "Hickenspam" in our mailboxes from now on.
6:57:23 AM

2003 Denver Runoff Election for Auditor
Dennis Gallagher plans to meet with other elected auditors around the state to help him plan the transition. When asked about his appointments and staff Gallagher said, "I'm very impressed with the staff that's on hand. They work very hard."
5:47:33 AM

2003 Denver City Council Runoff Election
Here's an article from the Denver Post about the new City Council. From the article, "Wedgeworth is interested in the leadership issue for another reason: Both she and MacKenzie have an eye on serving as council president."
Rick Garcia is the first hispanic to represent District 1 according to the Rocky Mountain News. The Rocky includes a details of the district and their profile from earlier in the election.
5:42:58 AM

2003 Denver Municipal Runoff Election
John Hickenlooper started to work organizing his administration the day after the election according to the Denver Post. From the article, "But tapping Don Mares for a position is a distinct possibility. 'I would love Don to get involved in the city,' Hickenlooper said. 'He's clearly got a passion and a lot of experience. At some point, he and I will have to sit down and see what his goals are and what he wants to get done." Nice touch, Mr. Mayor-elect, reaching out to your opponent and his supporters.
Short article from the Rocky about the Mayor-elect's morning after.
Here's an article from the Denver Post about John Hickenlooper and the job ahead and especially his political appointments. From the article, "Most observers agree that the first few appointments will be critical because of the message they will send." And how. The Post has a short profile of some of the Mayor-elect's closest advisors.
Here's an article about the influence of minority voters in the recent election, from the Denver Post. They also have an article that focuses on voters and their reactions to the election Tuesday and another with an analysis of white voters. The Rocky Mountain News weighs in with an analysis of racial voting patterns in the election.
Here's an article from the Post about the Police Union and the problems Mr. Hickenlooper will face dealing with them. Police Union President, Mike Mosco, is quoted in the article as saying, "One source of heartburn for us is that the city isn't negotiating face-to-face with us. They're using the media. Most of the information we get is from reporters. I don't think that's a good way of doing business."
Here's a column from the Denver Post about the mayor-elect. From the column, "Life for the hardworking, art-loving, civic-minded geek on the Vespa has changed forever. Hickenlooper is stepping into an unforgiving world where the good deeds of the past mean nothing, where every move is scrutinized and where even old friends keep their distance."
Mike Littwin weighs in on the election (yesterday actually, I missed it) from the Rocky Mountain News.
5:38:50 AM