As you bump along the roads or sit in a pool of storm water this summer the state would like you to consider that the cure is Referendum D on the fall ballot, according to the Denver Post [June 10, 2005, "57 road projects hitch ride on TABOR vote"]. It's going to be great fun watching the campaign for the referendum and it's companion measure, Referendum C, over the next few months. From the Post article, "State and local officials Friday settled on a list of 57 highway projects, costing $1 billion, that Colorado voters will consider in November as part of a ballot measure that alters the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. Referendum D, if approved by voters, will allow the state to issue bonds that will help pay for transportation, education and police and fire pensions. To issue the bonds, Colorado officials need voters to approve a companion measure, Referendum C, that allows the state to keep revenues in excess of spending limits set by TABOR. That revenue will be used to repay bondholders. An infusion of bond money is needed to fund transportation because other sources of highway funding have dried up, Colorado Department of Transportation executive director Tom Norton told local officials Friday."
The real fun starts the day after the election if both measures pass. Coyote Gulch foresees fights over highways vs. education vs. healthcare services and other social services where funding has been slashed over the past few years. Don't leave out libraries.
We haven't found the websites for supporters or opponents (except the Independence Institute) yet. If you know the URL's send us the links. The email address is jworrAToperamail.com.
If anyone reading this is on either side and wants some help setting up a weblog, send us email to the address above. We will help you get set up, free of charge. You'll need $40 for Radio Userland and $2,500 or so for a PowerBook.
Here's an opinion piece on the referenda written by Bob Ewegen from today's Denver Post [June 11, 2005, "Counties unite for budget fix"]. He writes, "Colorado's 64 counties display an amazing variety of landscapes, people and resources. But despite - or perhaps because of - their diversity, they seem more united than ever in their efforts to resolve common problems ranging from social services to this state's crumbling highway network."
Guerin Green - North Denver News: "I think it may be time to amend the Denver City Charter to compel the Denver Election Commission to administer elections in a manner designed to maximize voter participation. I've been a student of voting for a long time, particularly since I have sat on the Board of Kids Voting Colorado, a civics education and voting program, for more than a decade. That experience has made watching the Denver Election Commission's ill-conceived, on-again, off-again Vote Centers project cause to wretch. Moving away from a mail election in May depressed turnout, and elevated the prospects for a city jail. Now, in November, Denver will use a mail election, which skeptics suggest would aid the passage of Referenda C and D."
Category: Denver November 2005 Election
8:02:24 AM 
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