Monday, August 7, 2006

Election night From email from Chris Romer: "Once the polls close, and we've all voted, join us while we watch the returns and celebrate a positive campaign, 2775 E. 7th Avenue (Northwest corner of 7th and Detroit), August 8th, 7:00 pm till we drop!" From email from Peggy Lamm: "Please join Peggy Lamm as she celebrates Election Night with volunteers and supporters at Table Steaks in Edgewater...Peggy Lamm Campaign Election Night Party, Tuesday, August 8, 2006 starting at 7pm, Table Steaks, 1931 Sheridan Blvd., Edgewater." From email from the Denver Dems: "Fran Coleman -- Piccolo's @ Evans and Williams, 7 PM. Jennifer Mello -- Sheila Kowal's Home, 3300 E Virginia Ave., After 7:30 PM. Jeanne Labuda -- Home of Nancy Searle, 3918 S Pinehurst Circle - Mansfield & Sheridan, after 7 PM. Alfredo Hernandez -- State Party Headquarters, 8th & Santa Fe, 7:00 PM. Category: Denver November 2006 Election 8:25:23 PM

Senate 32 Colorado Confidential: "Southwest Denver's Senate District 32, now held by Democrat Dan Grossman (who decided not to run again despite not being term limited for personal reasons), has a three way primary between Fran Coleman, Jennifer Mello, and Chris Romer. "It has been one of the hardest fought, yet cleanest races in the State, notwithstanding a last minute smear campaign, apparently from a Mello supporting 527 group in Thornton, which Mello herself has disavowed." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:29:55 PM

Beauprez for governor? Colorado Confidential: "Lost in the hubbub surrounding tomorrow's primary election is the news that Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez has only seven days after the primary to choose a running mate and lieutenant governor. The Denver Post speculates on a couple of different names for Beauprez's sidekick, but here's my prediction: Mike Coffman." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 5:59:00 PM

Fall ballot issues Denver Business Journal: "Six petitions met the 3 p.m. Monday deadline to possibly secure a space on the November ballot, the Colorado Secretary of State said... "The initiatives that made the deadline were: Term limits on judges of the Colorado Court of Appeals and the Colorado Supreme Court, which would limit their terms to 12 years; Ethics in government, which would require lobbyists and elected officials to follow certain standards of conduct; Colorado's minimum wage, which would increase the state's minimum wage to $6.85 an hour; A marriage amendment, which would allow only unions between a man and a woman to be legal in the state; Marijuana possession, which would decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of the drug for persons at least 21 years old; Domestic partnerships, which would allow the creation of partnerships between same-sex couples. "Two petitions already have been approved to go before voters. Amendment 38 addresses petitions and would, among other things, limit ballot titles to 75 words in an effort to streamline the placing of ballot issues before voters. Amendment 39 would require a school district to spend at least 65 percent of its operational expenditures on classroom instruction." Here's a nice listing, recapping the ballot issues, from Colorado Confidential, along with a report on the de-criminalization of marijuana. Category: Denver November 2006 Election 5:56:09 PM

Vote tomorrow Don't forget to vote tomorrow. In addition to a primary in SD32 and HD1 Denver voters have a chance to approve the Xcel franchise deal with Denver. From the article, "When Denver voters head to the polls for Tuesday's primary, they will also be voting on a 20-year franchise agreement with Xcel Energy. The agreement has won praise from city officials and environmentalist alike. And it has no formal opposition." Category: August 8th Ballot 7:34:12 AM

Ritter for governor? Bill Ritter needs to prove himself to various groups representing Black voters, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "Gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter, dogged early in his campaign by opposition from abortion rights activists, is also being carefully scrutinized by another traditionally core group of Democrats: the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance. The key leaders in the African-American religious community have yet to endorse the sole Democratic candidate for governor, and they said they are concerned about his handling of fatal shootings by Denver police officers. During his 12-year tenure as the Denver District Attorney, Ritter never prosecuted a police officer for using excessive force that wounded or killed citizens. About 70 cases involved police use of force that wounded or killed someone... "And Ritter has won the endorsement of key African-American political leaders, including former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, Denver City Councilman Michael Hancock, and state Reps. Rosemary Marshall and Terrance Carroll. The alliance includes about 40 religious leaders from several denominations, and those ministers reach about 20,000 people in metro Denver." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:30:33 AM

Denver Election Commission reform The task force looking at the Denver Election Commission has made their recommendations, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "A proposed November ballot measure to improve accountability at the problem-plagued Denver Election Commission could be endorsed by a City Council committee today. A string of errors at the commission, including the loss of 150,000 sensitive voter records during a February headquarters move, initially had some council members calling for an overhaul of the semi-independent agency's leadership structure. But after a month of research and four public hearings, the Election Governance Panel rejected a proposal to switch to an elected clerk and recorder - the system used by 62 other Colorado counties. The panel advised sticking with the three-person commission - two elected officials and one mayoral appointee who conduct elections for Denver's 350,000 voters. At the same time, however, the panel urged the City Council to put City Charter amendments on the ballot to fix operational problems in the commission and boost accountability... "The panel's proposed charter changes include: Bringing the commission employees under the city's Career Service Authority to improve professionalism and have a process for appealing unjust discipline; Citing the agency's executive director position in the charter to make clear his authority; Provisions to ensure that commissioners stick to policy-making and don't meddle in the agency's day-to-day operations." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:56:41 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 9/1/06; 7:22:21 AM.