Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Gubernatorial debate: Economic development From today's Rocky Mountain News: "Gubernatorial candidates U.S. Congressman Bob Beauprez and Bill Ritter will debate economic development and the state's future in front of Colorado business leaders on Oct. 10 from 4-5 p.m. at the Grand Hyatt Denver, 1750 Welton. The debate, which is open to the public, is sponsored by the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce in partnership with other area chambers and business organizations." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:26:59 PM

Hillman or Kennedy for State Treasurer? ToTheRight.org: "Mark Hillman, candidate for state treasurer, has received the endorsement of the Pueblo Chieftain. When given the choice between Hillman and his liberal opponent, the Chieftain stated, 'Mr. Hillman is the clear choice.' We agree. Mark Hillman was named the Taxpayer Champion by the Colorado Union of Taxpayers. Hillman was a leading voice in opposing the largest tax increase in Colorado history, Referendums C & D. Hillman is a fiscal conservative and an advocate for the taxpayers, something we wish we could see more of in Colorado. His liberal opponent, whom we won't give name ID to [ed. Cary Kennedy], was one of the authors of budget-breaking Amendment 23 and was also an advocate for Referendums C & D. His liberal opponent brags about helping develop a statewide tax increase. Not to mention, his liberal opponent worked under Andrew 'Tax Your Pants Off' Romanoff." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:19:01 PM

Polling and campaign dough Jason Bane looks at the effects of polling on elections in an article from Elevated Voices. He writes, "Most of the money in a political campaign arrives in the last two months before the election because big donors (including big-money funds operated by each political party) wait to see how the race looks before they break out their checkbooks. Most big donations don't come because the donor thinks the candidate is great - they come because the donor thinks the candidate can win." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:14:15 PM

Referendum I Here's a cool use of the Internet in a campaign. Supporters of Referendum I have started iWalk, a virtual walk across Colorado to raise dough. Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:11:58 PM

Beauprez for governor? Dan Haley (via the Denver Post): "The political action committee of the National Federation of Independent Business has endorsed Bob Beauprez for governor. It's not much of a shock, since the NFIB traditionally endorses Republicans, but with so much talk about his opponent Bill Ritter wooing business leaders, Beauprez's camp will take it. The vote, according to a release, was overwhelmingly in his favor." Elevated Voices: "For the first time ever, the League of Conservation Voters has added a gubernatorial candidate to its 'Dirty Dozen' list. It's Bob Beauprez." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:07:07 PM

Is the Rocky Mountain West turning purple? New West: "The headline across USA Today reads, 'In West, GOP no longer a shoo-in.' Reporter Tom Kenworthy starts with the vulnerability of Wyoming Rep. Barbara Cubin and then digs right into the changes taking place in Montana's political landscape to show how the traditionally Republican Rocky Mountain West is generally showing some swingability this election cycle." Category: 2008 Presidential Election 6:42:23 PM

Denver County sample ballot Denver voters can go here [DenverGov.org] to get a sample ballot, blue book and other goodies for the November 7th election. Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:39:47 PM

Amendment 39 Karen Middleton speaks out against Amendment 39 in the North Denver News. From the article, "Racing from campaign commitments to official ones, Karen Middleton is working hard as a member of the State Board of Education. As part of her campaign she is standing in strong opposition to Amendment 39. Middleton says 'Amendment 39 is wrong for Colorado. We know what it takes to support children in Colorado. Amendment 39 says that your child[base ']s school bus does not count, your school nurse and school counselor do not count, the heating, cooling and cleaning of the classroom do not count, and the school lunch does not count.'" Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:10:32 PM

Coffman for Secretary of State? Colorado State Treasurer Mike Coffman was howling down in Cortez last week, according to the Cortez Journal. From the article, "Mike Coffman has spent the past 17 years as a state-elected official in multiple capacities, and this November, he's seeking his fourth seat in Colorado politics. Coffman, a Republican from Aurora, was in Cortez on Friday for an interview about his candidacy. Coffman, who is term-limited as state treasurer, is vying for the office of secretary of state against Democratic state Sen. Ken Gordon. Current Secretary of State Gigi Dennis, R-Pueblo, is not seeking the position. The Aurora Republican and 21-year U.S. Army and Marine Corps veteran suggested he has the 'principle leadership' skills to head the state office." "Coffman, 51, cited three main issues that are key to his campaign during a Friday afternoon interview at the Cortez Journal office: Being more proactive in preventing voter fraud. Coffman said as secretary of state, he would propose legislation to require a government-issued photo ID card - such as a military ID or driver's license - be submitted when a citizen registers to vote...Coffman added that as secretary of state, he will make sure the elderly, poor and minorities will be included in his proposal and make sure no one is disenfranchised...Reducing filing fees for state businesses, which are required to register with the Secretary of State's Office. Coffman acknowledged that he would propose a reduction in these fees to reflect no more than the actual cost of delivering the service, with the difference appropriated out of the state's general fund...Ensuring voter confidence that every ballot cast is accurately counted. Coffman pledged to immediately launch an investigation into the accuracy of all Colorado voting machines." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 5:57:53 PM

Fall ballot issues Here's a recap of last night's debates over the fall ballot issues, from the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "State Attorney General John Suthers called a ballot measure seeking to legalize marijuana possession in Colorado "a little bit sloppy and a little bit reckless" during a debate Tuesday night - a charge vehemently denied by the man spearheading the campaign, Mason Tvert. Tvert, in turn, had a word for those who oppose Amendment 44 - Orwellian. The debate at the Newman Center at the University of Denver was about marijuana. But for the two men on the stage, it was also alternately about personal freedom, drug usage among teens and how pot stacks up against such legal items as alcohol and tobacco. Supporters of the amendment, which would allow adults in Colorado to possess less than an ounce of marijuana, have been hammering home the point that alcohol is more harmful than marijuana since the measure qualified for the ballot in August... Take the time to read the whole article. Here's the coverage from the Denver Post. Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:28:22 AM

Amendment 40 Here's a story from the Rocky Mountain News about Amendment 40. From the article, "Judges who serve too long get a 'God complex' and need to be held in check, the leader of a ballot measure that would limit state Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeals judges to 10 years on the bench said Tuesday... "Bob Miller, a former U.S. attorney for Colorado and a one-time Weld County district attorney, disagreed, calling the measure a bad idea that would lead to chaos. He said supporters of the measure are focusing on a handful of court decisions with which they disagree and using them as ammunition to 'screw up the balance of the checks and balances in this state. You want judges that decide your way, and if they don't, you want to be able to pull their chain,' said Miller, a Republican appointed to be U.S. attorney by President Ronald Reagan. State law currently allows Supreme Court justices to serve for 10 years and appeals court judges eight years before standing for retention in elections. They can serve unlimited additional terms until retirement age. "The ballot measure, known as Amendment 40, would require judges to stand for retention at the end of an approximately two-year provisional term, then again every four years, for a maximum of 10 years. If it's approved, Colorado would be the first state to limit its judges' terms. It already limits terms of legislators and the governor. The initiative would be retroactive, so that even judges and justices who have been retained for another term would be replaced after the 2008 election if they have hit the 10-year maximum. That would result in the turnover of five of the seven existing Supreme Court justices and seven of the 19 judges on the Court of Appeals." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:23:18 AM

© Copyright 2006 John Orr. Last update: 10/1/06; 8:46:52 AM.