Ed Quillen has an idea for solving the water problems in the South Metro area now that the voters have killed Referendum A [November 9, 2003, "A water solution that's not all wet"]. The solution that he is crafting centers on maintaining stream flows and making the beneficiaries of a project pay most of the costs. It was the first time I remember Quillen labeling Referendum A a "water grab." That was the argument I heard last weekend in Cortez.

The referendum went down for two primary reasons. Metro area voters didn't trust the coalition supporting the referendum with a "Blank Check" and West Slope voters saw it as a "Water Grab." Quillen lives in Salida, not the West Slope. He is more aligned with a rainy side point of view with respect to Denver.

Here's a look at voter participation and some of the effects of Tuesday's election from Fred Brown in today's Denver Post [November 9, 2003, "Election odds and ends"].

Gail Schoettler reviews some of the issues decided last Tuesday and pats Colorado voters on the back in her column in today's Denver Post [November 9, 2003, "Colorado voters got message across: Enough is enough"]. Says Schoettler, "As we go into the 2004 election, there will be another slew of ballot issues for voters to decide. While it would be more appropriate for our elected legislators to make some of these tough decisions during the legislative session, as they are elected to do, there will no doubt be a number of hard choices tossed back to voters. For those who will spend megabucks to influence voters one way or the other, it would be useful to look back to the election of 2003. Colorado voters aren't easily fooled. Most of us would be very grateful if you'd invest your money in really making our state better, not just the shams and scams we saw on our ballots this year."
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