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July 2008
Poll: Schaffer even with Udall
The Colorado Republican Party is touting a Zogby International poll released today as further evidence Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer is making gains in Colorado.
According to the poll Democratic candidate Mark Udall and Schaffer are tied at 40 percent.
“Udall’s lead among Independents balances off Schaffer’s Republican enrollment edge,” Zogby said on its Web site. “The race has a pronounced gender gap, with Schaffer taking men and Udall women, both by big margins. The survey included 780 likely voters in Colorado and carries a margin of error of (plus or minus) 3.6 percentage points.”
The results are based on online surveys conducted between June 11 and June 30. (We’ll leave it to others to discuss the merits or problems of this methodology.)
This all aside, the Zogby International poll does fit with what has been an emerging trend in the Senate race polling: a tightening race.
*Schaffer photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
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Ritter considering possible successors for Coffman
With Secretary of State Mike Coffman leading in the polls in the 6th Congressional District’s crowded GOP primary, it’s a very likely that Gov. Bill Ritter will get to appoint his successor.
Asked today if he has any candidates in mind, Ritter told Political Notebook he definitely has thought of a few candidates — even if the issue is not causing him to lose any sleep.
“I do think about it,” Ritter said. “It’s my sense if he wins that he will not resign, so I have plenty of time. Then he has to win the general election. The decision will come for me as a November, December decision depending on when he makes his resignation date if, in fact, he wins the election.”
Ritter declined to name names.
*Ritter photo from The Daily Sentinel archives. Coffman photo shot by Political Notebook.
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Penry: Denver Post editorial on initiative is half full — of irony
Much has been made of The Denver Post’s stinging editorial against a ballot measure championed by state Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction. However very little of the hubbub, the senator said, has noted the fact that the very same editorial board seems to be throwing rocks from inside a glass house.
Penry told Political Notebook that he thinks The Denver Post’s editorial board was “duped” by a Department of Natural Resources analysis of the ballot measure. The analysis said Penry’s measure is projected to deprive the state of $106.8 million worth of water-storage projects over the next four years.
Penry has countered that his measure will provide sustainable funding for the account that underwrites the Colorado Water Conservation Board’s budget. Specifically, he notes that funding for the CWCB has increased dramatically since the 2001-2002 fiscal year by the state’s own measure.
This all aside, Penry said The Denver Post’s desire to protect Colorado’s water from raids is somewhat curious in light of the editorial board’s endorsement of 2003’s Referendum A, which has been widely described as a Front Range water grab.
We’ll let you be the judge of the editorial’s irony, but it certainly is a facet of this debate worth noting.
*Penry photo from The Rocky Mountain News.
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King undecided on city sales tax, public safety ballot question
State Rep. Steve King, R-Grand Junction — a former Mesa County Sheriff’s Department investigator and police officer — said he remains undecided on whether he will support the City of Grand Junction’s forthcoming quarter-cent sales tax increase to fund a new public safety building.
“I think that the question that city voters are going to be faced with is, ‘Is this the most cost-effective way to get the most bang for their tax dollars?” King said. “I think there has been some good research in reference to why this possibly could be a more cost-effective way to do business.
“Is it the right answer for this city? I think that, at this point, I’m still looking at that. … I’m struggling with whether I want to take a position on that at all.”
King, whose district includes parts of Mesa and Delta counties, said he does not live in the city but many of his constituents live or work in Grand Junction.
He said he is hung up on several issues, including the needs of the Grand Junction Fire Department. Were the initiative solely about the Grand Junction Police Department, King said he probably would have been in favor of it.
“A new Police Department (building), in my mind, is a no-brainer,” King said. “The Police Department is woefully inadequate as a far as space is concerned, and we do need a cost-effective, functional Police Department. And we did the best we could for the longest time.”
King said he plans to continue to study the issue.
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The first-term lawmaker’s comments came less than a week after Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, told a local civic ground he opposes the tax initiative.
*King photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
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UPDATED: Non-vote provides fodder for Udall’s GOP critics
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall gave his opponent, Republican Bob Schaffer, more political ammunition Wednesday after he missed a vote to delay Congress’ summer adjournment.
According to the U.S House’s vote tally, the adjournment motion carried 213 to 212. Indeed, Udall’s vote could have prevented the House of Representatives from taking a break.
Schaffer’s campaign chief, Dick Wadhams, seized on Udall’s vote, calling him out on a promise the Democrat made during a debate this week: “While Coloradans continue to pay nearly $4 a gallon for gas, Boulder Liberal Udall didn’t think it was important enough this week to show up and fight for an increase in domestic oil exploration.”
Udall’s campaign spokeswoman told The Denver Post that the congressman was upset with the timing of the vote.
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FRIDAY, AUG. 1 UPDATE: It seem Udall did, in fact, vote against adjourning without an energy solution in place.
We’ll leave it to others to discuss the implications of Udall’s vote and speech, but this probably leaves the Schaffer campaign with one fewer criticism in the near-term.
*Udall photo shot by Political Notebook.
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Hatch swaps out ‘Boulder’ label
U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, lashed out Congressman Mark Udall, D-Colo., over the weekend over the Democratic lawmaker’s stance on energy development. However, what struck us — and the Salt Lake Tribune’s political team — was that he employed a different label for Udall than other Republicans have.
“I love Aspen and the people there, but it’s no secret that it is home to plenty of wealthy elites and environmentalists. I have no problem with Rep. Udall choosing the elite anti-oil crowd over the poor. But let’s be honest about the choices we’re making around here,” Hatch reportedly said.
We’re sure Udall’s opponent in the U.S. Senate race, Republican Bob Schaffer, appreciates the help, but effectively calling Udall an “Aspen liberal” certainly is a new twist, especially given that Udall neither represents nor is from Aspen.
We’ll see if it sticks.
*Hatch photo from the Associated Press.
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Rep. King inquires about recourse in DNC’s Denver gas draws
State Rep. Steve King, R-Grand Junction, has pushed the state to investigate whether any laws were broken when Democratic National Convention staff used the tax-free gasoline pumps in Denver.
King told Political Notebook he has contacted the governor’s office, the attorney general’s office and the City of Denver to ask them to get to root of any possible wrongdoing.
“Hopefully we’re on our way to solving that problem,” King said. “We’ll let the powers that have the authority to look at that problem … make a determination on that.”
King said he has heard back from the attorney general’s staff that state statutes might have been violated and the Colorado Department of Revenue will have to determine if charges will be pursued.
*King photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
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Sen. Allard is not taking part in a political cover-up, staffer says
A spokesman for outgoing Republican U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard dismissed online chatter about the senator’s alleged discussions about an oil deal negotiated between a Denver-based firm and the Kurdistan Regional Government as pure speculation.
Steve Wymer, a spokesman for Allard, said to the best of his knowledge Allard is not part of a conspiracy to shield U.S. Senate candidate and former oil company executive Bob Schaffer from criticism.
Wymer said he quizzed Allard to recall if he ever had a meeting with Schaffer or anyone at Aspect Energy about the U.S. State Department’s May 1, 2007 letter: “He had no meetings with anybody regarding that and did not have any conversation in the specific about that.”
He added that it is possible such a conversation took place in an informal setting, but nothing formal took place around May.
“If he and Bob were tooling about northern Colorado in a pickup truck, campaigning for votes and talked about it, I would not know,” Wymer said.
He said Allard’s interest, which sparked a late-May reply stating that the State Department opposed all oil deals between companies and Iraq’s regional governments, was based solely in his desire to help businesses do well.
“Wayne has a very consistent position over 20 years of trying to promote domestic business,” Wymer said.
*Allard photo shot by Political Notebook. Schaffer photo from the Associated Press.
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Stevens uninvolved in Colorado’s 2008 federal campaigns
Indicted U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Colo., has not contributed any money to Colorado’s federal candidates this year. However, according to Federal Election Commission records, Stevens has supported outgoing Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo.
The campaign finance records show Stevens gave Allard $2,000 during his 2002 campaign against Democrat Tom Strickland. Stevens’ Political Action Committee, the Northern Lights PAC, also gave Allard $8,000 in 2001 and 2002.
Stevens’ PAC fund reported giving a total of $9,000 to former U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., in 2003 and 2004.
(National Public Radio aired a story this morning addressing the comments of candidates Stevens has supported via his PAC fund, including Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.)
*Stevens photo from the Associated Press.
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Buescher to receive ‘state chamber of commerce,’ CACI, endorsement
State Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, will receive the endorsement of the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry this afternoon, the incumbent lawmaker told Political Notebook.
Buescher said he is “absolutely” pleased to receive the endorsement.
“That’s the state chamber of commerce,” Buescher said. “I’ve talked to Chuck Berry, the executive director and former speaker of the House. He recognizes my sound pro-business votes in the Capitol, specifically the work I did … on the business personal property tax and the flyaway tax.”
*Buescher photo shot by Political Notebook.
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Udall seizes on Schaffer’s work in Iraqi Kurdistan during debate
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall has, for the second time this election cycle, seized on Republican candidate Bob Schaffer’s work to help arrange an oil deal in Iraq. This time, however, Udall’s comments came as part of a debate and not in a newspaper article.
According to The Rocky Mountain News: “In discussing the war, Udall said he has gone twice to Iraq to visit troops while Schaffer has gone only once, to secure an oil deal for his company with the Kurds against State Department wishes.
“Schaffer responded that Udall was ‘untruthful’ about the trip to Kurdistan in 2006 to introduce Aspect Energy officials to the Kurds. Unlike Udall, Schaffer said, he supports troop withdrawal based on a checklist of achievements rather than an arbitrary timetable.”
This exchange came as the two sparred on issues ranging from the war in Iraq to U.S. energy policy.
Coloradopols has predicted Schaffer’s Kurdish connection will be the fodder of 527 ads later this year. However, at this rate, with the candidates diving into the issue, it seems you might not have to wait.
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UPDATE: The Udall campaign put out this Kurdistan-related press release following the debate.
*Schaffer, Udall photo (from a previous debate) from The Rocky Mountain News.
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‘How much is enough?’ Penry asks of Grand Junction sales taxes
A regular Political Notebook reader told us Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, told the Redlands Rotary Club on Friday he opposes the City of Grand Junction’s proposed sales tax increase.
Every curious, we asked the senator for his thoughts on the proposed tax hike to fund a new public-safety building. Here’s what he said:
“It isn’t my fight one way or the other. Someone asked my personal opinion and I said, I don’t doubt that they may need new facilities, but as a taxpayer I’d wonder why in the world they couldn’t pay for it with some of that large and ever growing budget. I mean, their sales tax revenue is up about 15 percent over last year, if memory serves. How much is enough?
“So that’s my first concern. My second concern is that the city’s question is going to make it incredibly difficult to pass a school bond. Times are really tough and I just don’t think Mesa County voters, or voters anywhere else for that matter, are going to have much patience for a bunch of tax increases. The more issues that are pushed out there, the more likely voters will be to just say no to them all. And that’s understandable. But that’s a challenge for the school district because they really do have growth issues in Fruita and Pear Park and in their high schools.
“A lot of people in this community would like to see the city fund the new law enforcement facilities (with) existing resources so as not to jeopardize what the school district needs.
“That was my answer as a taxpayer, not a senator.”
*Penry photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
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More on the DNR analysis of the Penry-McNulty ballot question
In case you were hoping to snag a copy of the Department of Natural Resources’ analysis of a proposed ballot measure from Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, and Rep. Frank McNulty, R-Highlands Ranch, which would send severance tax revenues to transportation, I’ve posted it here.
The story detailing the analysis generally sums up the state’s position, specifically that the Penry-McNulty proposal will harm the state’s long-term water needs. And, as we wrote, Penry does have his own legitimate argument: His plan maintains the state’s current level of water-project funding while also sending cash to the state’s neglected roads and bridges.
UPDATE: In an e-mail to Political Notebook, Penry said he plans to augment his argument using data showing the massive increases in the Department of Natural Resources’ perpetual base account, which funds water projects. Click here for the Colorado Legislative Council report and see page 9. And yes, that’s a 338 percent increase in the perpetual base account between the 2001-2002 fiscal year and the 2005-2006 fiscal year.
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What do you think?
*Penry photo from The Rocky Mountain News.
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The ‘God gap’ and the West
The Fix offers an interesting take on recent poll results on western voters’ opinion on the existence of God and how it could affect the presidential race.
The Gallup poll results, the blog notes, are curious in showing that “people living in western states are significantly less likely to believe in God than residents of any other geographic region of the country.”
From the blog: “Less than six in 10 Americans living in the West say they believe in God as compared to more than 80 percent who say the same in the east, Midwest and South. (Not surprisingly, the South features the highest percentage — 86 percent — of people who say they believe in God.)
“That doesn’t mean, however, that Westerners don’t believe in any sort of higher power. Nearly three in ten say that have faith in a ‘universal spirit or higher power’ — more than double the percentage of people who say the same in any of the other three regions.
“‘The fact that, as compared with other regions, those from the Western United States have the lowest likelihood of believing in God does not come as a total surprise given other data showing that the West has a lower level of religiosity overall,’ writes Gallup poll director Frank Newport. ‘Still, the contrast between Westerners and those from other regions reflected in these data is fairly substantial.’”
You wouldn’t know we had a “god gap” in Mesa County judging from the recent outcry over the county fair’s decision to not hold a church service. But this western trend is worth pondering and watching even here in Mesa County as we look ahead to November.
*Cross photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
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Owens staffers, Ritter face off on severance tax initiative
In a curious twist, the looming severance tax ballot measure aimed at eliminating a tax credit for oil and gas producers worth more than $200 million is pitting its chief backer, Gov. Bill Ritter, against former senior staff for former Gov. Bill Owens.
Dan Hopkins, former spokesman for Owens, is the spokesman for the campaign against the tax initiative, Coloradans for a Stable Economy. And today, Colorado Petroleum Association President Stan Dempsey said Henry Sobanet, former budget director for Owens’ administration, is acting as an economic consultant for the association.
Though we doubt the ongoing debate over Ballot Measure No. 113 will become a Ritter v. Owens battle, the foot soldiers of the anti-113 campaign certainly are worth noting.
*Ritter photo from the Associated Press.
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Salazar backs Hagan for HD58
Democratic House District 58 hopeful Noelle Hagan announced this week she has garnered an endorsement from Congressman John Salazar, D-Colo.:
Hagan is vying with Republican Scott Tipton to replace outgoing state Rep. Ray Rose, R-Montrose.
We’ll repeat here what we said in May, when Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, endorsed Hagan: Democrats endorsing Democrats is not news, per se. Such endorsements are noteworthy but should not be seen as unexpected events.
Had Salazar endorsed his 2006 opponent, Tipton, that would have been major news.
*Hagan photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
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New survey shows Udall in the lead
A new poll from Virginia-based pollster Keith Frederick shows Democratic Senate candidate Mark Udall maintaining his lead over his GOP opponent, former Fort Collins Congressman Bob Schaffer.
According to the poll, which surveyed 700 likely voters between July 16 and July 22, Udall has the support of 48 percent of likely voters compared to Schaffer’s 39 percent. The poll shows 15 percent of likely voters are undecided.
The poll has a margin or error of 3.7 percentage points.
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So what makes all of these recent poll results so disparate?
Their varying results could be rooted in different pollsters using different polling methodologies.
For example, if a pollster is weighting responses to conform with the state’s voter registration breakdown, allowing respondents to self-identify their party affiliation could skew the results. And using voter registration databases to identify the people sampled versus the aforementioned method could affect the results. The surveys also could have used different phrasings of the question.
The best way to wrap your hands around what all of these polls mean — and which could be more accurate than others — is to look at where they fall in line (or out of line) with past polls on the race. Check out Pollster.com to see a longitudinal tracking of polls on Colorado’s Senate race.
*Udall photo from The Rocky Mountain News.
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Westfall: High court’s freeze ruling unlikely to affect local de-Brucings
Concerns on the part of a handful of counties and special districts moved former Colorado Solicitor General Richard A. Westfall to send out a letter assuring them that the Colorado Supreme Court’s looming ruling in the mill levy freeze lawsuit will not affect their de-Brucing measures.
In an e-mail to Political Notebook, Westfall said concerns were limited to Eagle County, Boulder County and a handful of special districts.
*Westfall photo shot by Political Notebook.
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NRSC uses Salazar, oil shale issue to hammer Louisiana incumbent
The National Republican Senatorial Committee plans to use the close ties between U.S. Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Ken Salazar, D-Colo., to attack the incumbent Louisiana senator this fall.
The NRSC issued a press release this morning, questioning a vote Landrieu cast against lifting a ban on oil shale exploration in the Rocky Mountain West: “Shouldn’t Landrieu defer to the requests of her constituents and Americans that expect Congress to act to lower gas prices?”
The release cited PAC funds Salazar gave to Landrieu’s campaign as well as a recent newspaper clip where she said she voted against lifting the ban at Salazar’s behest.
Whether oil shale will play among Louisiana voters if questionable, even in this close race. (Offshore drilling is somewhat easier to explain and poll on.) Nonetheless, it certainly is curious that Salazar’s footprint has become a “tool” for national Republicans.
*Salazar photo from the Associated Press.
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Second poll in a week: Udall, Schaffer locked in a tight race
For the second time this week, a poll, this time from Quinnipiac University, shows Democratic Senate candidate Mark Udall and his Republican opponent, Bob Schaffer, in a dead heat.
“In the U.S. Senate race, U.S. Rep. Mark Udall, the Democrat, and Republican Robert Schaffer are tied 44-44 percent, compared to a 48-38 percent Udall lead June 26,” Quinnipiac University said on its Web site.
The poll, which surveyed 1,425 likely voters in Colorado, was conducted between July 14 and July 22. The poll had a margin of 2.6 percentage points.
As we’ve noted before, a lot can happen in several months. And, after all, there are more than 10 percent or so of voters still undecided (including when you factor in possible third-party voters).
If this contest is as close as this and another recent poll indicates, things could get interesting as the race winds its way toward November.
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UPDATE: For those who are interested, Pollster.com has compiled all of the polling in this race. Check it out here.
*Schaffer photo from The Rocky Mountain News.
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Ciruli: Ritter in for tough times
Colorado pollster Floyd Ciruli paints a dark picture of Gov. Bill Ritter’s more than two years in office in a column in today’s Rocky Mountain News, declaring that after the dust settles in November, the governor “may be in for a period of considerable criticism.”
The pollster cites Ritter’s mill levy freeze to the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission’s ongoing rule making to his employee associations executive order as the possible roots of his slump in the polls.
“When compared with his Montana counterpart, Gov. Brian Schweitzer, in recent Rasmussen polls, Ritter’s job rating lags behind Schweitzer by 19 points,” Ciruli wrote. “Only 45 percent of Colorado voters gave Ritter an excellent or good job rating, whereas 64 percent of Montanans rated Schweitzer as doing an excellent or good job.”
(Rasmussen Reports’ latest poll shows similar numbers for Ritter’s approval rating.)
Ciruli’s analysis is worth a read, however, if the Colorado Republican Party cannot find a strong candidate to take on the incumbent governor in 2010, Ritter’s approval woes might not be enough to unseat him.
*Ritter photo from the Associated Press.
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Local Dems double up on Mesa County Republicans
As of July 17, the Mesa County Democratic Party has out-fundraised its GOP peer committee, leaving it with a two-to-one cash on-hand advantage, according to recently filed campaign finance reports.
Granted we are not yet into campaign season, the Mesa County Democratic Party’s numbers are steep, indeed.
According to its report, covering Oct. 28 to July 17, the committee took in $31,228 ($3,690 of which was not itemized) and spent $25,169, leaving the local party with $20,942 in cash on-hand.
The Mesa County Republican Party, on the other hand, took in $26,424 ($10,113 of which was not itemized) and spent $19,727, leaving the local branch of the GOP with $10,053 in cash on-hand.
Though the disparity between the parties is not indicative of what’s to come for either side, it certainly is worth noting.
*Money photo from the Associated Press.
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Poll: Schaffer, Udall race tightens
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall’s edge over Republican Bob Schaffer has been significantly cut, according to polling data released today by Rasmussen Reports.
The poll of 500 likely voters, conducted July 21, shows the percentage of voters backing Udall has dropped from 49 percent to 47 percent between mid-June and mid-July while Schaffer’s share of voters have increased from 40 percent to 43 percent over the same period. (See the chart below for the historical trend of the Rasmussen Reports polls.)
Granted this is just one poll, but it cannot seem like good news for Udall’s folks, who have largely had to sit back and watch the press pick apart the former Fort Collins congressman’s record.
Whether Schaffer’s debate performance had anything to do with his jump in the polls is not readily apparent from the data. Nonetheless, something moved those voters.
(We’ll be curious what Schaffer’s campaign team says about the Rasmussen Reports poll in light of recent comments discounting early polling.)
The poll has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.
*Udall photo from the Associated Press.
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King to start fundraising soon amid reports showing high burn-rate
State Rep. Steve King, R-Grand Junction — who lacks a primary election and general election opponent — said he plans to start raising funds soon both to aid his goals this election cycle and for his future plans to advocate for “progressive change in this state.”
“There is going to be fundraising,” King told Political Notebook today. “I think it would be foolish to not have fund available in order to be able to do some things politically.”
“As expensive as it is to run campaigns, I think not doing fundraising for the future is foolish,” he added.
King’s promise amid public reports that show he has burned through his campaign funds faster than he can collect contributions between Jan. 1 and mid-July.
During the first two weeks of July, King accepted $400 worth of contributions and spent $456, including $199 on fuel and $73.50 on dry cleaning expenses.
And, during the reporting covering May 27 to July 2, King reported accepting in $600 and spending more than $1,000.
Included in King’s recent campaign expenses is a T-shirt from his alma mater, Mesa State College:
Between Jan. 1 and April 25, King took in $4,366 and spent $5,082, including a $250 returned contribution. And between April 26 and May 26, King took in $540 and spent $1,213.
*King photo shot by Political Notebook.
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Walcher: Shafroth ‘got the details right’ while serving on GOCO board
Democratic congressional hopeful Will Shafroth garnered praise from an unlikely source today: Mesa County resident and former Department of Natural Resources Director Greg Walcher.
According to an article in today’s edition of The Rocky Mountain News, Walcher said even when the two disagreed on policy matters, Shafroth “got the details right” on matters before the Great Outdoors Colorado board.
Sure, it’s unlikely Walcher — were he a resident of Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District — would vote for a Democrat, but his balanced praised can’t hurt the candidate.
*Shafroth photo from the Associated Press.
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Suthers’ wisdom coming soon to a district attorney near you
Attorney General John Suthers’ words of wisdom contained in his recent book, “No Higher Calling, No Greater Responsibility: A Prosecutor Makes his Case,” will soon land in the hands and on the desks of every prosecutor in Colorado.
Suthers told Political Notebook that the law firm of Holland & Hart has purchased a copy of the book for every prosecutor in Colorado.
“While I think it is primarily geared for lay people, it has found a pretty good market in prosecutors,” Suthers said. “Holland & Hart, the big regional law firm, has purchased a copy for every municipal, state and federal prosecutor in Colorado.”
Suthers said the law firm’s idea means roughly 1,300 copies of his book will be on the desk of every prosecutor in the state, “including everyone in the Grand Junction DA’s office.”
As a side note, Suthers, who teaches at the University of Denver College of Law, said his plan of assigning the book as required reading for his class will only increase book sales by about 40 a semester.
*Suthers photo provided by the House Majority Office.
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Robinson ‘confidant’ gave to Doody
We’ll leave most of the campaign-finance reporting to our county-beat colleague, but one item on former Republican Mesa County Commission candidate Jim Doody’s recently filed report caught our attention.
Indeed, according to the report, Gigi Robinson, the wife of Democratic Mesa County Commission candidate Dan Robinson, gave Doody $50 in late December.
Granted the contribution came a month before Robinson formally entered the race, it would have been somewhat of an awkward circumstance had Doody stayed in the race and won his primary challenge against incumbent Commissioner Craig Meis.
*Doody photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
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Colo. Indie probes possibility Buescher could be next speaker
The Colorado Independent stoked the speculative fire in an article today discussing the possibility that state Rep. Bernie Buescher, D-Grand Junction, could succeed outgoing Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver.
“I’m honored that folks are talking to me about being speaker, and a lot of folks on both sides of the aisle have said they would like for me to do that. My Republican friends are really saying, ‘You’ve just got to be speaker,’ and that’s because I think they know they can work with me,” Buescher told the online newspaper. “They know I don’t come at issues from a doctrinaire, party-line perspective. I’m a little older than most of the legislators, so that’s perhaps a little more experience.”
The article, which mentions that Buescher first has to defeat his electoral opponent, Republican Laura Bradford, before having new business cards printed up, details the Grand Junction Democrat’s rise on the state political scene:
“A fourth-generation Grand Junction resident, Buescher ran an aviation company for nine years after his two decades in tax law. His financial chops and years of serving on various government and nonprofit boards caught the attention of then-Gov. Roy Romer, who tapped Buescher in 1996 to reorganize and rescue the financially troubled Colorado State Fair and then work on various health-care programs for the administration. In ’98 he missed the chance to become lieutenant governor when Gail Schoettler lost to Republican Bill Owens by less than 1 percent of the vote.
“Buescher was angling for a position with what he thought would be state Attorney General Ken Salazar’s gubernatorial administration in ’02 when his friend surprised him by running for and winning a seat in the U.S. Senate. So Buescher won a seat in the state House and became the first freshman legislator to serve on the Joint Budget Committee.”
The article is worth a read if you’re at all interested in the Democratic side of what is expected to be a rousing electoral battle between Buescher and Bradford this fall.
*Buescher photo from The Daily Sentinel archives.
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Ritter received inmate-made fly rod
Since the re-instatement of Amendment 41 earlier this year — and, to some extent before then — Colorado’s state leaders have accepted few if any gifts and honoraria, according to their quarterly filings with the Secretary of State’s Office.
So, while surfing the state’s disclosure database, we happened upon a curious — and altogether appropriate — gift Gov. Bill Ritter received in April: a fly rod and case.
Ritter, an avid fisherman, accepted the $100 fly rod and case from the Colorado Department of Corrections. According to the disclosure (see below), inmates working in Colorado Correctional Industries made fly rod and case.
*Ritter photo shot by Political Notebook.
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Polis donates $400 to Buescher
