Regional races Although The Daily Sentinel’s legislative endorsements primarily focus on Mesa County, we also are interested in legislative races in the surrounding region. With that in mind, we offer the following endorsements:Our endorsements The following is a recap of The Daily Sentinel’s endorsements for items that appear on the ballot in Mesa County. If an item on the ballot is not listed here, we have not taken a position on it.Poor choice in 3rd District We have for several years made known our dissatisfaction with the current incumbent in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, Democrat John Salazar.Schaffer for Senate Coloradans have a clear ideological choice in the race for the U.S. Senate this year between Democrat Mark Udall, currently a congressman representing the state’s 2nd Congressional District, and Republican Bob Schaffer, who formerly served in Congress from Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.John McCain for president Two weeks from today will mark the 41st anniversary of the day that John McCain began 5 1/2 long years as a prisoner of war, years lived in inhumane conditions and filled with days and days of torture, in a North Vietnamese prison cell.Retain local judges Criminal defense attorneys ganged up on Mesa County District Judge Brian Flynn in surveys conducted through Colorado’s Commissions on Judicial Performance. But we believe Flynn, along with other local judges on the ballot this year, deserve to be retained.More ballot issues Following are The Daily Sentinel’s editorial positions on several state ballot issues:Neal for education board We’re pleased to support the local candidate, Marcia Neal, in the race for the 3rd Congressional District seat on the State Board of Education, the group that sets broad education policy in the state and oversees local school boards.'No’ on Amend. 47 We believe people should have the right to choose whether they belong to a labor union or pay dues to a union, but we have several problems with Amendment 47, which would enshrine those rights in the Colorado Constitution.'Yes' on Amend. 59 There is a fundamental contradiction within the Colorado Constitution. The TABOR Amendment limits how much state revenue can grow, while Amendment 23 mandates ever-increasing state spending for public education. The result has been curtailed spending on other state needs.Re-elect Meis in District 1 Many times in races for local elected positions, the candidates have only marginal differences on a few issues and voters are left to choose based primarily on personality.'No' on Amendments 53, 55, 56 and 57 We would prefer to write nothing about these labor-backed amendments. We had hoped that a deal still being negotiated in Denver would lead to the proponents of these four measures pulling them from the ballot this week.Vote 'Yes' on 1A for 5 commissioners The current effort to increase the size of the Mesa County Board of Commissioners from three to five members was driven in large part by a desire to see more geographic diversity on the commission. People don’t want all of their county commissioners to come from the Grand Junction-Clifton urban core.Vote 'Yes' on Questions 3A, 3B With an economic slowdown occurring and voters facing the most crowded ballot in Mesa County’s history — including several other ballot measures seeking more money from taxpayers — this is a difficult time for School District 51 to ask its constituents to approve a $185 million bond issue to construct more schools.'No’ on Amend. 48 As Coloradans wade through their massive ballots this election season, they ought to pay particular attention to Amendment 48 — the so-called “personhood” amendment.'Yes' on Amend. 50 Casino gambling could expand significantly in a handful of Colorado’s historic mining towns if Amendment 50 on this year’s ballot is approved by voters — and if voters in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek approve separate measures to authorize the expansion.'Yes' on Referendum O Do you just love this year’s election ballot, crowded with 10 citizens’ initiatives to amend the state Constitution, not to mention legislative and local ballot measures?
Write a letter to the editor of The Daily Sentinel. Letters should be 300 words or fewer. We need your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes. Send it now.
