April 20, 2010 12:07 AM UTC

Ferrandino Wins Another Round, Thanks to Payday Robocalls

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• by: jaytee

Today brings another interesting chapter in the Colorado payday wars being waged under the dome. It’s hard not to see this battle testing the limits of GOP pro-industry ideology:

The Colorado Independent:

Rep. Karen Middleton, D-Aurora, told the House that she was voting for her constituents, who had been burning up her phone lines with calls. She said her district had been inundated with information put out by the payday industry but that she was representing the people who voted her into the House.

“I didn’t expect that response,” she said referring to all the phone calls. “I normally have low constituent communication patterns but I have heard from them on this issue.”

John Kefalas, D-Fort Collins, told a similar story, explaining that he had been one of the lawmakers concerned about job loss and taking away consumer choice but that he had changed his mind based mostly on calls to his office.  “I have a lot of serious concerns,” Kefalas said.  “I was one of the ones who held up the process because I was not ready to vote [for the bill]… But the [payday] industry  lost me when they put in robocalls with false information.” He said his constituents received those calls and, annoyed, turned around and called Kefalas. “They got those robocalls and they called me and said ‘Please vote to reform the payday lenders.’

“I have not made it easy for Rep. Ferrendino,” he said.

Rep. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, joined all other House Republicans in voting against the bill. Liston said payday customers are “happy with the service.”

“The payday loan system has followed our laws and done everything we have demanded of them. The customers are happy with the services. In fact they depend on the services to get through these uncertain times.”

Maybe Steve King and Liston, champions of payday loan “freedom,” believe what they say. Do voters, even those who live in Grand Junction, where the Sentinel is editorializing for industry reform?