May 17, 2009 06:12 PM UTC

GOP Gets Help Gunning For Apuan

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• by: Colorado Pols

One of the more interesting Democratic victories in 2008 was the surprise win by Rep. Dennis Apuan in Colorado House District 17, which includes southern Colorado Springs and much of Fort Carson. Apuan was in fact the only Democrat who picked up a GOP House seat last year, and by a very small margin–about 600 votes.

And the GOP wants it back, as the Colorado Statesman reported made clear in a transparent hit piece published Friday:

During an informal question-and-answer session, one of Apuan’s friends voiced support for House Bill 1317, which aims to impede the Army’s proposed expansion of Fort Carson’s Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site. The bill prohibits the sale or lease of state-owned land within the proposed training area, which would riddle the acreage with off-limit areas…

“Representative Apuan, exactly what was Fort Carson’s position on that bill? And who did you talk to on the base?” asked Kit Roupe, the Republican candidate who ran unsuccessfully against Apuan last year.

“I was opposed to the bill,” Apuan answered meekly. He explained that his vote against the measure was based on the loud outcry from his House District 17 constituents. HD 17 includes Fort Carson.

Dissatisfied by the answer, Roupe repeated her question.

“It was my own vote … and that was Fort Carson’s stand,” Apuan muttered.

As he observed the showdown from the sidelines, Rep. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, whispered, “Apuan voted against it, but he never went to the House well and spoke against it. He didn’t do anything.”

…Apuan is chairman and program director of the Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission, the Web site of which links to the Piñon Canyon Expansion Opposition Coalition, among other organizations. Sulzman is head of Citizens for Peace in Space, a subsidiary of the commission.

“I’m very disappointed in Representative Apuan’s lack of action and leadership on this bill. He’s supposed to be representing Fort Carson,” said Liston. “He talks like he supports the men and women at Fort Carson, but when push comes to shove – he’s AWOL.”

“To do what he’s done would be akin to me not fighting a bill to shut down UCCS, which is in my district,” Liston said.

“He neither went to the well to oppose this bill nor attempted to build a coalition against it,” said Liston. “He needs to march into Governor Ritter’s office to demand a veto on HB 1317.”

Rep. Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, was equally dismayed with Apuan’s lack of courage…

“Said meekly?” “Muttered?” “Dismayed” with Apuan’s “lack of courage?” First of all, who the hell wrote this? Someone who uses the title “reporter?” You’ll notice those transitive verbs weren’t part of a quote. We know people who would say we are talking about the Colorado Statesman after all, perhaps we’d be better off asking our high school yearbook committee for objectivity. But when we don’t, you know, quote somebody saying so, it kind of sounds like that’s what we think, doesn’t it?

To the issue at hand, it’s clear that some El Paso County Republicans really, really want the Pinon Canyon maneuver site to be expanded. It’s so clear, in fact that gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis found it necessary to jeopardize his candidacy by backing the expansion, setting him against upcoming primary opponent Josh Penry–and the majority of Republicans in Colorado, for whom private property rights are not negotiable–just to appease the small but politically active El Paso County military establishment (a.k.a. the Bentley Rayburn faction).

That’s the thing–their position on Pinon Canyon is not representative of most Colorado Republicans. We’re not even sure that they can muster enough presence in HD-17 to threaten Apuan just over Pinon Canyon–the “military vote” in El Paso County is not as monolithic as some people think, and an issue that runs counter to basic conservative principles like this one is not going to motivate voters outside of that small establishment we’re talking about.

And what happens if fierce expansion opponent Penry…wins the GOP nomination? We’d say this over-the-top nonsense about “shutting down UCCS” will get a little uncomfortable for Larry Liston.

Democrats know that Apuan is going to be one of their hardest-fought protects next year. It’s clear Republicans are eager to strike, but they’d better find a better stick than this to beat him with.