(D) Kamala Harris
(R) Donald Trump
80%
20%
(D) Diana DeGette*
(R) V. Archuleta
98%
2%
(D) Joe Neguse*
(R) Marshall Dawson
95%
5%
(D) Adam Frisch
(R) Jeff Hurd
50%
50%
(R) Lauren Boebert
(D) Trisha Calvarese
90%
10%
(R) Jeff Crank
(D) River Gassen
80%
20%
(D) Jason Crow*
(R) John Fabbricatore
90%
10%
(D) B. Pettersen
(R) Sergei Matveyuk
90%
10%
(D) Yadira Caraveo
(R) Gabe Evans
70%↑
30%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
( – promoted by Colorado Pols) Obama Administration Regional Director in Health and Human Services, Marguerite Salazar, was in Denver Monday to discuss the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”) and what it means for people living in Colorado. Hosted by Senator Mark Udall, she held a press conference with the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative’s […]
The Denver Civic Center – spanning between the City and County Building and the Colorado State Capitol – is on track to become a National Historical Landmark as designated by the United States National Park Service.
From Denver Mayor Michael Hancock:
WASHINGTON D.C. – Denver Civic Center was recommended by a U.S. Department of the Interior agency to become a National Historic Landmark – moving Denver one step closer to receiving the first designation of this kind in the city.
On Tuesday, at the Spring 2012 National Park System Advisory Board Landmarks Committee Meeting, Mayor Michael B. Hancock gave personal testimony to support Civic Center’s candidacy.
“Civic Center serves as the keystone for the entire Denver Parks system and sits literally where the City’s cultural, community and commercial realms converge,” Mayor Hancock said at the Meeting. “For Civic Center to receive the honor of becoming National Historic Landmark would shine a spotlight on this city treasure and help to deliver Denver as a world-class city.”
The Denver Civic Center recommended for designation includes Civic Center Park, Veteran’s Park, the McNichols Building, the City and County Building and the Colorado State Capitol.
A legacy park from Mayor Speer’s City Beautiful Movement, Civic Center would join a list of some of the most iconic, treasured and historically significant spaces in the United States. Designation would place Civic Center alongside such sites as the Empire State Building, the Alamo and the Library of Congress.
On May 22 and 23, Civic Center’s recommendation will go to the National Park Service Advisory Board for further consideration. The board will advance their recommendations to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who will officially designate the new National Historic Landmarks.
For more details, go to: www.nps.gov.
As noted in the press release, there are currently no National Historic Landmarks within Denver’s borders. If selected, however, the Denver Civic Center would join the ranks of 22 other sites within Colorado, including Bent’s Fort and Pike’s Peak.
While the Civic Center’s selection is by no means certain, it’s safe to assume that former Colorado Attorney General, Senator, and current Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has a considerable voice in the process. Salazar, in fact, has the final say, and his ties to the Square State may indeed give the Denver Civic Center a leg up in the competition for nomination.
In light of the scrutiny the area has received as part of this nomination process, perhaps Denver’s urban camping ban – which takes effect in just over ten days – was designed less as an effort to deal with the Occupy Movement and more as one to put Denver’s best foot forward. What kind of historic landmark would the Civic Center be if people slept in it overnight, after all? God forbid.
Colorado State Senator Pat Steadman has been leading the fight in the Colorado State Capitol on two separate issues: crafting together a state budget and civil unions rights for LGBT couples.
While the budget may have taken center stage for the past few weeks, the civil unions bill is set to hit the Senate floor this week.
From Outfront Colorado:
DENVER – The Colorado state Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved SB-2, a bill to recognize same-sex civil unions. It passed 5-4 on a party-line vote with all Democrats voting yes and all Republicans voting no. The bill will be debated and voted on in the full Senate next week.
According to Public Policy Polling, 62 percent of Colorado voters support the bill, while 53% of Colorado voters say same-sex marriage should be legal. Only 22 percent said that there should be no legal recognition whatsoever of gay couples.
In addition, “the divide on the issue of civil unions is generational, with voters under 30 supporting gay marriage by a 77-23 margin.”
Public Policy Polling concludes that this “should be a real warning sign to the GOP that continuing to tack right on this issue is going to significantly hurt its ability to appeal both to the next generation of voters and to swing voters who are somewhere between moderate and liberal on social issues.”
The bill should sail through the Senate, given the Democratic majority and willingness of some GOP legislators to respond to public opinion on the issue.
Its future in the House, however, is much less certain. Even if the bill is once again defeated by the House GOP, it’s safe to say that Pat Steadman will run the same legislation session after session until it’s signed into law.
Sometimes persistence is the best antidote to hardheadedness.
The completion of a Denver-metropolitan “Beltway” has been as long of a process as it has been contentious. Opening shots were fired nearly 40 years ago, when then-Governor Dick Lamm famously vowed to drive a “silver-stake” through the heart of the project.
Since then, of course, most of the Beltway has been completed, with the exception of what has been called the “Jefferson Parkway” — a stretch of road just north of Golden that would finally, some sixty years after the project was first discussed, loop a belt around the waist of the Metro area.
Former Golden Mayor Jacob Smith was elected in 2007 in part because of his pledge to obstruct the Beltway’s completion. Golden has always opposed the construction of an arterial road so close to home, citing fears of congestion that would forever change the dynamics behind the city’s small-town charm. Negotiations on the issue between Golden, its neighbors, and the county broke down in December.
Since then, the issue has lingered over much of Golden’s relationship with Jefferson County, just as it has for the better part of the last two decades.
Lingered, that is, until last week, when a mysterious piece of legislation popped up under the Golden Dome. Fox 31’s Eli Stokols has the story:
DENVER – Legislation now being drafted to create a government board with the power to complete a toll road beltway around the metro area over the objections of local town and cities is unlikely to go anywhere during the current legislative session, which ends in a few weeks.
“This bill hasn’t even been introduced yet,” said Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, who’s considering sponsoring the legislation if it can be introduced this year. “I haven’t even seen a draft yet, and I have some concerns of my own. So it’s not looking realistic that we can do this in a few weeks.”
But even if the legislation isn’t an imminent threat, the cities it would affect are sounding the alarm over what they perceive as a sweeping extension of the government’s ability to invoke eminent domain.
“The legislature, over the last five-to-10 years, has been limiting eminent domain,” Mike Bestor, the city manager for the City of Golden, told FOX31 Denver Monday. “And now here is this huge grab for dominant eminent domain.
“People want to build this high-speed tollway through our little valley here with no concern for the impact on the quality of life for our homeowners, for our citizens.”
What Bestor is calling a “secret attack” marks the latest impasse in a long-running battle between the city and Jefferson County over the proposed “Jefferson Parkway”, a toll road that would connect C-470 from where it ends just south of Golden north to Colo. 128 in Broomfield, essentially completing the beltway encircling the Denver metro area.
Jefferson County Commissioner — and storybook enthusiast — Don Rosier is happy to take credit for this particular “secret attack,” telling KUNC:
Golden has attacked really the entire region and the state by walking away from the negotiation table. They thumbed their nose at the Governor, [and] at CDOT. They didn’t negotiate in good faith…when you look at it, they started it. I hate to say that, but in essence, I want to complete the road and do the best job possible…I do not believe the citizens of Golden have been given all the information. I don’t believe the City Manager, nor has the Mayor been transparent with them.
Rosier’s comments, of course, make this complex issue seem nothing more than a schoolyard fight. “YOU started it!” “No, YOU started it.” Is this kind of dialogue really what we expect from elected officials? With back-and-forths like this, you have to wonder whether or not Jeffco has a little crush on the City of Golden.
The Beltway has always really just been talk — it’s never once come close to becoming a reality. This particular piece of legislation, for example, is doomed to fail: no legislator has stepped forward to sponsor it, but even if they did, it would no doubt die an ignominious death. The Jeffco delegation would likely vote against it — except Senator Boyd, who is term-limited and has no plans for future office — and would be joined in their opposition, no doubt, by small government Republicans playing lip-service to “local control” and railing against eminent domain.
Still, you’ve got to appreciate the sheer ballsiness Jeffco is displaying in drafting this bill. Rosier’s basically saying “see what you’ve made me do, Golden?” in attempting to push this project at the state level. Indeed, the county has shown that it wants this project completed no matter what the cost. The commissioners — all Republicans, mind you — will use big government to trample small communities if they have to.
Jeffco’s unprecedented aggression in pushing the Beltway’s completion should be a major cause of concern for Golden officials. By opposing the project at every step of the process, Golden may be left having no say if and when the Beltway does come to fruition.
“No Means No” is a great strategy for opposition, but it’s downright terrible for negotiation. When Jeffco finds a way to get its Parkway completed without any support from Golden, it’s pretty safe to say that Golden’s not going to get anything that it wants out of the deal.
If Jeffco continues to act so brashly, the question for Golden administrators needs to go from “How can we stop this?” to “What’s the best we can get out of this?”
Since neither Rick Enstrom nor Amy Attwood had primary challengers in their races for HD-23 and HD-28, respectively, their nominations at yesterday’s county assembly were nothing more than a formality.
We don’t blame either for sending out press releases championing their respective victories, however. Symbolically, their nominations at the assembly are important in signaling the next phase of the campaign in which each will make their case for election.
Still, reading through the statements released by both Enstrom’s and Attwood’s campaigns, you’ve got to wonder just how sincere either candidate really feels — their statements are almost identical.
Let’s start with Attwood:
Amy Attwood Earns Spot on Ballot as Candidate for House District 28: Jeffco GOP Assembly Demonstrates Strong Support for Attwood Candidacy
Lakewood, CO- Jefferson County small business woman Amy Attwood, R-Lakewood, this Saturday, earned the nomination to be the GOP candidate for State House District 28 in this November’s election.
Attwood says she is humbled by the strong show of support and looks forward to officially kicking off her campaign for House District 28.
“I am running for the State House to provide a strong voice for Jefferson County families and small business owners,” Attwood said. “Working in small business, the community and caring for my own family has provided me with the experience and background that I believe will serve House District 28 well in the state legislator.”
After years of experience working for her family construction business, Amy knows firsthand the impact government has on job creation and preservation. Her experience has instilled her with the values of small business ownership, commitment to employees and their families as well as customers and the community.
“Balancing budgets and keeping records for a small business has taught me a lot about what government does right and where government gets in the way,” Attwood said. “That is the perspective that I will to bring to the state House. I believe this perspective will best serve Jeffco families and small business owners as we turn the corner of this recession.”
Amy has deep roots in Jefferson County and Colorado. She is a native of Lakewood, a graduate of Columbine High School and the University of Northern Colorado and has served on the Jefferson County Planning Commission.
“I know and love this community and am honored to have the opportunity to earn the votes of my friends and neighbors in Lakewood,” Attwood said. “I look forward to continuing my commitment to our community over the course of this campaign as I speak with voters across the district to ensure that their voices are a heard.”
Amy is married to Gavin, and together they have two sons, Max, 9 and Zak, 7.
Now, for Enstrom:
Rick Enstrom Receives Unanimous Support as Candidate for House District 23: Jeffco GOP Assembly rallies around Enstrom Candidacy
Lakewood, CO-Jefferson County businessman and Lakewood resident Rick Enstrom, on Saturday, earned the nomination to be the Republican candidate for State House District 23 in this November’s election.
Enstrom said he had long looked forward to the official beginning of his campaign as the party’s nominee, and was touched by the outpouring of support he received at the Assembly.
“After a lifetime of living in Colorado – working to create jobs, raising a family and giving back to my community, I am excited to take this next step.” Enstrom said. “Coloradans deserve a leader who will actively listen to the needs of the community and work to provide people the freedom and opportunity to pursue their goals.”
Years of working for the family business, Enstrom Candies, has equipped Rick with the skills and experience needed to make a meaningful difference in state government. His years of service as a volunteer firefighter, EMT and member of the Highland Rescue Team have instilled in him a passion and a drive for giving back to his community.
“As our state and our country confront the realities presented by the economic slowdown and the dramatic job losses of recent years, I intend to work for increased economic opportunity and growth of good careers that JeffCo families need in order to provide a bright future for their children,” Enstrom said.
Rick has strong ties to Jefferson County. A Colorado native, Rick is the father to two married sons and has three grandchildren who all live nearby in Lakewood. He is a graduate of Mesa College. He has served on the Colorado Wildlife Commission and the board of Great Outdoors Colorado. His passion for the outdoors earned him “Conservationist of the Year” awards from both Colorado Ducks Unlimited and Southeast Prowers NRCS.
“I’m looking forward to beginning my campaign in earnest.” Enstrom said. “Coloradans deserve a representative who will listen to their needs and that is what I intend to do over the coming months as I walk door to door in my district seeking the support of my longtime friends and neighbors.”
Rick has been married to his greatest supporter, Linda, for 36 years.
There’s nothing wrong with either of these statements. In fact, as far as press releases go, they’ve covered everything they need to cover: each candidate’s career, ties to the area, and reasons for campaigning – perfect fodder for local news.
The problem is, when read side-by-side, these releases make you wonder if they weren’t, in fact, written by the same person. They probably were, of course, or were drafted in deference to the same guidelines from above. If you’re campaigning for a local office, however, you should at least attempt to mask the fact you’re running for reasons given to you by your political party.
That’s a difficult task when all members of your political party make the same sort of statements.
Attwood and Enstrom both “earned the nomination to be the GOP candidate…in this November’s election.”
Attwood’s “years of experience working for her family construction business” sounds a lot like Enstrom’s “years of working for the family business, Enstrom’s candies.”
Enstrom’s “strong ties to Jefferson County” are also pretty similar to Attwood’s “deep roots in Jefferson County.”
Oh, don’t forget that both candidates are “looking forward” to the campaign. That’s important. Don’t overlook the last sentence in the boilerplate, either, where Enstrom talks about his wife Linda and Attwood talks about her husband Gavin.
In short, because each of these candidate’s statements are designed to showcase their deeply personal reasoning and unique qualifications for public office, it looks really bad when those same statements are nothing more than generic buzzwords adapted for each race.
Or at the very least, it’s going to make the person reading your press releases – presumably the very point of issuing a statement – either very suspicious or, more likely, very bored. Neither of those reactions lend themselves to favorable newspaper ink.
We’ve been talking for some time–longer, we realize, than some of our better-placed readers would prefer–about the recent passage of legislation in the Colorado General Assembly implementing a 22% raise in the daily per diem compensation paid to legislators representing districts outside Denver. As we’ve reported, passage of this in-effect pay increase for 41 of […]
State Senator Cheri Jahn’s SD-20 has picked up its fair share of new precincts coming out of redistricting – the district lost Golden and a sizable chunk of the Denver West area and picked up new constituents with Kipling as an easternmost divider and the Ken Caryl/C-470 interchange at its southernmost point.
Jahn isn’t up for re-election this cycle, as she bested now Jefferson County Commissioner John Odom in her 2010 bid. The best way for many constituents to meet their new state senator, then, will be at one of Jahn’s town halls. For those lucky few, there’s a town hall meeting starting in a couple of hours in Wheat Ridge.
Although the new district lines don’t technically become official until after this election, we’re surprised Jahn chose to stick in Wheat Ridge for this particular piece of constituent outreach. With the considerable amount of territory she’s picked up, Jahn would be smart to host her next couple of town halls outside of her comfort zone.
From Senator Jahn’s office:
What: Constituent Town Hall with Senator Jahn and Representative Schafer
Who: Senator Cheri Jahn (D-Wheat Ridge)
When: Saturday February 25, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Where: Active Adult Center, 6363 West 35th Avenue, Wheat Ridge
Brian Carroll’s campaign for the Democratic nomination in HD-28 has followed a rather curious arc: he first announced a run against a Democratic incumbent, retracted that announcement and exited the race, and then announced that he would indeed run for what is now an open seat.
Carroll ultimately withdrew before his campaign kickoff, but he’s apparently getting a second chance tonight.
***Colorado for Carroll Campaign Kickoff Event to be held Thursday January 26th in Lakewood***
Democratic Candidate Brian Carroll to kickoff campaign for open seat in new House District 28
Lakewood, CO – Army Veteran and Colorado National Guardsman Brian Carroll will officially kickoff his campaign for the open seat in the new House District 28 this Thursday, January 26th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Elephant Bar in Bel Mar (7111 W Alaska Dr, Lakewood CO 80226).
WHAT: Campaign Kickoff – Brian Carroll for State House District 28
WHEN: Thursday January 26th from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM
WHERE: Elephant Bar, 7111 West Alaska Drive Lakewood, CO 80226
Light fare and refreshments will be provided. All are welcome and encouraged to attend!
This kickoff will be an important event for the veteran. Carroll needs to show he actually enjoys broad support within the community and that he’s made amends with the Democratic establishment that had previously rallied against his candidacy. That’s no easy task: Carroll only recently moved to Lakewood and because HD-28 is such a competitive seat, Democrats will want to draft the best possible candidate. Carroll needs to make the case that he is that candidate.
If he doesn’t, however – and there are few indicators that activists have warmed to him after his previous challenge to Rep. Andy Kerr – Carroll should expect a heated primary of his own.
To Democrats, moderates, progressives, liberals and independents, i.e. 60% of America; it is, indeed, a confusing political time. While many of us want Obama to win re-election, most of us concede that any incumbent President running for re-election with 8.5% unemployment is highly vulnerable and likely to be defeated. So it just seems weird that […]
To Democrats, moderates, progressives, liberals and independents, i.e. 60% of America; it is, indeed, a confusing political time. While many of us want Obama to win re-election, most of us concede that any incumbent President running for re-election with 8.5% unemployment is highly vulnerable and likely to be defeated. So it just seems weird that […]
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