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Hudak to Host Veterans’ Town Hall Saturday

Posted on August 16, 2012August 16, 2012 by Colorado Pols

We’ve previously written about State Senator Evie Hudak’s propensity to take advantage of one of the perks of incumbency: hosting patently apolitical town halls — in line with her duties as an elected official — which also bolster her name identification and profile on the campaign trail. Every constituent, after all, is a potential voter.

Take, for example, Hudak’s upcoming forum for veterans:

ARVADA-State Senator Evie Hudak (D-Westminster) is hosting a community forum to inform veterans and community members in her district about the state and local services available to veterans. The Colorado Division of Veteran Affairs and Arvada American Legion Post 161 will be there to present and answer questions from the audience. All of Senator Hudak’s town halls are free, nonpartisan, and open to the public.

Senator Hudak is a strong voice for veterans and active service members at the Capitol. Over the past 4 years, she has supported ten legislative initiatives for veterans, active service members, and their families. Most recently, Senator Hudak voted to support an amendment that garnered $1 million to support veteran job training, mental health services, and homelessness prevention.

Senator Hudak offered the following comment about the upcoming forum:

“Without veterans and active service members, we would not be able to enjoy the rights we do as Americans. That is why I am hosting an event to help them get connected to the resources that can help make their lives a little easier. It’s the least I can do.”

WHAT: Forum for veterans

WHO: State Senator Evie Hudak

WHEN: Saturday, August 18, 10:30 a.m.

WHERE: Standley Lake Library, 8485 Kipling Street, Arvada

It’s hard to criticize the senator for hosting a forum for vets and military families. To her credit, Hudak takes part in more constituent outreach than many other members of the Senate. Even in years she’s not running for re-election, Hudak tends to host multiple community events a month.

Still, just as before, the invite from the Senate Majority office reads just like campaign literature. Why emphasize that Hudak is a “strong voice for veterans” and “garnered $1 million to support veteran job training, mental health services, and homelessness prevention?”

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Republican opponent Lang Sias has spent nearly thirty years in the military and served as “national veterans director” on John McCain’s 2008 presidential bid.

Veterans and those who serve in the military tend to vote Republican anyway, but Sias’ lengthy resume and ability to speak their language gives him a leg up on the incumbent with this particular voting bloc.

Although this town hall is valuable for SD-19 veterans to learn about “local services,” it also serves as a reminder that, while Sias may be a veteran, Hudak has at least done some work for veterans.

Then again, “topgun instructor” probably sounds a lot better to vets than “voted for an amendment.”

Denver’s New Independent Monitor: Richard Mitchell

Posted on August 1, 2012August 1, 2012 by Colorado Pols

Just a week after three finalists were in Denver to be interviewed for the job, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock has selected the city’s second independent monitor: Nicholas Mitchell.

From the mayor’s office:

DENVER – Mayor Michael B. Hancock today announced the selection of Nicholas E. Mitchell, Esq. to be Denver’s next Independent Monitor, pending City Council confirmation.

Mitchell will be responsible for actively monitoring and participating in investigations of sworn personnel in the City and County of Denver’s Police and Sheriff Departments.

“Strengthening the relationship between our residents and our safety officials is one of my highest priorities, and the Independent Monitor plays a vital role in that process,” Mayor Hancock said. “Nicholas will bring a judicious eye and investigative wherewithal to the position, traits we are working to instill at all levels of the civilian oversight process. He will aid in providing transparent, balanced and swift resolution to our disciplinary actions, and ultimately help make Denver a safer city.”

The Office of the Independent Monitor was created to provide fair and objective oversight of the Denver Police and Sheriff’s Departments. As the Independent Monitor, Mitchell will make recommendations to the Manager of Safety, Chief of Police and Director of Corrections regarding disciplinary action as well as broader disciplinary policy issues.

“I’m greatly honored to have been selected by Mayor Hancock to take on this important position,” Mitchell said. “This is a unique opportunity for a fresh approach when it comes to investigating cases of alleged misconduct. I will work to ensure that investigations are conducted aggressively but fairly, to foster transparency in the process and to help strengthen relationships between the public and Denver’s safety departments.”

Mitchell currently works as a federal and state commercial litigator at Silver & DeBoskey in Denver, focusing on complex commercial, real estate and employment matters. Before joining Silver & DeBoskey, Mitchell was a litigator at Allen & Overy, a large international law firm, where he litigated securities class-action lawsuits and U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigations.

Prior to his career in private practice, Mitchell served as an investigator for the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, supervising a team of investigators responsible for investigating alleged police misconduct.

So why Mitchell, and not Gary Maas or Kenneth Moore? Only Hancock knows for sure, although Kelsey Whipple sheds some light over at Westword:

At last week’s public forum featuring Mitchell, Gary Maas and Kenneth Moore, the final three independent monitor candidates, the former distinguished himself from his peers by addressing the small audience in Spanish, in which he is fluent. (Other local speakers applauded his pronunciation.)

It’s unlikely that Mitchell’s Spanish-language fluency was the sole reason he landed the job, but given that one of the core duties of the independent monitor is to investigate biased policing and that Hispanics make up the city’s largest minority group, it certainly didn’t hurt.

Mitchell’s selection is expected to be approved by the Denver City Council in an upcoming vote, at which point the job will officially be his.

Another Bleak Fundraising Period for John Odom

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Colorado Pols

Jefferson County Commissioner John Odom still hasn’t gotten the hang of this whole “running for office” thing, if yesterday’s campaign finance reports are any indication.

After raising a paltry $710.00 through June, Odom this month added just $1,200 to his diminutive warchest. In fact, were it not for the $20,000 Odom loaned his campaign, he’d have brought in just under $1,900.

To put that figure into perspective, no-chance HD-24 candidate Edgar Leyendecker has raised $4,500 for his bid. HD-24 contains a population seven times smaller than the entire county and yet Leyendecker — the very definition, mind you, of a sacrificial lamb — has raised two times more than a sitting elected official who’s on the ballot across Jeffco. That’s even more striking when you consider that Odom, unlike Leyendecker, isn’t fettered by campaign contribution limits. Odom could’ve raised literally unlimited amounts of money from scores of donors this period. Instead, he raised less than two grand from three: Robert Blackwell, Fred Clifford, and Jefferson County School Board gadfly Laura Boggs.

Odom’s Democratic opponent Casey Tighe, by comparison, had another decent period, raising over $5,600. Although that simply wouldn’t be enough money to compete with almost any other opponent, it blows Odom’s haul out of the water.

Odom still has the cash-on-hand advantage, leading Tighe $19,943 to $10,417. He’ll no doubt write himself another check if the Democrat comes within striking distance, so it’s unlikely Tighe will ever have more money to play around with than the incumbent.

Still, you’ve got to wonder: if Odom is this terrible at fundraising, how bad will other aspects of his campaign be? He’s got no field effort and his name ID is especially bad because he’s never run for a countywide office before. His personal wealth ensures he’ll be able to afford mailers, sure, but considering that even Rep. Robert “I can’t count” Ramirez has figured out how to raise some money, they’ll likely be horrible.

If Odom wins in November, it probably won’t be because he ran the better campaign. Instead, he’ll cruise to victory because of the thickness of his wallet and the Republican affiliation after his name.

Although at this juncture, it looks as though the commissioner is doing everything he can to pry defeat from the jaws of victory.

That’s Not How E-mail Works, Danny Stroud

Posted on July 9, 2012July 9, 2012 by Colorado Pols

Quixotic CD-1 Republican challenger Danny Stroud, fresh off his win against “truck driving political neophyte” Richard Murphy, dutifully sent out a blast e-mail recently decrying the Supreme Court’s decision upholding Obamacare. He’s the token Republican running against a longtime and high-profile Democrat, of course, so what else what was he going to do?

Ignore the fact that Stroud dresses up like some country music caricature of a cowboy while campaigning in Colorado’s most hip and urban district, and you’ll realize that he included one of those QR code things in the text of his e-mail.

Wow, that’s so neat and high-tech for this digital age, isn’t it? Except that nobody is going to whip out their cell phone to take a picture of an e-mail when they could, you know, click a link with their mouse. And what happens if you opened Stroud’s e-mail on your phone? How would the QR code work then? Riddle me this, Stroud!

Stroud’s clearly not a serious candidate, but we’re sure he feels pretty politically legitimate whenever he sends e-mails like this. Oh well, maybe he deserves to have a little fun: he’s spending his own money, after all.

We’re not including a link to Stroud’s campaign website here, so you’re going to have to use that barcode thingy if you truly “Regret DeGette.” We think Stroud deserves his money’s worth.

Just How Many People Are Watching Internet Public Access, Anyway?

Posted on July 7, 2012July 7, 2012 by Colorado Pols

Although JBGTV — shorthand for “Jefferson County Business Guide TV” — is certainly an innovative way to broadcast video footage from community events around the county, the fact of the matter is that no amount of innovation can make public access television any more gripping or, well, entertaining.

Sure, it’s novel that JBGTV captured, for example, Jefferson County Commissioner Don Rosier creepily reading books to children. And it’s probably important that somebody filmed the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 40 West Arts District.

Still, no matter how many quirky events JBGTV puts on tape and offers online, it’s highly unlikely that anybody’s actually watching anything on its website.

How many people, for example, would spend over an hour of their day playing the June 6th meeting of the Alameda Gateway Association? There are probably 20 or so people in the world who even know what the Alameda Gateway Association is, and they were all at the meeting. Even worse, why would anybody choose to take part in that meeting remotely and after the fact? At least if you attend in person you get free pizza and soda.

JBGTV claims that they’re “now reaching over 63,000 viewers and growing.”

That’s impossible.

Lakewood (where JBGTV seems to have the deepest roots) has roughly 142,000 residents. That means that, according to the website’s estimates, nearly half of all of Lakewood’s citizens are regularly watching recorded townhall meetings and dry speeches from low-level area politicians.

Considering the fact that only about 24,000 people voted in the 2007 mayoral election in Lakewood — the most competitive race in recent memory — JBGTV is either the widest-reaching and most influential local news outlet in the area or is straight out lying about its numbers.

Which do you think is more likely? A poll follows.

Voter Service Centers Open Today

Posted on June 18, 2012June 17, 2012 by Colorado Pols

Most Denver voters won’t have many choices to make on the ballot for June 26th’s primary. Republicans in CD-1 will have to select a candidate to take on Diana DeGette, while their counterparts in HD-1 will nominate either John Kidd or James Wildt. HD-1 Democrats must also select a candidate: incumbent Representative Jeanne Labuda is facing a challenge from activist Corrie Houck.

Still, despite the dearth of primary races, the Denver Office of the Clerk and Recorder is still offering nearly 20 ballot drop-off locations, all of which open today.

From the clerk’s office:

(Denver) – More Denver voters than ever are choosing to drop off their mail ballots in person instead of returning them by mail. Voters who wish to drop off their mail ballots or obtain a replacement ballot can go to any one of 13 conveniently located Voter Service Centers starting Monday, June 18. Most locations have a drive-through ballot drop-off lane.

Voter Service Centers will be open through Saturday, June 23 and on Monday, June 25, from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. The Denver Elections Division main office will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. All locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, June 26.

Voter Service Center locations are:

Barnum Recreation Center: 360 N. Hooker St.

Blair-Caldwell Library: 2401 Welton St.

Christ Church United Methodist: 690 N. Colorado Blvd.

Christ Community Church: 8085 E. Hampden Ave.

Denver Elections Division (Main Office): 200 W. 14th Ave.

Denver Police Dept. District3 Station: 1625 S. University Blvd.

Harvard Gulch Recreation Center: 550 E. Iliff Ave.

Harvey Park Recreation Center: 2120 S. Tennyson Way

Hiawatha Davis Jr. Recreation Center: 3334 N. Holly St.

Highlands Recreation Center: 2880 N. Osceola St.

Montbello Recreation Center: 15555 E. 53rd Ave.

Montclair Recreation Center: 729 N. Ulster Way

** Tivoli Student Union at Auraria: 900 Auraria Pkwy, Rm. 261

**All sites have drive-through ballot drop-off except Tivoli Student Union.

New this year, after-hours secure ballot drop-off boxes are available outside of these locations:

Blair-Caldwell Library: 2401 Welton St.

Denver Elections Division (Main Office): 200 W. 14th Ave.

Denver Police Dept. District3 Station: 1625 S. University Blvd.

Harvey Park Recreation Center: 2120 S. Tennyson Way

Montbello Recreation Center: 15555 E. 53rd Ave.

Montclair Recreation Center: 729 N. Ulster Way

Wellington Webb Building: 201 W. Colfax Ave.

These secure boxes are under 24-hour video surveillance.

Visit the Voter Service Center search page at DenverVotes.org to find your nearest location.

Denver: Third “Most Watched” City in America

Posted on June 17, 2012June 17, 2012 by Colorado Pols

Denver’s red-light cameras have recently been a major point of contention in city government, following a report released by Denver City Auditor Dennis Gallagher last year. In that report, Gallagher concluded that:

Because these programs were sold as public safety enhancements but are widely viewed as a cash grab, it undermines public trust to maintain photo enforcement programs that are profitable but whose safety impact has not been conclusively shown. If this situation persists, then the photo enforcement programs should be shut down.

As it turns out, not only do red light and speed cameras “undermine public trust,” they also undermine — perhaps naturally — individual privacy. Indeed, according to a recent study put together by Men’s Health Magazine, Denver is the third “most watched” city in America.

To figure out where it’s always 1984, we gathered intelligence on the presence of all kinds of cameras: traffic, red light, and police surveillance (TrafficLand.com, Photo Enforced.com, and local police and state transportation departments). We then checked in with the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to calculate rates of authorized government wiretaps.

Only Washington, DC and Houston, Texas outrank Denver in terms of surveillance. In fact, the Mile High City has more cameras than other cities which dwarf its size: Chicago places 30th on the list, with Los Angeles at 81 and Boston at 87.

Don’t think you can easily escape the camera’s gaze, either. Colorado Springs comes in at at 24 and Aurora, 34.

Joe Coors: Oldest of the “Young Guns”

Posted on June 10, 2012June 10, 2012 by Colorado Pols

CD-7 Republican candidate Joe Coors may not be a beer — or a yacht or pile of money — but he is one of the National Republican Campaign Committee’s “Young Guns,” according to a press release issued by the NRCC on Friday. Coors’ acceptance into the competitive GOP program is made all the more remarkable by the fact that he’s 70 years old, giving the term “young” a whole new meaning.

In fact, the septuagenarian’s hip new label has attracted some additional national attention to the race.

Unfortunately for Coors, however, that attention focuses more on the novelty of his age than his candidacy as a whole.

From The Atlantic’s David Graham:

Just because you’re a Young Gun doesn’t mean you have to be young.

Take Joe Coors, one of the 10 candidates just added to the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Young Gun list, a group of candidates the NRCC hopes to propel into office. The candidate for Colorado’s 7th district has never held elected office before; he is also 70 years old and has eight grandchildren. (He’s also not a beer.)

Overall, the average age of the latest group of Young Guns is 52 years old.

Which makes you wonder: how old would the average age of the group be without Joe Coors?

Sue Schafer Scores CACI Endorsement

Posted on June 4, 2012June 4, 2012 by Colorado Pols

State Representative Sue Schafer was one of just three Democrats in the legislature endorsed by the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry, according to a press release issued by the business group last week.

From CACI:

CACI Board Approves Pro-Business Slate of Legislative Incumbents for November Elections

On Thursday of last week, May 24th, the CACI Board of Directors approved a slate of 26 incumbent legislators who are seeking re-election or, in the case of two representatives, election to the Senate, for an endorsement by CACI and, in most cases, a contribution of $400.

Under Colorado’s campaign finance laws, $400 is the maximum contribution that a political committee-in this case, CACI’s Colorado Business Political Action Committee-can give to a legislative candidate over the 2011-2012 election cycle.

Toward the end of the legislative session, the CACI lobbying team began assessing the voting record of incumbent legislators, who are seeking re-election or election to the Senate, for the 2011 and 2012 sessions through the prism of CAC’s lobbying agendas.

A “pro-business” voting record, when viewed through “the prism of CAC’s lobbying agendas,” invariably results in Republican legislators earning the CACI endorsement. Indeed, nearly all of Jeffco’s GOP legislators — State Representatives Cheri Gerou, Libby Szabo, Robert Ramirez, and Ken Summers, specifically — garnered CACI’s seal of approval.

Still, that Schafer also received kind words from the state’s most visible business lobby isn’t too surprising. Her predecessor, former boss, ideological advisor — and now State Senator — Cheri Jahn was endorsed by CACI several times in the past, perhaps because Jahn, a small-business owner, views every piece of legislation by gauging “how it will affect her business.”

Jahn, elected to the Senate in 2010, isn’t up for re-election this year, so she couldn’t possibly benefit from CACI’s check. It’s logical, then, that Jahn’s former aide gets to enjoy the perks of being “pro-business.”

We suspect both legislators will earn the endorsement in 2014.

Lakewood Delegation Town Hall Meeting Tomorrow

Posted on June 1, 2012June 2, 2012 by Colorado Pols

In what may be one of the last legislative outreach events for State Senator Betty Boyd — and the last for either Rep. Andy Kerr or Rep. Ken Summers — the Lakewood legislative delegation will be hosting a “post-legislative session wrap up” town hall tomorrow, the first since last month’s meeting which presaged the contentious civil unions debate.

From the Colorado House Democrats:

MEDIA ADVISORY

Saturday, June 2; 9:30 a.m.

Town Hall Meeting with Rep. Max Tyler, Rep. Andy Kerr, Rep. Ken Summers, Sen. Betty Boyd, & Sen. Cheri Jahn

WHAT:

Join the Lakewood legislative delegation for a town hall meeting next Saturday and a post-legislative session wrap-up.

WHO:

Rep. Max Tyler (D-Lakewood)

Rep. Andy Kerr (D-Lakewood)

Rep. Ken Summers (R-Lakewood)

Sen. Betty Boyd (D-Lakewood)

Sen. Cheri Jahn (D-Wheat Ridge)

WHERE:

Lakewood Cultural Center (map)

470 S. Allison Parkway

Lakewood, CO 80226

WHEN: Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Given the volatile close of the regular session this year — and the special session which followed as a result — the lawmakers at tomorrow’s town hall might have a few choice words for members of House leadership.

Well, except for Ken Summers. It’s almost as if the lone Republican is entering the lion’s den.

Have a political or community event coming up? E-mail us: info(at)jeffcopols.com

Search Results for: 24

Hudak to Host Veterans’ Town Hall Saturday

Denver’s New Independent Monitor: Richard Mitchell

Another Bleak Fundraising Period for John Odom

That’s Not How E-mail Works, Danny Stroud

Just How Many People Are Watching Internet Public Access, Anyway?

Voter Service Centers Open Today

Denver: Third “Most Watched” City in America

Joe Coors: Oldest of the “Young Guns”

Sue Schafer Scores CACI Endorsement

Lakewood Delegation Town Hall Meeting Tomorrow

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