One of Colorado’s brightest, most respected conservative leaders – Mark Hillman – is running to represent the state party as Republican National Committeeman. He is running against state senator Dave Schultheis, a rock-ribbed conservative from Colorado Springs.
How disappointed I was to see an anonymous online writer quoting unidentified sources to spread misinformation about Mark Hillman’s fiscal conservative bona fides vis a vis Referendum C. I am only left to wonder where exactly the cowardly attacks are coming from.
Face The State highlighted the absurd flap today, giving Hillman an opportunity to recite his record of opposition to Ref C:
As far as the suggestion that Hillman was not aggressive enough in opposing Referendum C, Hillman defended his recorded [sic], saying that he publicly opposed the tax increase prior to its 2005 passage by attending opposition rallies, writing columns, and publicly speaking out against the measure. “In 2005, I wrote at least two op-eds explaining the flaws of Ref C and why I was opposed to it, with one published in the Denver Post,” he said.
I also appreciated Mark Hillman’s thoughtful response to the nature of the attacks:
When the article was brought to Hillman’s attention, he responded to Face The State by saying, “I don’t pay attention to anonymous attacks. When the Founding Fathers wrote anonymously, they did so to debate issues and principles, not to hurl cowardly, baseless accusations at each other. The Founders understood honor; anonymous bloggers do not.”
Assuming the anonymous quotes are legitimate, my guess is that they represent a small fringe. I’ve never heard even a breath of such complaints in any of my Republican circles. Insomuch as they know Hillman or know about him, most conservative Colorado Republicans probably agree with the assessment of one of the leading anti-Referendum C voices:
Former Senate President John Andrews, R-Centennial, adamantly disagrees with the attacks on Hillman, calling him “a tiger for the taxpayer.” Hillman served as senate majority leader during Andrews’s tenure as the chamber’s president. “He served very honorably as acting state treasurer and nothing he did or didn’t do made a difference in the passage of Referendum C.”
Hillman is right not to pay any heed to the destructive whisper campaign. And I’d hope that his rival, Senator Schultheis, would disavow it as well. No one can credibly call either of their conservative records into question.
But when it comes to effective leadership, I believe Mark Hillman is the more qualified candidate, and am glad to give Hillman my unqualified personal endorsement to represent Colorado as Republican National Committeeman.
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