First state treasurer Cary Kennedy, now our Governor Bill Ritter. Two of Colorado's highest-level Democrat leaders showing a lack of good judgment. I had nearly forgotten about Ritter's other apparent campaign-related improprieties until I read Jessica Fender's piece in yesterday's Denver Post:"Not Waiting" was the subject line of a campaign-fundraising e-mail Gov. Bill Ritter sent last month to a handful of lobbyists as well as his supporters. But in this instance, waiting wouldn't have been a bad thing. … [Read more...]
Legislation to Shine Light on Colorado School Spending Still Alive and Kicking
Good news heading into the weekend: School district financial transparency is still alive at the Colorado State Capitol. Also, the Denver Post's Jessica Fender highlighted my recent Independence Institute report (PDF) in an article on the topic today. The fight led by citizens and state senator Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, for Senate Bill 57 (PDF) and shining the light on school spending resumes Monday. From the Greeley Tribune:“I anticipate it will be a very close vote — one vote either way — to take it back to mandatory,†said Harvey, before continuing later, “I am encouraged by the conversations I’ve been having with the senators.†Keep your chin up, and don't forget to remind your taxpayer-supported … [Read more...]
Bill Ritter’s “Hiring Freeze” Doesn’t Include Lobbyists or Potato Inspectors
A few months ago I called out Governor Bill Ritter for his delayed hiring freeze tactic. Well, as the Denver Post reports this morning, that's nothing compared to what's happened since the alleged hiring "freeze" went into effect:A Denver Post review of hundreds of applications for exemptions shows that in three months, Ritter's office approved 326 new hires and promotions — out of 371 requests — that could cost the state more than $12 million. Ritter's rules say the freeze does not apply to health and safety positions, jobs caring for state wards or required by caseload demands, or positions that, unfilled, would disrupt an "essential state function" or present legal liabilities. Among the health care providers and criminal … [Read more...]
Dem Lawmaker: Pay No Attention to the Salaries of Colorado State Employees
Jessica Fender from the Denver Post reports on one Democrat state legislator doing the union's bidding to go upstream against the promising trend toward transparency in state government:The salaries of individual public employees could be kept secret under a new bill sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Sen. Lois Tochtrop and prompted by a database of state employee pay published last year by The Denver Post. Under Senate Bill 49, the public could still see aggregated pay for positions or departments, but there would be no more looking up a particular state employee's salary.... The Colorado Association of Public Employees brought Tochtrop the bill this summer, she said. JOE CITIZEN: This aggregated information of state employee … [Read more...]
Conservative Lesson from CoDA: Time to Latch on to Transparency Issue
We may never know just how authentic the "Educate the Idiots" document is (it's the word of a young, independent man with nothing to lose vs. a web of heavily-funded, Left-leaning organizations with their power and credibility at stake). But, as Jessica Fender's article in today's Denver Post demonstrates, the Colorado Democracy Alliance provides a teachable moment about the Left's sophisticated political organization, and how the conservative side has waited too long to wake up and get it. I am on the same page with Alan Philp on this one:A dearth of lasting conservative infrastructure and more limited resources mean Republicans won't see anything as sophisticated or coordinated for "some time to come," said Alan Philp, who led the … [Read more...]