It figures. I can write a lot of words about the State Board of Education's inability to hold a recorded public vote on litigation surrounding Gov. Bill Ritter's major property tax hike (see posts here and here). But the eminently talented cartoonist (and well-named) Ben Hummel - whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person earlier this week - says it better with a picture. Makes me jealous of visual artists... for a moment. Then it makes me grateful that we have a skilled artist on our side. Keep up the great work, Ben! … [Read more...]
State School Board Should Stop Hiding from Public Vote on Tax Hike
The latest update in the saga of Gov. Bill Ritter's "school" property tax hike ... The State Board of Education, one of two defendants in a lawsuit from taxpayers who say they should have been asked first under the requirements of the state constitution, is hiding from public view:When deciding whether to fight or effectively bow out of a lawsuit challenging a politically volatile property tax freeze, the state's education board opted for secret meetings instead of a public vote, records show. E-mails obtained Monday by The Denver Post reveal internal turmoil between a cadre of Republican members, who argue that the governor-backed freeze is unconstitutional, and the panel's Republican chairwoman, who has blocked attempts at public … [Read more...]
On Blogging and Transparency
Blogging from Chicago ... In continuing his quest to unravel the mystery of bloggers, liberal Rocky Mountain News columnist Jason Salzman writes:Most bloggers, like most people who write on paper, aren't journalists. So their work shouldn't be held to the same journalistic standards that Denver's daily newspapers should meet - standards such as basic fairness, accountability, independence and others, as articulated, for example, by the Society of Professional Journalists. But whether bloggers think they are practicing journalism or not, their blogs should inform people about the information they're getting. Who's behind the blog? What's the purpose? Does the blogger have a political bias? Is the blogger trying to practice … [Read more...]
On a Transparency Kick
In case you care to read them, below are my two latest published pieces for your perusal, and they strike a common theme: transparency in government. On Nov. 24, the Rocky Mountain News published (printed in the Sunday Denver Post, of all places) my Speakout submission in response to Gov. Ritter's unionization executive order. This Sunday, the Pueblo Chieftain published my op-ed calling for greater online transparency of school district budgets. Want to figure out as a taxpayer just how much your local schools are spending on different items? Think it's easy? Hence, the purpose of the op-ed. So yes, I've been writing on a transparency in government kick lately. It's an important issue more people on both sides of the aisle might … [Read more...]