Colorado Politics, News and Inside Information

Wednesday Open Thread

Ready, set...

Labor Leader Under Fire

Colorado's Labor Unions were understandably upset in the 2005 legislative session watching many of the bills they supported fail to receive enough Democratic support for passage. Steve Adams, President of the Colorado AFL-CIO, has publicly blamed Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff for their lack of support, but some Democratic legislators are telling other Labor leaders that it was Adams who was the problem, and suggesting that they hire another lobbyist.

Adams, say the legislators, is a weak lobbyist who does little more than chew his gum and wave his hands, but who failed in his own efforts to stop virtually every important Labor bill from getting killed. This he said/she said dialogue should make for an interesting subplot to the 2006 legislative session.

That Darn DeLay

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and his lobbyist/gift ethics scandal continues to be bad news for Colorado politicians.

We've written before about how DeLay's troubles could affect potential gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis, and now DeLay's troubles are reaching Congressman Bob Beauprez. In May Beauprez was linked to DeLay for receiving $20,000 in campaign funds from the embattled Texas Republican, and just the other day the Associated Press ran a story about travel paid for Beauprez and his wife by special interest groups that the Congressman didn't report in a timely manner:

Two members of Colorado's congressional delegation failed for months or years to file appropriate disclosure forms for travel paid for by special interest groups, an Associated Press review has found. Republican Rep. Bob Beauprez and his wife traveled to Spain and Israel last fall on a $21,000 trip paid for by a private foundation, and Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette took a $410 special interest trip to San Diego in 2002. Neither filed disclosure forms with the House Ethics Committee until early May, according to records reviewed by the AP...

...Beauprez's trip, which cost $21,226 for him and his wife, was among the more expensive trips reported in the past few months. It was paid for by the Michael Cherney Foundation, which has various charity projects in Israel, including help for bombing victims.

What does this have to do with DeLay? Well, if DeLay's troubles didn't continue to receive national attention, the AP probably doesn't bother looking into this story. DeLay has thrust every member of Congress under the spotlight when it comes to taking gifts from special interests, and the press is looking closer because of his troubles. This new report will come back to hurt Beauprez in a Republican primary for governor, and certainly in a general election, and here's why...

Mark Paschall Q&A June 14

Jefferson County Treasurer and possible Republican CD-7 candidate Mark Paschall will participate in a Q&A on June 14.

We have a Secretary of State Candidate!

Mike Coffman filed late last week for his eventual run as Colorado’s next Secretary of State (unless we need an interim appointment if/when Davidson moves on). 

He is currently the only candidate filed.

It’s been a bumpy road for the current Treasurer; his once gubernatorial campaign ended after less than a quarter (pun intended) and now he ships out June 6 to report for Active Duty in the Marine Corps.

We Have a Quarter!

Governor Bill Owens has spoken, and Colorado has its new quarter!

Here's the full press release on the new quarter.

Who says the governor isn't a powerful position? Owens just created money. That's serious juice.

Dan Grossman Q&A

Speaking of attorneys, State Senator and probable attorney general candidate Dan Grossman (D-Denver) will join us for a Q&A this Thursday.

And don't forget to get your questions in for Senator Wayne Allard's "delayed" Q&A. We'll be accepting questions for Senator Allard through Friday afternoon. Click on this link to ask your question.

U.S. Attorney Close?

Thanks to Dan Haley of The Denver Post for being among the first local reporters to remember that Colorado doesn't have a U.S. Attorney yet. We at Colorado Pols have been wondering for months what was going to happen with the nomination since John Suthers left to become attorney general, yet for months it was a topic that was virtually ignored in the media. Here's Haley's take:

The waiting game is just about over for three prominent Colorado lawyers wanting to be the state's next U.S. attorney. "We're getting very close" to a decision, says U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard's spokesman, Sean Conway. Dispelling rumors that the White House was underwhelmed by the choices, Conway believes the administration soon will select either Troy Eid, former legal counsel for Gov. Bill Owens; Jim Peters, district attorney for the 18th Judicial District; or Stu VanMeveren, district attorney for the 8th Judicial District.

All three have undergone an extensive interview process in hopes of replacing John Suthers, who was named Colorado Attorney General after Salazar was elected to the Senate.The five month wait has been long enough to spark rumors in political circles, but Conway said all three of them did very well in their interviews and that the fight over the would-be filibustering of President Bush's judicial nominees and the confirmation of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales slowed the process considerably. And while five months may seem like an eternity to the candidates, Conway cautions that it took nine months for Suthers to be confirmed.

As Colorado Pols first reported, this was Eid's job to lose, and by most accounts he lost it. The talk now is that VanMeveren -- Allard's personal choice -- is the favorite over Peters, unless acting U.S. Attorney Bill Leone is just named to the permanent post instead. Look for it to be VanMeveren unless another name surfaces.

Tuesday Open Thread

For those rainy Memorial Day blues.

Questions for Wayne Allard

We'll be collecting questions for a Q&A with Senator Wayne Allard all week. Click here to read about how the Q&A will work and to leave a question for Senator Allard. Please don't leave your questions in this post -- go the the original link.