Archive for September, 2007

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Jefferson and Gilpin County Events

Sunday, September 30th, 2007

Jeffco Dems Kathy and Neil Boucher opened up their lovely home on Friday night and welcomed over 40 guests to raise money for the Colorado Democratic Party. Attendees included Rep. Cheri Jahn, Rep. Sara Gagliardi, CD2 State Board of Education member Evie Hudak, Westminster City Council member Mary Lindsay, Lakewood City Council candidate Karen Kellen, newly nominated school board member Dave Thomas, Jefferson Democratic Chair Dick Barkey, and Colorado State Party Secretary Carolyn Boller.

Our special guest for the evening was the First Lady, Jeannie Ritter. Jeannie personally talked with each of the guests before discussing her work on mental health issues around the state. She took questions and also talked about family life in the Governor’s mansion.

This is the fifth event that the First Lady has done for the party. As of the end of September she has raised $30,000 for the state party. As a thank you gift, I presented her with a brooch containing the state seal surrounded by blue and white stones and matching earrings. We are so grateful for her dedication to making the party strong.

Last night, Saturday, Carolyn Boller and I attended the Gilpin County Democratic Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Nederland. The Gilpin Democrats had the largest dinner in the last three years. It was a great evening with entertainment and a silent auction.

Rep. Claire Levy talked about the accomplishments of the legislature this past session and the challenges for next year, especially with health care. I had an opportunity to also talk about our accomplishments politically in the state and what is ahead for us next year.

But the most important part of the evening was a chance to hear from each of the candidates for the Democratic nomination in CD2. Jared Polis talked about his dedication to improving education in the state, and the importance of ending the war in Iraq. Will Shafroth focused on the environment and his experience with conservation issues. He also confirmed his opposition to the war. Senator Joan Fitz-Gerald talked about her record in the legislature and the importance of taking her experience to Congress. She also discussed her opposition to the Iraq occupation.

We have three fine candidates for Congress, and all are working hard to raise money and get their message to the voters.

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Posted in CDP, Congressional Races, Counties | Comments Off

Ritter Announces Economic Development Plan

Friday, September 28th, 2007

This week Governor Bill Ritter introduced an economic development plan to aid small businesses and bolster the renewable energy industry and promote development in bioscience research.

Here are the major elements of the plan:

1. Simplify corporate income taxes by eliminating the complicated multiple factors that businesses must use to calculate their taxes and establishing a simple single-sales factor, as well as streamlining other aspects of corporate income taxes in a revenue-neutral fashion.

2. Cut taxes for 30,400 businesses by raising the Business Personal Property Tax exemption threshold from today’s $2,500 level to $7,000.

3. Establish a $3.5 million a year Bioscience and Life Science Fund. The fund will be administered by the Office of Economic Development to promote the growth and sustainability of the bioscience industry, provide Colorado research institutions with funding to commercialize viable technologies, and provide incentives to help attract new businesses and retain and expand existing companies.

4. Eliminate the so-called “fly-away” sales tax. Colorado is one of only a few states that charges a “fly-away” sales tax on planes manufactured in Colorado even if they are housed in another state. Eliminating the fly-away tax would match current practices in other states.

5. Make it easier for businesses – especially rural small businesses – to qualify for job-creation incentives by modifying Colorado’s Performance-Based Incentives Fund. This will help small, rural businesses grow.

6. Dedicate $3.5 million from the new Clean Energy Fund specifically for economic-development opportunities.

7. Analyze spending of Colorado’s tourism-promotion dollars, and work with industry partners to devise new strategies to better invest and leverage state funds.

Ritter said, “As Governor, I am committed to leading a state government that partners with businesses, listens to their concerns and comes up with ideas to help our businesses get ahead in this increasingly competitive global marketplace.”

In an editorial, the Denver post said “the Ritter plan is so logical — and overdue — that Capitol Republicans were reduced to recycling their dislike of Ritter’s property tax freeze to conceal the embarrassing fact that they failed to adopt the same affordable pro-business policies during the long years when they monopolized power in the statehouse.”

Posted in Elected | Comments Off

Congrats, Commissioner Cordova!

Friday, September 28th, 2007

(Cross-Posted to DemNotes at www.DemNotes.com)

Last night, I went to Pueblo to attend their county Central Committee meeting at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center. The primary purpose of the meeting was to fill a vacancy in the office of County Commissioner, which had been held by Loretta Kennedy. Commissioner Kennedy left the position to become the District Director for Congressman Salazar.

The vacancy committee election is one of the great parts of the Colorado political process. You get to see some unusual characters (more on that later), raw politics, and high-level drama all in one energy-filled meeting. Pueblo County Dems did a great job running a smooth and contention-free election.

Four candidates were nominated last night for the vacancy: John Cordova, Larry Howe-Kerr, John Rodriguez, and Rep. Dorothy Butcher. Each had their own points to make, and each did a great job with their nomination speeches. Cordova emphasized his experience working with the county government, and his architectural experience as the county builds several new facilities in the next few years. Howe-Kerr emphasized his focus on the future for Pueblo County, as well as the challenges that the county and Southern Colorado are facing. Rodriguez (who, in the interests of disclosure, did a great job working for me as my interim campaign manager for the first few months of my state senate campaign) gave an energized speech about the need for youth, new ideas, and a new generation of leadership in Pueblo. Rep. Butcher rounded out the quartet with an emphasis on her legislative ability to get things done and her records of accomplishment in the Legislature.

Not that those were the only four in the race. One other fellow tried to run, but learned that he couldn’t, as he’d only registered as a Democrat last month. The Party allowed him to speak for a couple of minutes, though, and he announced that he’d be running for the seat next November. The, um, odd part of the “announcement”? He began by talking about how he’d had 8 felony charges filed against him, but was “still in favor of law and order”. Like I said, you see some interesting stuff at these meetings…

Anyway, after all the speeches were done, the 160-plus folks there voted. A candidate had to get a majority for a win, so multiple ballots were a possibility. The Party had set rules that after the first ballot, anybody with less than 15% of the vote would be dropped from the second ballot. The first ballot results were as follows:
– Cordova 72
– Butcher 66
– Howe-Kerr 17
– Rodriguez 11

For those of you out there without blazing-fast math skills, I’ll tell you that Howe-Kerr and Rodriguez didn’t meet the 15% threshold for the second ballot. This left a final second ballot between Cordova and Butcher. As soon as the results were announced, the Party went into the second round of voting. There was a degree of tension in the air as folks waited to hear the outcome, and to find out who would be their new county commissioner. In the end, here was the final tally:
– Cordova 94
– Butcher 70

Both Cordova and Rep. Butcher spoke briefly after the results were read. Rep. Butcher emphasized that she “received a clear message” – that the Democrats in Pueblo wanted her to return to the Legislature and continue to fight for issues important to Pueblo. Commissioner-elect Cordova, who is by nature a pretty quiet and deliberate fellow, spoke even more succinctly. He thanked the Democrats on the Central Committee and promised to work as hard as possible to be as good of a Commissioner as possible.

It was a great evening, and there seemed to be a positive attitude among almost everybody in attendance, regardless of who they were supporting.

Congrats, Commissioner Cordova!

Posted in Counties, County Races, Elected | Comments Off

BREAKING: Paccione Out of CD4 Race

Wednesday, September 26th, 2007

Angie Paccione just held a press conference a few minutes ago, where she announced that she will NOT be running for Congress in the Fourth Congressional District. Here is her press release:

There are no words adequate enough to describe the privilege I’ve had representing the people of Fort Collins as their State Representative and as the Democratic candidate for the people of the 4th Congressional District. In 2000, when there was no democratic candidate on the ballot for the 4th CD, I was motivated to enter politics to fill the void in leadership. At that time I offered my service as the voice of the people in representative government. I am forever changed, forever grateful, and forever indebted to the people for the opportunity they gave me to serve them.

I have a passion to serve people by doing whatever I can to unleash their greatness. This is what has always compelled me. I used my skills as an athlete to serve our country in international competition, I used my academic talent to serve our youth as an educator, and I used my political position to serve the people I represented by giving them hope, making the system work for them, and empowering them to participate in politics as well.

Since September of 2005 I have been on a mission to win the 4th Congressional district because I believe and many others do as well, that I would be a better, more effective representative for the people of this district. As an elected official I have always focused on what’s right, not on who’s right. That has allowed me to reach across political divides and partisan politics to get things done for the people of our great state. I am proud of the work I was able to do – as a lead sponsor of legislation and as a co-sponsor. I have always been accessible to my constituents, I have always been responsive to their concerns, and I have always worked with members of both political parties.

Last night I had the privilege of speaking to hundreds of high school students and their parents. I told them what I have been telling young people for nearly three decades – to have the courage to say “yes” to opportunity. Today I am here to do the very thing I encourage others to do – to say yes to an amazing opportunity that has presented itself to me. Since January, I have been working with Pathways to Leadership Inc., a company that gives businesses a competitive advantage over others by helping them unleash the greatness in their employees, teams, and organization. This is a company that changes the results people and organizations deliver – because it changes the lives of the people in the organization.

I thought that I might be able to work with Pathways to Leadership and campaign for Congress at the same time. However, the opportunities with Pathways have grown and I must say “yes” to those opportunities. In addition to locations in the US, my work with Pathways will be taking me to Australia, Switzerland, Mexico, and Italy in the very near future. In those travels, I will be working with businessmen and women who are motivated to improve their leadership skills and the wellness culture in their workplace.

This is a tremendous opportunity for me and I have wrestled with my decision for a number of weeks now. The campaign is very strong, the support is broad-based, and I still believe I am the best candidate to win the seat. However, I am motivated by a passion to serve and my opportunity with Pathways gives me the ability to serve immediately. I could spend the next 14 months campaigning for the opportunity to make a difference or I could spend the next 14 months actually making a difference in the lives of others.

So, today I am announcing that I am ending my campaign for congress in the 4th district.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank my staff, my volunteers, and all those who invested time, energy, and hope in our campaign. I am thrilled that I have been a vehicle for their involvement in the political process. Those that have been empowered by my campaign will continue to use their voice to impact the politics of their communities? I am certain of it. And although I won’t be their candidate I will continue to be their friend and will fight side by side with them to change our country and the world.

Folks, Rep. Paccione was a great candidate, with a lot of energy and great ideas. I know I will miss her along the many campaign stops over the next year-plus in Eastern and Northern Colorado. I wish her well in this new endeavor.

Now, on to beating Marilyn Musgrave in the 4th CD!

Posted in Congressional Races | 3 Comments »

The Skies Clear for La Plata Democrats

Tuesday, September 25th, 2007

(Cross-Posted to DemNotes at www.DemNotes.com)

Sunday, we woke up early and headed over Wolf Creek Pass to Durango, where the La Plata County Democrats were holding their annual Summer BBQ at the Isgar Ranch.

From my perspective, it was a great fall day — overcast, crisp, with the trees changing colors along the way and a light mist falling throughout the journey. Wolf Creek Pass itself was fog-filled, but still an amazingly beautiful drive.

Of course, from the perspective of the La Plata Democrats — a group wanting to hold a major outdoor event on this day — the weather was not so “great”. There was even apparently some talk of either canceling or postponing the yearly tradition on Sunday morning. But leaders of the county party decided, “the show must go on.”

The decision to go ahead and hold the picnic was a good one. Because the skies cleared just in time for the Democrats to gather. When I arrived in Durango — a bit late — Democrats were enjoying their food and their local Democratic leaders under a beautiful sunny fall day. It was a beautiful sight — if you looked in the sky, it appeared that there was just a break in the clouds over this little patch of heaven at the Isgar Ranch. All around, ominous gray clouds circled — but for the Democrats, it was bright and sunny.

We heard from several key local leaders, including Senator Jim Isgar, whose 90-plus year old parents hosted the picnic. Senator Isgar talked about how refreshing it was to have a Governor who actually cared about the people of Colorado and to whom he could talk about issues important to Southwest Colorado. He thanked the attendees for their work in electing Democrats. Then, I spoke for a bit, talking about the challenges facing us in 2008, and how we are going to win the U.S. Senate race and send our 9 electoral votes to the next Democratic President.

The last speaker was Art Isgar, who gave a moving speech about how his birthday was coming up (I can’t remember how old he said he’d be — maybe 93?), and how being involved with the Democratic Party and living his life in La Plata County had been such a great part of his life. It was a truly touching moment.

By then, most everybody was done with lunch. The speaking was over. There was some light music playing, but the “program” had concluded.

And only then did it start to rain.

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On the way back to Canon City, we stopped by Treasure Falls on the western approach to Wolf Creek Pass. I’d been up there a couple of times before, but it was even better in the rain. If you ever find yourself going over Wolf Creek Pass, be sure to make some time for a quick hike up to see Treasure Falls. You won’t regret it!

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Last night, I headed up to Denver for our meeting of State Party officers. It was a very productive and interesting meeting. I won’t go into the details, because they are generally closed sessions, but I will tell you that February 5 is much closer than anybody really thinks, and we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us, both before and after that date. Furthermore, the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner will be a little earlier this year than in past years, so watch for an announcement from the State Party in the next few weeks (via e-mail) about the date and details on how to order your tickets. We’ve sold out of JJ tickets for the past few years, so you will want to get your tickets as soon as you get the announcement from the CDP.

Posted in CDP, Counties | Comments Off

Denver Dems Rock

Friday, September 21st, 2007

Last night I attended the Denver Democratic Party’s JFK/FDR party at the Tivoli. I don’t know what the count was, but it looked like at least 200 people filled the room. We had the opportunity to hear from Lieutenant Governor Barbara O’Brien, Colorado State Treasurer Cary Kennedy, and State Senator Ken Gordon. Jennifer Coken, the Denver Chair, did a fine job corraling all of us through an evening program that competed with the buzz in the room.

Many of the Presidential candidates had tables, buttons, bumper stickers and other items. I saw people sporting Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards and Bill Richardson labels and buttons.

The Democrat of the Year award went to Elbra Wedgeworth. She is certainly to be honored for her hard work in bringing the 2008 Democratic Convention to Denver. Sharron Klein, former Denver County Chair, received a Life Time Achievement award. It was good to see Sharron, who has recovered from knee surgery. And State Senator Paula Sandoval received the Pat Shroeder award. Her work on behalf of families has been stellar.

Former Senator Paul Sandoval provided the delicious tamales and guacamole for all the guests. And the room was filled with elected officials from city council to state senate. Even our own newly appointed Rep. Mark Ferrandino was on hand. Also there were lots of candidates for the upcoming house district races.

Speaker of the House Romanoff was just started to auction off items as I drifted towards the door.

Instead of one dinner this year, the Denver Dems have had a number of fundraisers, including this one which was a lower dollar event. However, as a bidder on some of the silent auction, I was quickly knocked out of competition. My guess is they made a lot of dollars from the auction.

All in all it was a great party, and the planning committee was honored by Jennifer as having done all the work. Congratulations on a successful celebration!!

Pat

Posted in Counties | Comments Off

Congratulations to Rep. Ferrandino and Rep. Cerbo

Thursday, September 20th, 2007

You will hear a lot of congratulations going around for the past and new HD2 representatives. I just wanted to add my own note of thanks.

Excuse me Mike, if I start with Mark. Soon after I was elected Chair, Sean O’Buckley decided to resign as the Colorado Democratic Party Treasurer. Mark Ferrandino immediately stepped forward. As an auditor, he brought much needed skills to the state party. As we began to embark on a 64-county strategy, we were also faced with some sticky issues from previous campaigns.

Mark brought his experience and expertise to bear on resolving those issues. He, along with Jamie Elkins our compliance officer, attended Federal Elections Commission training and put in place a stringent set of rules to not only resolve outstanding issues, but to prevent similar problems in the future. We have worked together daily on creating a healthy party structure, and I value his contributions. Given the commitment to excellence, the Colorado General Assembly gains an extremely valuable member.

And for Mike Cerbo, he is taking his extensive skills as a legislator and an organizer to the AFL-CIO. We look forward to working with him in his new role, especially in light of the Republican onslaught against our union brothers and sisters. Rep. Cerbo moves to AFL-CIO at a time when his leadership is most needed. Thank you for your public service.

I, for one, am excited that we have so many talented leaders in the Democratic party.

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Posted in 2007 Legislative Session, CDP, Counties, Elected, State Legislative Races | 1 Comment »

Congrats to Representative Ferrandino!

Thursday, September 20th, 2007

(Cross-Posted to DemNotes at www.DemNotes.com)

One of the best parts of being involved in this Party is seeing your friends — people who have worked hard in the trenches and who are genuinely good and decent people with their hearts in the right places — be elected to serve Colorado. I’m not talking about the folks out there who are campaigning hard and who you meet while they are campaigning, although there are some pretty amazing folks out there who fit that bill as well. No, I’m talking about the folks with whom you work in the trenches and who end up in positions to make a difference. For me, those people are folks like my State Representative, Buffie McFadyen, Rep. Morgan Carroll, and La Plata County Commissioner Joelle Riddle.

Last night, State Party Treasurer Mark Ferrandino joined that list when he was selected by the HD2 Vacancy Committee to serve in the State House.

Mark knows how to effectively fill a vacancy. In 2005, when we had a vacancy in the tough position of State Party Treasurer, Mark stepped forward and was selected to fill out the term. As a testament to his hard work and dedication, he was re-elected this year without any opposition. For a State Party officer, Mark is a quiet guy. He doesn’t demand attention. He just shows up and works hard.

I knew that from almost the first time I saw his work as Party Treasurer, but it was never made more clear to me than when I was walking for candidates last fall. As regular readers of DemNotes know, I spent about every weekend, and several weeknights, walking with Democratic candidates for the House and Senate across Colorado. Last fall, I showed up in a north metro parking lot to meet Sen. Lois Tochtrop to walk with her. Mark Ferrandino was there, too. We spent the morning knocking on doors together. I found out that he, too, spent about every possible spare moment walking with legislative candidates — unlike me, he just didn’t talk about it much. It was just something that a loyal Democrat does. I wrote about it then – you can see that post at:
http://demnotes.com/?p=190

Rep. Ferrandino deserves this selection — he is truly an unsung hero of the Colorado Democratic Party. I understand he will eventually be leaving his position as State Party Treasurer (he doesn’t have to immediately do that — it is not too uncommon for legislators around the country to serve double-duty as State Party officers). When he does leave, whoever is selected by the Central Committee to fill his position will have huge shoes to fill. But Rep. Ferrandino will continue to fight for the things that make this Party so important to the future of Colorado, and we’ll wish him well on this new chapter of his life.

Thank you, HD2 Vacancy Committee, for making such a wise choice. Rep. Ferrandino will serve you — and the people of Colorado — amazingly well!

Posted in 2007 Legislative Session, CDP, Elected, State Legislative Races | Comments Off

A Tribute to Frances Ohmstede

Wednesday, September 19th, 2007

Ken Ohmstede sent me a lovely note today about his mother, Frances. I want to share the message with you. We all need to continuously say thanks for those Democrats who worked so hard for so many years. We are blessed by their legacy, as we create our own for the next generation of leaders.

“Hello and Good Morning Ms. Waak,

I see that you are very busy with the up coming convention.. What an exciting time.

You don’t know me as I have been on the side lines for a while. (YES, time to get involved again.)

The reason for my email is to let you know about the passing of my mother Frances Ohmstede of Lincoln Nebraska. She knew a lot of people in the Colo. Dem Party in the 70’s and 80′ and I don’t know if you have a way of getting word to them or not.

Some of the people who would like the information about Frances would be, Gary Hart, Dick & Dottie Lamm, Tim Wirth, Pat Schroder, and David Skaggs.

I don’t remember who the party chairmen were at the time, but Colorado and Nebraska did a lot of working together in the 70’s and 80’s on the DNC.

The Nebraska Dem’s have posted a blog. http://www.nebraskademocrats.org/blog/1237/remembering-frances-ohmstede

Just a quick story: My Mother convinced Sen. Geroge Mcgovern to run for president and he said he would if she would run the show. She did for a short time until I introduced Gary Hart to Mom at the McClusky Commission meeting here in Denver. Gary soon became the driving force for the McGovern Campain. I don’t know the details but when Gary sent flowers to my Mother on the Covention floor Sam Donaldson shoved a microphone into my Mother’s nose trying to get the story. Sam never did another interview with my Mother.

Well I had better let you get back to the important things. Like turning this country around. lol.

Best wishes.
Ken Ohmstede
Englewood Co.”

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Quick Note – Summer Pix Now Up

Tuesday, September 18th, 2007

(Cross-Posted to DemNotes at www.DemNotes.com)

Sorry for the multiple posts in one day, but I’ve finally gotten off of my rear end and uploaded a ton of new photos to the DemNotes photos page. I’ve uploaded pictures from June forward, including:
– Rio Grande Dems Fundraiser
– Gunnison Dems Fundraiser in Crested Butte
– CYD Event at the Governor’s Mansion
– Denver 2008 Host Committee Chairs meeting in June
– ASDC Fall 2007 Meeting in Kansas City
– 2007 Fiesta Day Parade in Pueblo with Congressmen Udall and Salazar
– Arapahoe Basin Closing Day BBQ with Clear Creek and Summit Dems
– CDP Breakfast Fundraiser with Gov. Ritter in June

To see these, or any of the older pics, go to:
http://www.DemNotes.com/photos

For these, go to the first section, labeled “Summer 2007″

Posted in CDP, Counties | Comments Off

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