Today is a very good day

Today at 12:15 p.m. Governor Bill Ritter will kickstart the New Energy Economy when he signs HB-1281 and SB-100. I'd fully intended to make the trek out to NREL to watch the signing ceremony. But it appears life is going to get in the way. So instead I'm just going to be happy.

UPDATE: Done. A paragraph from the press release from the governor's office, for posterity:

"These new laws will improve our economic security, our environmental security and our national security," the governor added. "They will breathe new economic life into rural Colorado. They will create new jobs, and they will say to the rest of the world, 'Colorado is open for business in what will be one of the most important industries of the 21st Century.'"

Some facts about the two bills, again provided by the governor's office:

House Bill 1281

• Sponsors: Sen. Gail Schwartz, D-Snowmass Village; Rep. Jack Pommer, D-Boulder; and Rep. Rob Witwer, R-Genesee.

• Doubles the renewable energy standard established by voters with the 2004 passage of Amendment 37.

• Large investor-owned utilities like Xcel must now provide 20 percent of their electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020.

• Requires municipal utilities and rural electric providers to achieve a renewable energy goal of 10 percent by 2020 (they had been excluded from the requirements of Amendment 37).

• Provides a 3-to-1 credit to rural electric associations for investment in solar energy.

• A recent study found HB 1281 would provide significant economic benefits, particularly to rural Colorado, by:
1. Increasing Colorado's share of the GDP by $1.9 billion through 2020.
2. Increasing total wages paid to workers by $570 million.
3. Increasing the workforce by 4,100 person-years of employment.
4. Providing farmers, ranchers and other landowners with $50 million in lease payments for wind farms, crops and solar parks.
5. Generating $400 million in property tax revenue through 2020 to fund education and other services, particularly in rural Colorado.

Senate Bill 100

• Sponsors: Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Coal Creek Canyon, and Rep. Buffie McFadyen, D-Pueblo West.

• Requires electric utilities subject to rate regulation to identify high-potential wind-energy locations by undertaking biennial reviews to designate "Energy Resource Zones" where transmission constraints hinder the delivery of electricity

• These utilities are then required to develop construction plans to improve transmission capacity.

• The bill allows utilities to recover costs during construction.

• Allows us to break the "chicken and the egg" cycle whereby wind companies don't build turbines until there is adequate transmission capacity, and utilities don't build transmission capacity until there are turbines.

Anytime you can get "the chicken and the egg cycle" into a press release, you should.

Assorted snark, superlatives edition

• Second most dangerous organization in America: Progressive Majority. I know, I know. It made coffee shoot out of my nose, too.

• "Most heavy-handed" move by the state GOP: Threatening one of their own. [UPDATE: johne has more on this story.]

• Most successful state senator and representative: Joan Fitz-Gerald and Mike Cerbo, respectively.

• Most underhanded move by the Bush administration: Tough one, but last week's reinterpretation of the Endangered Species Act was pretty slimy.

• Busiest man in the state: The guv.

• Wonkiest greeting: "Happy Long Bill Day!" In vaguely related linkage, here's a story about Ritter administration budget director Todd Saliman:

"A budget is more than a spreadsheet. It's a values document, and where you spend your money reflects where your values are. That's pretty powerful."

Bill Ritter works in bipartisan fashion, no one seems to care

When Governor Bill Ritter vetoed HB-1072, he wrote that he "vowed to listen to a wide range of views, to unite and to build consensus around a public policy agenda that speaks to the common good."

In today's Post, Denver Post Capitol Bureau Chief Jeri Clausing reports that "[a] bipartisan group of lawmakers turned that around on Ritter last week in a letter asking him to slow down and open broader discussion of his plan to overhaul the state's oil and gas regulatory agency." Not until the article's seventh paragraph does Clausing write, "To be fair, Ritter has reached out to stakeholders on all sides of the education and oil and gas regulation issues."

That's an understatement. Members of the Ritter administration spent more than 30 hours in stakeholder meetings discussing HB-1341. And his administration will "likely grant more than 6,000 new drilling permits, a doubling from just a few years ago."

The media needs conflict. GOP partisans want a fight. And some legislators have their own pet agendas. Hopefully the voters can look past the hype to appreciate Ritter's centrism.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Opponents of New Energy Economy legislation wasting time

Governor Bill Ritter's New Energy Economy means jobs. It means innovation. It means a cleaner state. It means a habitable planet.

It also means a whole lot of whining from entrenched oil and gas interests and their friends in the legislature.

On Tuesday, a group of legislators led by Yuma Republican Cory Gardner asked Ritter to slow down energy legislation including HB-1341, which would overhaul the oil and gas panel. (Read about it in the Rocky or the Post.)

It begs the question, just how slowly would they like things to move? Climate change has been an issue for years. Decades, even. The effects are being felt now. We are lucky that Colorado still has the opportunity to seize a leadership position in the new - and essential - green economy.

Fortunately, the governor seems to understand this. And he isn't inclined to cave on one of the central planks of the Colorado Promise. A statement his office released Tuesday night reads, in part:

"My administration has made every effort to listen to the concerns of the energy and resource-development industry. We understand how important this industry is to our economy and the value it brings to our state. Our intent is to balance the extraction of resources with the concerns the people of this state have expressed surrounding impacts to our water, air and land. Over the past five years, members of the public have lodged more than 1,500 complaints with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conversation Commission regarding those impacts.

"By end of this year, the state will likely grant more than 6,000 new drilling permits, a doubling from just a few years ago. We will have received more than 33,000 permit applications. Colorado is in the midst of one of the largest energy-development cycles in decades, probably ever, and we must do all we can to protect the public's health and our environment.

"Harris Sherman, the executive director of the Department of Natural Resources, and other members of my administration have spent more than 30 hours in stakeholder meetings with the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, the Colorado Petroleum Association and others interested parties regarding HB1341. We have spent twice that amount of time on the phone gathering input from and listening to stakeholders."

Translation: "The oil and gas industry has been heard. And will be heard. And now you're wasting time."

The same could be said in our nation's capital, where for years oil and gas interests have blocked attempts to slow global climate change. Finally, the voices of science, progress, passion and optimism are being heard. One can only hope they are not too late.

Bill Ritter, education funding and the schools of New Orleans

Everybody wants something for nothing. For instance, the state education fund will be insolvent by 2010. But Governor Bill Ritter's plans to fund it - first by using federal mineral-lease royalties, then by freezing the mill levy - have met with stiff opposition.

Next up, Ritter follows the President's lead and borrows the money from China.

But what if solutions aren't what the GOP is after? What if it wants to create seemingly unsolvable problems as an excuse to foist charter schools upon the state?

Charter schools certainly seem to be on the agenda of Dr. Barry Fagin, an Independence Institute senior fellow and adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. (A name which ought to raise a red flag for many of you.)

Fagin's column in the Monday, March 19 print edition of The Denver Daily News sang the praises of Daniel Hudson, who Fagin says he first read of in The Atlantic. Fagin lauds Hudson as a "tough disciplinarian" who is fighting "Big Easy bahavior" in the emerging schools of New Orleans. Coincidentally, I also read The Atlantic. So I know the article was ambivalent about Hudson's methods and results:

[Hudson's story] seemed to make no impression on the young man. I couldn't tell whether it was because the student was already too far gone, or because Hudson was so busy talking, and yelling, that he had forgotten how to listen... As Hudson himself knew well, the time he spent in the halls, the endless meetings with parents, meant he knew little of what was happening in the classroom. What was clear, in the time I spent in classes, was how little of the training Jarvis had mandated for teachers seemed to have taken.

Fagin calls the education experiment in New Orleans "unprecedented in American history... Parents have complete freedom to send their child wherever they want. The money follows their child, period. In response, schools are springing up like wildfire." In fact, New Orleans' "experiment" has led to a scary reality - school administrators who want to screen out underachievers and blacks:

Huger would have preferred that his school have selective admissions, by which students are screened on criteria like test scores and grade-point averages. He also would have preferred more of what he delicately called "diversity" - as in white children. But under the guidelines, choice ran only one way: Huger would have to educate any child who chose him.

The same article reports that across America, charter schools are failing to meet academic benchmarks. In Washington, D.C., "the latest numbers showed that only four of thirty-four charter schools had met academic benchmarks. And in Philadelphia, the most recent data showed schools run by educational management companies - which Huger saw as the best bet when run in partnership with local nonprofits like his - lagging behind public schools in improving performance."

As Ritter said at a recent Bell Policy Center event, education is the key to opportunity and economic growth. And there's little doubt that our schools need an overhaul; Democratic leaders like Andrew Romanoff are leading the way. But charter schools are far from the silver bullet the free market fundies make them out to be.

Ask Bill Ritter a question

You have until 6 p.m. to get your questions in.

Ritter hails energy legislation (and etc.)

Best email waiting for me in my inbox? Bill Ritter's press release supporting landmark New Energy Economy legislation:

Gov. Bill Ritter today hailed the final passage of House Bill 1281, the legislative centerpiece of his 2007 renewable energy agenda for Colorado.

"I applaud lawmakers from both parties for their bipartisan cooperation and vision as they work to enact Colorado's New Energy Economy," Ritter said. "In 2004, when Colorado voters overwhelmingly approved Amendment 37, we became the first state in the country to set renewable energy standards by citizen initiative.

"We're making history yet again with HB 1281 by expanding those standards and continuing to establish Colorado as the nation's renewable energy leader."

The governor congratulated lawmakers, investor-owned utilities, rural electric associations, environmental organizations, labor groups, consumer advocates and others for their collaborative efforts in shaping HB 1281.

"HB 1281 will help stimulate the rural areas at the heart of the New Energy Economy - regions like the Eastern Plains and San Luis Valley where wind, sun and agriculture are abundant," Ritter said. "The bill will help us attract manufacturers of wind turbines and solar products. It also will stimulate research and development of emerging energy technologies.

"And by expanding our renewable energy production and consumption, we'll reduce our reliance on foreign oil, which is good for our environment and our national security.

"I look forward to signing HB 1281 and the remainder of the New Energy Economy legislative package very soon," the governor added.

Other assorted good tidings:

• Hilarious: Bob Beauprez has a copycat.
• 2008 update: In Colorado, Washington and cyberspace.
• Lobbyists: Morgan Carroll owns you.

So much going on...

...and so little time. In my case, actually, no time at all. Fortunately, there are a lot of good people following the stories of the day.

• The governor announced his plan to keep the State Education Fund from going bankrupt. Read about it: Post, Ritter, SquareState, Media Matters

• Diana DeGette. She's the most powerful member of Colorado's congressional delegation. She's working to provide healthcare for children. And she's asking for voter's opinions on the Iraq War.

• The Colorado legislature debates a nonbinding resolution opposing the Iraq War: Pols, Post

• Interesting stuff: Wash Park Prophet, Wild Again, Democracy In Progress, Ave Cassandra

And as always, someone's always blogging at SquareState. That's it. I'll see you Monday.

Rocky Mountain High vs. I-70 congestion

The lyrics to our new second state song ask why "they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more. More people, more scars upon the land." Seems like a good excuse to point to Diane Carman's recent column on the "unsexy" effort to find a mass transit solution for I-70 congestion. And to celebrate our governor's campaign statement that:

We must always consider the impact that transportation projects have on the environment. With proper planning, transportation projects and growth can enhance our quality of life without harming the outdoors. A perfect example: the way I-70 gracefully snakes through Glenwood Canyon. This project and its concerns for our natural settings should serve as a model as we look for 21st century solutions to congestion problems throughout the I-70 mountain corridor. We must design projects that improve mobility, honor the environment and protect the livability of adjacent communities. For this reason, I believe we need to preserve a transit envelope as part of a long-term I-70 transportation solution.

Bill Ritter institutes anti-cronyist, pro-taxpayer policy

Today's Rocky Mountain News reports:

Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter has instituted a "use-it-or-lose-it" vacation and sick leave policy for his top appointees.

"These rules are fair and they protect taxpayer dollars," Ritter said in a news release.

The policy comes after an outcry over practices by Ritter's predecessor, Republican Gov. Bill Owens.

Owens initially had a similar use-it-or-lose-it policy when he took office in 1999. But that changed effective July 1, 2004, when Owens allowed Cabinet directors and other appointees to accrue unlimited vacation and sick leave, so they would have hefty final paychecks.

Colorado Media Matters on Post, Ritter

Colorado Media Matters examines the Post's recent coverage of the governor and sees many of the same problems I did.

AFL-CIO threatens to ask Dems to move convention

I have an even better idea. How about we all slap ourselves silly? The AP reports:

Stung by Gov. Bill Ritter's veto of a bill that would make it easier for unions to organize, the AFL-CIO threatened to recommend the Democratic Party move its 2008 convention from Denver.

Meanwhile, Ritter goes about his business. From the Rocky:

Water court judges, for the first time, will be able to consider environmental impacts and water quality along with water quantity as part of the determination on larger permanent transfers in a bill that Gov. Bill Ritter will sign Monday.

UPDATE: Ritter takes a strong stand in the Rocky:

"I don't have any reason to believe it's going to move," Ritter said today of the national convention slated for Denver in August of 2008. What's more, Ritter showed no inclination to bow to the AFL-CIO's threats and revive the fight over House Bill 1072, the Colorado Labor Peace Act.

In defense of a governor who shouldn't need defending

Governor Bill Ritter is arguably the most powerful person in Colorado. His election in November was just short of a landslide. And in the two months since his inaugural, he has helped calm the Amendment 41 debate, directed aid to Colorado's blizzard ravaged southeast counties, recommended full funding for the new science and engineering complex at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, indicated he will approve major renewable energy legislation, saved the state a reported $1.6 million on prescription pharmaceuticals...

I could go on like this for quite awhile.

But a casual observer of Colorado politics might get the impression that Ritter is a governor under siege, taking heavy fire from all sides. Today the Post's Tom McGhee reported that Ritter is attempting to win back labor's trust after his veto of HB-1072. The Rocky's Berny Morson wrote that Ritter is considering vetoing two education bills, one carried by a Republican and one carried by a Democrat. And the Post's Jeri Clausing reported that "in just two months in office, Gov. Bill Ritter has emerged on the opposite side of candidate Bill Ritter on two key issues, raising questions of credibility and the reality of carrying out his sweeping Colorado Promise."

The last statement is especially disingenuous. Nether of the issues Ritter allegedly flip-flopped on - HB-1072 and the allocation of federal mineral lease dollars - was even part of the Colorado Promise, a document the Ritter for Governor campaign released in September of 2006. At the time, I wrote that, "The comprehensive 52-page policy book takes on every issue facing Colorado, from healthcare to the economy to the environment to illegal immigration." On February 11, 2007, I reread the document and realized that'd I'd been wrong. Themes like "energy" or "education" were mentioned far more than issues like, say, union voting procedures.

It's true that some of the voters who cast their ballots for Bill Ritter were voting against his Republican opponent or for pet issues. But I believe most voters chose Ritter because they wanted major, 21st Century reforms for our state's healthcare, transportation, education and clean energy systems.

In other words, voters want the Colorado Promise.

There is no excuse for breaking a campaign pledge. But the two flip-flops alleged in the Post are less serious than Clausing makes them out to be. The first is that Ritter's veto of HB-1072 contradicted earlier statements to labor groups; I discussed that situation on February 9, 2007. The second is that using increases "in federal mineral lease money to shore up the state's failing education fund" would violate Ritter's pledge to "give priority to energy-impacted areas for severance tax and federal mineral lease moneys." Even those alleging this change of heart state that they haven't seen Ritter's plan yet, which makes the whole thing sound like preemptive politicking.

In politics, the perception of smoke can create a very real fire. But there's not even smoke here. Just a lot of hot air.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Bill Ritter, Morgan Carroll cheer me up

This morning the GOP has been corrupt, hypocritical, racist and corrupt again and again. I almost didn't want to check my RSS feeds again for fear I'd learn yet another way wingnuts are messing up our country.

But I did, because I'm actually getting my RSS feeds through an IV drip now. And I was pleased to find this from the Rocky:

More than a dozen bills aiming to transform Colorado into the green energy capital of the nation are wending their way through the legislative process, inching toward Gov. Bill Ritter's desk for his blessing.

Bills that double Colorado's current goal for electricity from renewable resources, help build power lines to carry wind energy, require gasoline to contain a certain amount of ethanol and have new homes and buildings comply with energy efficiency codes.

Ritter is expected to approve most of the major renewable energy and energy efficiency bills. He promised voters last year he would transform Colorado into a new energy economy that depends less on foreign oil or pollution-causing fossil fuels.

Promises made, promises kept.

Then I learned from Morgan Carroll that her worker's comp choice bill has passed out of the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee.

Sunshine and lollipops and rainbows, people. Life is good.

Ritter willing to go to great lengths to create green economy

Kickin' butt and taking takin' names.

UPDATE: CoCo has more.

All Positive, All The Time Week hits the Governors Mansion

Who likes Bill Ritter today? Hunters, the families of patients at Craig Hospital, the National Governors Association, and anyone who wants accountable government.

Ritter dines at the White House

The Ritter-Bush mini-summit I mentioned yesterday only sort of happened. The Denver Post reports:

In the White House's state dining room, Bush toasted Ritter and the nation's other governors, pledging that they could "do big things" together.

With the festivities over, Ritter returned to the White House on Monday with a list of Colorado issues he wanted to discuss. In particular, he wanted to press Bush about funding for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.

He never got the chance. Instead, Ritter experienced the slow pace of working in Washington on issues important to states.

But the assembled governors were able to attempt to communicate their concerns with National Guard deployment and No Child Left Behind.

Bill Ritter, Cary Kennedy keep it positive at the Capitol

Ritter + Kennedy = Stuff getting done:

For years, there's been a natural tension between Colorado's governor and the state treasurer seated just across the hall.

So far, however, it's been a lovefest between Gov. Bill Ritter and Treasurer Cary Kennedy. But then again, the two Denver Democrats took office less than two months ago.

Ritter appointed Kennedy as one of three co-chairs of his blue-ribbon commission on transportation. Ritter - and nearly everyone else at the Capitol - also hailed Kennedy after she came up with a solution to a nearly $20 million shortfall in health care funding.

Bill Ritter to meet with President Bush

Speaking truth to power:

Ritter, who is in the nation's capitol for the National Governors Association's winter meetings, told an alliance of labor, business and environmental groups this morning that he hopes to make the case for promoting energy independence when he and other governors make their customary visit to the White House.

Clean energy to help Colorado economy

Western Democrat reports that global warming will worsen the drought across Western America. What are we going to do about it? Coyote Gulch mentions Governor Ritter's attempts to "to promote renewable energy in Colorado by supporting a bill winding it's way through the legislature." Meanwhile The Denver Post reports that Ritter's New Energy Economy will provide jobs for Colorado:

A bill to double the state's power generation from renewable energy would add 4,100 jobs by 2020 and contribute $1.9 billion to Colorado's economy, according to a study released Thursday by an environmental advocacy group.

The study by Environment Colorado said House Bill 1281 would bring substantial benefits to rural economies while also helping reduce airborne emissions.

"More clean, homegrown energy means more jobs and higher wages paid for Coloradans," Gov. Bill Ritter said at a news conference to announce the study results.

Post: Owens promised cronies jobs in Ritter administration

You must be kidding me:

In their final annual employment contracts, at least 23 appointed senior managers in the Owens administration got a promise that they could return to other state management positions at the highest-possible salaries for those jobs. The manager-protection program appears to violate state personnel rules by guaranteeing jobs to senior political appointees.

The contracts, valued at nearly $2.8 million this year, would tie Gov. Bill Ritter's hands in forming his own team by limiting the number of job openings his department heads could fill and by ensuring that Republican political appointees survive in a Democratic administration.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

UPDATE: The Rocky Mountain News reports that Owens has denied The Denver Post's accusation:

A story in the Denver Post this morning said the Owens adminstration gave 23 employees job protection when he left office, and that the practice appeared to violate state personnel rules. Owens said it is ludicrous to suggest that the 23 employees involved were originally hired as part of some patronage scheme.

Republicans bad, Democrats good

I know there are some good folks over on the other side of the aisle. But, oh man, they're really pushing it today:

• Lamborn is a partisan hack.
• The White House is impeding justice.
• A GOP blogger is smearing Ed Perlmutter's kid.

It's that last story that has me really upset. Whoever posted the lies about Abby Perlmutter should be ashamed. And the Perlmutter family should be very proud. Ed's record is so clean, a GOP blogger turned on Abby. And she's so clean, the GOP blogger apparently made up a story about her.

Colorado GOP Internet guru Dick Wadhams has a history of using the blogs to beat "the media into submission." I'd love to get his take on this story.

But I digress. Let's check in with Colorado's Democrats to see what nasty, partisan tactics they're employing today:

• Ritter is reaching out to business.
• Udall is reaching out to hunters.

So we have the scorched-earth, nonstop campaigning of the GOP vs. the bipartisan solutions offered by Democratic leaders.

I know it's not always this simple. But today it really, really is.

Ritter eliminates Office of Colorado Benefits Management System

Yesterday, Democratic Governor Bill Ritter eliminated the Office of Colorado Benefits Management System, a small office established and helmed by Republicans. The move will save taxpayers about $200,000. Not much, I admit. I only bring it up because it's the latest example of why, ten years from now, voters will have completely forgotten that the GOP used to be associated with terms like "fiscal responsibility" and "small government."

Assorted snark, policy edition

• Iraq: DeGette, Udall, John Salazar, Perlmutter
• Energy: Ritter, Ken Salazar
• Amendment 41: Ward, CoCo

Ritter asks for protections for roadless lands

Lost in the news of Friday's veto was the governor's recent effort to obtain temporary protections for roadless lands. Today's Sentinel reports:

Ritter sent a letter Friday to Regional Forester Rick Cables in Lakewood, asking for temporary protections for the state's roadless areas until Ritter can evaluate the recommendations of the Colorado Roadless Area Review Task Force, which spent about a year taking public comment about the future of the state's 4.4 million acres of roadless areas.

The AP's story from Saturday reported that many hunters and fishers want Ritter to go even further, complying with Clinton-era regulations:

Hunters and anglers who were courted by Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter in his election campaign last fall are now asking him to throw out or revamp a plan his Republican predecessor endorsed for protecting 4.1 million acres of national forest land...

David Petersen of Durango, a task force member and Trout Unlimited staffer, said while the panel did good work, he hopes Ritter withdraws the petition because the Clinton rule gives more protection to the roadless areas and reflects what an overwhelming majority of Coloradans want.

"At least 90% of all Coloradans who commented in writing or in person said what they wanted was full roadless protection," Petersen said.

After the election I wrote about the "slow shift of business groups and Libertarians into the Democratic camp." And now the GOP seems set on alienating the hunting and fishing community. If this keeps up, the GOP won't have any constituents left besides Big Oil and gay marriage opponents.

Cross-posted to SquareState.

Ritter, Suthers send letter on 41: Analysis

The two biggest debates of the 2007 legislative session have been trumped-up, partisan, finger-pointing fests.

Bill Ritter and John Suthers' letter spoke of "very little guidance regarding the meaning of certain provisions of Amendment 41." But the amendment was ambiguous by design. Morgan Carroll's eloquent pre-election endorsement of 41 stated:

Amendment 41 will have "enacting legislation" to nail down precise definitions and address any potential ambiguities before taking effect. The public can and will have a say in that process as well. The measure was written to put some flexibility to shape the implementation of Amendment 41 to make sure that while we implement this that we can be fairly surgical in clarify that it reaches only those we intend to.

Colorado Confidential wrote that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed a willingness to write enacting legislation - at least in the case of Amendment 27, which contained similar language.

And a few days ago The Rocky Mountain News reported that this process was already underway:

Children of government employees could accept scholarships and lobbyists could socialize with public officials under a bill that seeks to clarify the controversial gift-ban law known as Amendment 41.

The proposal, expected to be introduced early next week, is designed to prevent a host of unintended consequences of the law approved by voters in November.

It does so by listing a handful of exemptions, including allowing CU professors to take Nobel Prize money and spouses of slain police officers to accept donations.

It also inserts language that more closely ties a gift to its intended effect.

So for the second time in just a few days, Ritter has had to go to extraordinary lengths to quiet a controversy that shouldn't have been.

(More: Sentinel, Post, SquareState)

Ritter, Suthers send letter on 41: Text

This afternoon, Governor Bill Ritter and attorney general John Suthers sent a letter to all state employees, clarifying the government's interpretation of Amendment 41.

Here's the complete text of the letter. I'll follow up with my analysis.

In the weeks since Amendment 41 took effect, there has been a growing concern among government employees at all levels over the effect that the Amendment will have on the ability of employees' children to apply for and accept educational scholarships. We understand and share these concerns.

We are troubled by the recent reports of government employees leaving or contemplating leaving government service due to concerns over Amendment 41 and the restrictions that they fear it will impose on their children's opportunity to apply and be considered for scholarships. We ask for your patience and understanding while work continues to clarify the meaning of Amendment 41.

The atmosphere of anxiety is stoked by the fact that we currently have very little guidance regarding the meaning of certain provisions of Amendment 41. We are, however, convinced that when the voters approved Amendment 41 it was not their intent to limit the opportunities of the children of government employees to compete for scholarships on equal footing with the children of non-government employees. We are also confident that most scholarships that contain significant ongoing performance requirements are not prohibited by the plain language of the Amendment.

Indeed, over the last two weeks, three lawsuits have been filed. In these suits, litigants are either seeking clarification of the meaning of Amendment 41 or asking the courts to strike down some of the provisions of the Amendment. These lawsuits will help us achieve much needed clarity regarding the Amendment.

One of the lawsuits regarding Amendment 41 and its impact on scholarship eligibility was settled late last week. The suit was brought against the Governor by the Boettcher Foundation and three current Boettcher scholars. In the suit, the parties sought clarification that Amendment 41 does not prohibit the children of government employees from receiving the Boettcher scholarship. We worked with the plaintiffs to reach a favorable settlement. Specifically, when approving the parties' settlement, the Denver District Court found that the requirements imposed by the Boettcher Foundation upon its scholarship recipients - attendance at a Colorado college or university and maintenance of a minimum grade point average and course load - constitutes adequate consideration under Amendment 41.

While the settlement in the Boettcher Foundation case does not resolve all of the outstanding questions regarding the impact that Amendment 41 could have on students and their families, it is an important first step. As we did in the Boettcher Foundation case, we will continue to work towards achieving clarity for government employees.

In the meantime, we urge you not to allow uncertainty over Amendment 41 to lead to hasty decisions regarding your employment with the State of Colorado or local governments, and ask for your patience while we continue to address the many lingering questions regarding its implementation. If you have specific questions about accepting a scholarship, we encourage you to speak with a supervisor or manager in your department or agency. While they may not be able to provide an immediate answer to every question, we are confident that at the end of the day, the majority of scholarships for the children of government employees will be acceptable under Amendment 41.

Sincerely,
Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor
John W. Suthers
Attorney General

Who vetoed HB-1072 and why?

Jon Caldera wants credit for the veto. The complicit media, union strategists and Democratic legislators must take some of the blame. And GOP Machiavelli Dick Wadhams almost certainly played a role in shaping biased media coverage.

But is it silly of me to suggest that the responsibility for Friday's HB-1072 veto rests solely on the shoulders of Governor Bill Ritter?

Colorado is a weak-governor state; the power lies with the legislature. So it's not surprising that Ritter used the way-out-of-porportion circus surrounding HB-1072 as a chance to make a statement using the biggest hammer he had at his disposal.

In this context, the veto feels less like a capitulation to the rightwing noise machine and more like a message to the legislature.

Message received. Yesterday's Denver Post reported that Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff would assemble a "council of business and labor leaders to advise the legislature in light of the bitterness between the two sides over House Bill 1072." Why? Because both sides "have an interest in educating the workforce and reducing the cost of health care." [Ed. - Emphasis added.]

Ritter's veto has reminded everyone exactly what the Colorado Promise goals are: Guaranteed healthcare, reformed education and a New Energy Economy.

Well done, Governor. So long as those goals are, in fact, met.

Feds: No evidence Colorado farmers suffered

One more reason to believe the administration has lost touch with reality:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has rejected a request from Gov. Bill Ritter to declare a crop disaster in 10 Colorado counties, saying there is no evidence farmers suffered from two blizzards that hit the state in December, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

Bill Ritter's Colorado Promise, for the record

Download the Colorado Promise PDF here:

Mentions of health care: 43
Mentions of energy: 127
Mentions of education: 107
Mentions of environment: 35
Mentions of water: 84
Mentions of economy: 68

Mentions of union: 2
Mentions of labor: 4
Mentions of The Colorado Labor Peace Act: 0

Bill Ritter and the power of the veto

I'd like to say I didn't see it coming. But I did. Today, Governor Bill Ritter vetoed HB-1072, setting off a firestorm of criticism and second-guessing.

Moderate changes the Colorado Labor Peace Act are a fine idea. But in this case, labor groups and the Republican Party both over-reacted, attempting to make political statements early in Ritter's term.

Ritter's response was unexpectedly savvy. First he restated his commitment to bipartisanship:

...I promised the people of Colorado over the last two years, that I would work tirelessly to bridge traditional divides, to bring together groups that often find themselves at odds: Republicans and Democrats, business and labor, developers and environmentalists. I vowed to listen to a wide range of views, to unite and to build consensus around a public policy agenda that speaks to the common good.

Then he chastised those who put him in this unwinnable situation:

From the beginning, this was a bitter, divisive and partisan battle. Opposite sides dug in, refusing to consider reasonable compromises. It demonstrated precisely why so many people have grown so cynical about American politics. The bill's proponents made no effort to open a dialogue with the opponents. At times, the opponents were neither respectful nor civil. It was over-heated politics at its worst.

Ritter made sure to leave the door open for the bill to come up again:

I am persuaded by their argument that changing long-time Colorado law relating to business and labor negotiations in this manner, in the atmosphere with which it was debated, is not now in the best interests of our state. (Ed. - Emphasisis added)

And Ritter finished by reminding all involved that his priorities as governor remain unchanged:

Creating the New Energy Economy, reforming health care, funding education, and building a 21st century transportation system requires that kind of [bipartisan] spirit and commitment.

Ritter's veto leaves him with the ability to re-open negotiations with labor, while building up IOU's from business groups. But it also leaves him with a heavy responsibility. Because those of us who supported him won't forget those elements of the Colorado Promise that Ritter held most dear. The voters are owed substantive proposals for guaranteed healthcare, a 21st Century transportation system, and major steps towards the implementation of a New Energy Economy that greatly reduces pollutants while providing a livlihood for thousands of workers.

The clock is ticking.

Norma Anderson, nonprofits sue Bill Ritter

The Denver Post:

A group of Colorado citizens and nonprofit corporations filed a lawsuit today against Gov. Bill Ritter, claiming Amendment 41 is violating their First Amendment rights... Among the plaintiffs in today's lawsuit is former lawmaker Norma Anderson, who says she can no longer spend more than $50 on her grandchildren because Anderson's daughter is the clerk and recorder for Jefferson County.

Ritter "caught off guard" by HB-1072

Amending the Colorado Labor Peace Act is a good idea. Fast-tracking it to "demonstrate to our workers that life's a whole lot better with Democrats in charge," not so much. From The Denver Post:

Not all labor leaders in Colorado agreed with the effort to push the bill so soon. One person close to the issue said that while everyone agreed it should come forth this session, some disagreed that it should be the first issue to push out of the gate without any warning to the governor.

Ritter said he "talked to (labor) about being inclined to sign a bill that amended" the Labor Peace Act during the campaign. But he says he was caught off guard when it began moving during his first week in office.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Bill Ritter appoints transportation task force

Colorado Transportation Commission chair Doug Aden, state treasurer Cary Kennedy, and Phelps-Tointon president Bob Tointon will co-chair the Colorado Transportation Finance and Implementation Panel, "a blue ribbon task force that will lead a statewide conversation about the future of Colorado's transportation system... The panel will present recommendations by the end of 2007."

HB-1072 watch

So much bother! But with the mainstream media still spreading rightwing misinformation, who knows what the governor will do.

Bill Ritter names Donald Elliman director of the Office of Economic Development and International Trade

Elliman is a past president of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment. The appointment fills the final department executive director position in the Ritter administration.

Coaches make less than players

And Bill Ritter makes less than his appointees.

Ritter signs bill creating Colorado Cares Rx Program

A Monday morning press release from the office of the guv states, in part:

[Bill Ritter stated,] "I pledged not only to seek long-term solutions to a health-care crisis that has 17% of our population without insurance, but also to take immediate action to lower costs. We took a step last week when I signed my first executive order and established a Preferred Drug List. We take another big step today by signing Senate Bill 1 and creating the Colorado Cares Rx Program."

The program will provide up to 264,000 eligible Coloradans with access to discounted medications.

Center for Native Ecosystems petitions Bush administration

Yesterday Colorado's Center for Native Ecosystems was one of several environmental groups to demand Bush administration officials take action to address global warming. Read about it at Critterthink.

Meanwhile Wonkette points to The Guardian, which is reporting that the American Enterprise Institute has offered $10,000 to any scientist willing to counter the global warming report I keep blogging about. Coloradolib readers may remember AEI's memorable tagline, "Carbon monoxide. They call it pollution. We call it life."

UPDATE: In other environmental news, Governor Bill Ritter today announced a deal to lower mercury emissions. A press release states:

Jim Martin, executive director of Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, applauded the proposal. "This agreement will lead to earlier mercury emissions reductions than we would have seen from the EPA program..."

The plan calls for new advanced control technologies to be installed in 2012 at two coal-fired power plants in Colorado...

Bill Ritter continues efforts to help southeast counties

Two days ago Governor Bill Ritter directed aid to help southeast Colorado dig out. Now he's asking Colorado's congressional delegation to put some pressure on the federal government. A press release states, in part:

"Livestock producers in southeastern Colorado and the region need help immediately... Specifically, livestock producers need Congress to fund emergency programs that will assist in recovering the costs of livestock feed, the value of lost livestock, disposal of livestock carcasses, and costs associated with the rescue of livestock immediately following the storms."

Democrats take action on prescription drugs

The Colorado House and Governor Bill Ritter are both taking action to lower the cost of prescription drugs. A press release from the House reads, in part:

House leaders fast-tracked a bill that would provide more than 260,000 people in Colorado with huge discounts on prescription drugs. "I'm thrilled that this historic bill is one of the first bills that Governor Ritter will sign," said Rep. [Alice] Madden. "We're not going to wait any longer to provide affordable prescription drugs to the people who really need them."

The bill would create the Colorado Cares Rx program, which allows the state to negotiate a fixed price for generic and non-patented drugs with manufacturers. Pharmacies that voluntarily participate in the program would then be able to sell the drugs to needy citizens who are eligible to participate in the program.

Meanwhile, Ritter today signed an executive order directing the state to "establish a Preferred Drug List for the purchase of prescription pharmaceuticals for Medicaid clients." The move is expected to save the state at least $1.6 million.

Ritter directs help to southeast communities

According to a press release from the governor's office, Bill Ritter has directed the Department of Labor Affairs to provide a total of $635,000 to eight communities in the southeast corner of the state:

"Southeast Colorado counties are stretched to the limit," Ritter said. "Many have already far exceeded their snow-removal budgets. I'm committed to helping our communities recover from the ongoing impacts of the winter storms."

The money, creatively enough, is coming from the Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Program. The press release explains:

The program assists communities affected by the growth and decline of energy and mineral industries in the state. Funds come from the state severance tax on energy and mineral production and from a portion of the state's share of royalties paid to the federal government for mining and drilling on federally owned land. The Legislature created the program in 1977.

Bill Ritter recommends funding for UCCS Science and Engineering Building

Ritter goes where Owens feared to tread. A press release states:

Gov. Bill Ritter announced today he is recommending $7 million in capital funding for the new science and engineering complex at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs... "One of the most effective economic-development tools state government can provide is a renewed commitment to higher education," Ritter said. "The UCCS project is a perfect example of how we can make long-term investments that will reap incredible returns in the years to come."

Bill Ritter's PUC pick praised

The Denver Post reports:

Gov. Bill Ritter on Tuesday nominated former consumer counsel Ron Binz to head the Colorado Public Utilities Commission... The appointment was hailed by consumer advocates who had accused Gregory Sopkin, the former chairman of the PUC, of being too close to the businesses he regulated.

But business interests voiced approval of the pick, too:

"I have known Ron Binz for nearly a decade and find him extremely knowledgeable and objective on telecommunications issues," said Chuck Ward, Qwest president for Colorado.

Colorado GOP bogging things down as much as possible

There's a new wrinkle to the Republicans' Whine and Vote No strategy. Gumming up the works with bills that have no chance of becoming law. From today's Rocky Mountain News:

Two Republican lawmakers announced Monday that they will sponsor legislation to ban abortion in Colorado, except in cases where the life of the mother is in question.

Sen. Scott Renfroe, R-Greeley, and Rep. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs, said their bill will be similar to the abortion ban passed by the South Dakota Legislature in 2005. A key difference is that Democrats control the legislature in Colorado, and for that reason the bill is not expected to pass.

Even if the bill miraculously escaped the legislature, it would likely be vetoed. During the 2006 Colorado gubernatorial campaign, Governor Bill Ritter, who is pro-life, said he would not have signed the South Dakota bill into law. The Ritter campaign website states:

I strongly oppose any effort that would seek to criminalize women or their doctors over this issue. I would strongly oppose legislation similar to the one recently passed by the South Dakota legislature.

So what we have here is two Republicans playing partisan games on taxpayer time. What a shock.

Cross-posted at SquareState.

Ritter appoints Russell George to head CDOT

I learned last night from Colorado Confidential that Governor Bill Ritter has appointed Russell George to head CDOT. It wasn't the news I was hoping for.

1. George headed the Department of Natural Resources for Bill Owens. Last November, the voters of Colorado demanded change, not a rehash of the Owens administration.

2. George has a reputation for compromise. But his compromises seem to end up with the oil and gas industry getting what it wants. For instance, oil and gas interests wanted to drill the Roan Plateau. Environmentalists wanted to stop them. A drilling plan was given the go-ahead last September. George shrugged and said, "We got it as good as we could."

3. George didn't want the job. (CoCo's article quotes Bill Ritter, "I wouldn't take 'no' as an answer... I kept reminding Russell he is a public servant and Colorado needed him in this position.") The appointment was necessary to pacify complaints from the Western Slope.

So to quiet a few angry voices, Ritter made an uninspiring appointment of someone with uncertain commitment to the job at hand.

I didn't post the news until this morning because I wanted to see if the Post's story on the appointment told me anything that changed my opinion.

George does have an impressive resume. And the move illustrates Ritter's determination to govern from the middle. So I'm crossing my fingers and waiting for further evidence. Colorado badly needs an innovative, comprehensive 21st Century transportation system based on clean burning technology. I can only hope that George is the best person to get us there.

Bill Ritter tackles the state budget

Bill Owens left behind a plan that calls for 1,000 new state employees, and grows the budget by far more than state law allows.

A former prosecutor, Governor Bill Ritter believes that he can save some money by reducing corrections costs. From The Denver Post:

Ritter said reducing fast-growing prison costs would give the state more money for other programs such as higher education and human services, which are vulnerable to budget cuts... Ritter also promised close scrutiny of the budget proposal he inherited from Republican Gov. Bill Owens and state agency heads... Ritter said he has already warned his department heads not to expect too much. "Our communication with our directors is that there is not new money," Ritter said.

Right launches string of attacks on Bill Ritter

I guess the whole bipartisan fad is over. The Bill Ritter bashers are out in full force. And they're not going to let the facts stop them from tearing in to Colorado's new chief executive.

Let's start with state-level malcontent David Schultheis, whose bigoted tirades are the stuff of legend. Schultheis has decided that Ritter, who came into office with a strong record on illegal immigration, is somehow at fault for, well, everything. From The Rocky Mountain News:

In an opinion piece he sent to the media, the Colorado Springs Republican blasted Ritter for making only a brief five-word comment about illegal immigration in his 42-minute State of the State speech last week before the Colorado General Assembly. "Gov. Ritter failed to mention the growing interconnection between most of Colorado's problems and the growing invasion of illegal residents in Colorado, primarily from the country to our south," he said.

Somehow Shultheis failed to mention the GOP's inaction on illegal immigration, the Democratic legislature's comprehensive immigration reform package of 2006, or the fact that it costs the taxpayers more money to deny services to illegal immigrants than we save.

Next up, Denver Post columnist David Harsanyi, whose column yesterday practically accused Ritter of bankrupting Colorado just six days into his term.

Finally, there's Archbishop Charles Chaput. Today's Denver Post reports that the Archbishop called Ritter's "pledge to lift eligibility restrictions on state-funded pregnancy prevention and family-planning programs 'seriously flawed public policy.'" Don't get confused. Ritter has always been opposed to public funding of abortions. But his policy centers on reducing unintended pregnancies. And helping healthcare practitioners who aid people with family planning is consistent with his promises to the voters of this state.

In the last couple of days, I've also rebutted unfounded attacks on Ritter's inaugural and appointments.

Politics ain't beanbag. I don't really expect Harsanyi & Co. to give Ritter a honeymooon. But Schultheis and the rest of the GOP hardliners on Capitol Hill owe it to the voters to give our duly-elected Governor a chance.

Ritter pledges to pay special attention to Western Slope

Western Slopers are still demanding appeasement for Bill Ritter's Front Range-centric cabinet appointments. (See Colorado Confidential and The Grand Junction Sentinel.) Nevermind that Ritter got to make "so few" appointments, according to Republican Rick Enstrom. And nevermind that a majority of applications came from in and around the metro area. And nevermind that the new cabinet has won bipartisan accolades.

Ritter has pledged to pay special attention to the concerns of the Western Slope. From the Sentinel:

Ritter, who said he was surprised at the lack of Western Slope candidates who made it through the candidate selection process, said he plans to work with his Cabinet to ensure the western half of the state does not fall off the map. "In the meantime, I will pay attention personally to the issues (the Western Slope) cares the most about..."

Since I crunched these numbers, I'm going to share them. Colorado is home to 4,301,261. A slight majority - 2,224,804 - live in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver and Jefferson Counties. Include Colorado's biggest Front Range counties - El Paso, Larimer, Pueblo and Weld - and you add another 1,090,831. Meaning 77% of the state lives in a handful of Front Range counties. Meanwhile, all of Colorado's western-most counties - Delta, Delores, Garfield, Jackson, La Plata, Mesa, Moffat, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Rio Blanco, San Juan and San Miguel - combined have 368,086 residents, or 9% of our state's population.

Bill Ritter delivers first State of the State

Unbelievably, I've received more excited emails about Bill Ritter's first State of the State speech than about the Democratic Convention. Seeing as Ritter was sworn in just two days ago, he used today's speech to outline his hopes and goals for the coming years. And he spoke about renewable energy, education and healthcare. Read the complete text.

"It's about Colorado leading the way, leading the nation."

Me and about 3,000 of my closest friends watched Bill Ritter take the oath of office shortly before noon. His speech opened with praise for everyone from Bill Owens and Robert F. Kennedy to Ritter's extensive family. And he repeated the themes that carried him to victory in November - renewable energy, education and healthcare reform.

I stood in a receiving line for nearly an hour to congratulate Ritter, along with Barbara O'Brien, John Suthers and Cary Kennedy. It's a little strange getting a 20 second audience with the Governor. I said, "Congratulations, good luck and nice weather we're having," or something similarly inane. Ritter smiled back like I was making sense.

It was even odder shaking hands with Suthers. The attorney general has a disturbing affinity for the Trailhead Group, but has recently attempted to create bipartisan legislation.

There's more coverage of the day here, here, here and here. This diary was cross-posted at SquareState.

Another round of appointments from Bill Ritter

Roxanne Huber will lead the Department of Revenue, Susan Kirkpatrick will head the Department of Local Affairs, and Stewart Bliss will be the interim head of the Economic Development Office.

The governor's mansion is a lousy place to make friends

John F. Kennedy once said that the White House is a lousy place to make friends. And the same goes for the Colorado Governor's mansion. So it should come as no surprise that Governor-elect Bill Ritter's appointments have included early supporters and experienced legislators.

Still, some on the Western Slope are complaining that, despite the presence of Prowers County Commissioner John Stulp and Manitou Springs Mayor Marcy Morrison, Denver is over-represented in the Ritter administration. The Rocky quotes Republican Senator-elect Josh Penry:

"The final verdict is still out, but at this point it looks more like the Cabinet of the governor of Denver than the governor of Colorado."

Did Penry read my post "Bill Ritter not just the governor of Denver"?

Colorado Confidential reports that some wanted Ritter to re-appoint Bill Owens' Department of Natural Resources director Russell George instead of nominating Harris Sherman. But Ritter can hardly be faulted for wanting fresh ideas for a department with a lackluster record. Colorado Confidential's story quotes Duke Cox, chairman of the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance:

"There needs to be some changes made in DNR - especially concerning the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission - and one couldn't expect Russell George to fire some people that he had worked with these past years."

It looks like what we're seeing is less an honest dispute and more a preview of the GOP's strategy for the coming years. Let's call it, "Whine and Vote No."

Bill Ritter nominates Jim Martin to Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

A press release states, "Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today nominated Jim Martin, one of Colorado's pre-eminent environmental leaders, to serve as executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment."

Martin comes to the Colorado government from Western Resource Advocates.

Ritter nominates three more to cabinet

Yesterday, Bill Ritter nominated former Denver Fire Chief Rich Gonzales to lead Personnel and Administration, natural resources expert Harris Sherman to head the Department of Natural Resources, and healthcare professional Joan Henneberry to oversee Health Care Policy and Financing.

Henneberry's online bio caught my eye. She "spent three years as director of the Health Policy Studies Division, Center for Best Practices at the National Governors Association." If I had a buck for every time I heard Ritter say he'd look at best practices from states around the country for solutions to Colorado's energy, safety and healthcare woes, I'd have at least a few dollars more than I have now.

Ritter's release goes on to state:

"Joan will play a key role in fulfilling a major component of the Colorado Promise: providing all Coloradans with access to some basic form of health-care coverage by 2010," Ritter said, noting that 788,000 Coloradans currently lack health insurance.

Second Ritter inaugural dinner added

A press release reads, in part:

Due to overwhelming popular demand, the Ritter-O'Brien Inaugural Celebration has added a second reception and dinner venue to the Jan. 12 festivities. About 700 tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday via the inaugural website, www.coloradopromise.org. The additional dinner will be held at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center Hotel, directly across the street from the Colorado Convention Center, where the initial 2,000-seat dinner is being served. Tickets to that venue sold out in less than 24 hours."

The Ritter-O'Brien Inaugural Committee also announced the official menu for the dinner. Diners will savor Aspen Salad, Beef Wellington and the taste of victory.

Bill Ritter taps Beye, Weir

More employment news. I got a press release in my inbox from the Bill Ritter folks that reads, in part:

"Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today named Broomfield Health and Human Services Director Karen Legault Beye and 1st Judicial District Judge Peter Weir to Cabinet posts. Beye will serve as executive director of the Department of Human Services and Weir as executive director of the Department of Public Safety. Both nominations require Senate confirmation.

I'm not going to post the full press release. But if you're interested, I saw ColoradoPols did.

Legislative session linkmania

The Ritter inauguration and the start of the national and Colorado 2007 legislative sessions are almost here. And with the Democrats in control, the right is already spreading misinformation about impending doom and annoying liberals. But the Democrats aren't likely to run afoul of any astute observers. They're mostly planning to "play fair" and stick to the popular agenda that won over voters in November.

Today's Rocky Mountain News has more on the goals of individual members Colorado's delegation, including Diana DeGette's resumed advocacy for stem cell research:

Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, will be thrust back into a national spotlight as she tries to build a veto-proof majority for her legislation expanding federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. In 2006, she won majority passage but didn't have enough votes to reverse the president's first-ever veto.

Hat-tip to TalkLeft for the "annoying liberals" link. And, as always, much thanks to the Progress Now Action daily news digest.

More Ritter administration news

The appointments and nominations are coming fast and furious in advance of the inaugural. Today Bill Ritter nominated Colorado Board of Education member Rico Munn executive director of the Department of Regulatory Affairs. The press release clarifies, "Munn's nomination requires state Senate confirmation. He plans to resign his seat on the Board of Education at the panel's next meeting."

Illegal immigration laws costly to enforce

I missed this story from December 30 of last year. Illegal immigration laws are costing taxpayers more than they're saving. The Rocky Mountain News reports:

The state will find it extremely difficult to recover the millions it spends to enforce illegal-immigration laws without congressional action...

And now the GOP is agreeing with Governor-elect Bill Ritter's long-time assertion that illegal immigration is predominantly a federal problem. The Rocky quotes Republican attorney general John Suthers:

"The best solution to the problem caused by illegal immigration is for the federal government to enforce existing immigration laws, pass stronger immigration laws and to reduce the number of illegal immigrants allowed to enter and stay in the United States," Suthers said in the report.

More people get gainful employment in the Ritter administration

From a New Years Day press release from the Ritter transition team:

Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today named one of Colorado's most respected law-enforcement leaders - Ari Zavaras - to serve as executive director of the Department of Corrections.

Ritter also named state Rep. Tom Plant as director of the Office of Energy Management and Conservation. Plant, who sponsored legislation that later became the state's landmark renewable energy measure, Amendment 37, will play a leading role in the creation of Gov.-elect Ritter's New Energy Economy.

Plant was also the House sponsor of a domestic partnership bill and was rumored to have been interested in Joan Fitz-Gerald's Senate seat.

Bill Ritter not just the governor of Denver

Bill Ritter is looking outside the metro area for administration appointments, as a press release points out:

Gov.-elect Bill Ritter today named two prominent Coloradans to his administration: farmer and longtime Prowers County Commissioner John Stulp as executive director of the Department of Agriculture, and Manitou Springs Mayor Marcy Morrison as insurance commissioner.

Ritter said he is committed to appointing a broad cross-section of talented Coloradans to top-level posts by reaching beyond metro-Denver.

More gainful employment updates

Don Mares is either primarying the Mayor or joining the Bill Ritter team as executive director of the Department of Labor and Employment.

Republicans, AP get out the knives for Ritter

Yesterday's Gazette ran an Associated Press article that pretty much sums up the Colorado GOP's stance on teamwork:

"I am representing the loyal opposition. However, it's a little difficult to figure out what we're supposed to be against, listening to the governor-elect's agenda, which we didn't hear," [Republican representative Mike] May said.

Just tell us what you're for, and we'll be against it. Merry Christmas, eh?

The whole tone of the article seems anti-Ritter to me. But I'm obviously biased. However, it's worth noting that this specific AP reporter has regurgitated rightwing spin before. (See examples here and here.)

Ritter seeks to expand healthcare commission

Today's newsletter from the Bell Policy Center reports:

Gov.-elect Bill Ritter said he wants to appoint three new members to the recently launched Colorado Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care Reform. His comments came during the commission's meeting on Monday in Denver.

Ritter said he will ask for legislation allowing him to make the additional appointments. While acknowledging the commission is already representative of the state's citizens, Ritter said he believed the group would benefit from the expertise and perspectives of new members from the business and labor sectors and from rural Colorado.

Ritter made some bold promises about healthcare on the campaign trail, and it would be totally appropriate for the legislature to give him some latitude.

Least surprising Ritter appointment

The Rocky reports that governor-elect Bill Ritter named Evan "I've Got Your Snappy Comeback Right Here" Dreyer communications director.

Jessi Colter to perform at Bill Ritter's inaugural

I haven't the slightest idea who Jessi Colter is. But I should, according to a press release from the governor elect:

[C]ountry-music star Jessi Colter will headline the Jan. 12 inaugural concert. Three other musical acts also are slated to perform at the inaugural celebration at the Colorado Convention Center's Wells Fargo Theatre.

"We're extremely pleased a musician of Jessi Colter's caliber will be the main act for Gov.-elect Ritter and Lt. Gov.-elect O'Brien's inaugural concert," said Inaugural Committee co-chairs Frances Koncilja and James Crowe. "This will be a wonderfully entertaining night."

A tale of two Bills: Ritter the next Owens?

The Saturday Rocky repeated the rightwing lie that big-spending Democratic legislators are plotting to exploit their control of the governor's mansion just as soon as they can find the $5 million to repair it:

"I think Democrats' expectations are sky high," said Senate Minority Leader Andy McElhany, of Colorado Springs. "They're looking at nearly 50 years of pent-up frustrations..."

Being in charge provides the Democrats opportunities but plenty of challenges, said political consultant Katy Atkinson. "What we normally see when you have a legislature controlled by the governor's party is legislators who are downright giddy at the prospect of getting lots of their bills passed," she said.

As I wrote Friday, Democratic leaders like Andrew Romanoff sound like they're focusing on enacting Ritter's Colorado Promise agenda, not developing a list of pet projects. But over the next two years, Ritter will doubtlessly see some bills he'll wish he hadn't. And the Sunday Denver Post profile of outgoing Republican Governor Bill Owens offers a chance to look at how easily a governor's legacy can be tarnished by extremists within his own party:

The governor "was once on every conservative's short list of possible candidates for higher office," says [the Cato Institute's Stephen] Slivinski. "Now he will probably be long remembered by those same conservatives as a turncoat."

Small-government fanatics will never forgive Owens for fixing the glitch in TABOR. Family values voters still wonder about the Owens' temporary separation. And GOP insiders still gripe about Owens' political missteps. (See Coors, Pete; Traylor, Kiki; and Bob, Both Ways.) But for much of his tenure, Owens was a conservative's dream. Only after fire and recession pushed the state to the brink of financial catastrophe did he finally stand up to his party's fringes.

Contrast that with governor-elect Bill Ritter, who staked out the moderate middle during the 2006 campaign and is promising to adhere to it. From the Rocky, again:

Ritter, a self-described moderate, isn't promising the world to his party. "The governor-elect will act as a gatekeeper on good public policy and do what's right for Coloradans," said Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer.

The dynamics of the 2006 campaign will make it hard for liberals to pick apart Ritter the way conservatives are picking apart Owens. Colorado voters are likely to get what they were promised. Nothing more, but certainly nothing less.

More on "Both Ways Bob headed to the pokey?"

From the press release from the Ritter campaign:

Gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter today asked the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to examine whether Congressman Beauprez broke the law by using a criminaljustice database in a television attack ad.

Ritter accused the Congressman of gaining access to a secure national database in violation of state and federal law.

"Your campaign broke the law," Ritter said during a debate taped at Fox 31 News in Denver this afternoon. "It's illegal to have access to that database."

The Congressman said his campaign used an "informant" to gather the information in the ad and would publicly disclose how and from where he obtained the information.

"The Congressman needs to be held accountable for this," Ritter said after the debate. "Breaking the rules for political gain and trying to cover it up might be OK in Washington, but that's not how we do things in Colorado."