CoCo stirs pot

Let me see if I followed yesterday's chain of events correctly. CoCo uncovers. GOP scrambles. Rocky reports.

Rightwing robocalls net lawsuit

A lawsuit has been filed over the pre-HB-1338 robocalls I mentioned here. Yesterday, the Post reported:

Two state lawmakers filed ethics complaints Tuesday accusing lobbyists for Colorado homebuilders of falsely claiming the legislators were pushing a bill that would raise taxes and help trial lawyers. The allegations come amid an aggressive campaign by builders against a measure that would restore the ability of some homeowners to sue over construction defects.

Today's Rocky has more:

E-mails contradict a lobbyist's claim that his well-heeled organization had nothing to do with a deceptive phone-call campaign conducted in March... In March, the calls went to senior citizens in certain Democratic districts. The seniors were told their local lawmaker supported a bill that would increase taxes. No such bill existed at the time. The bill eventually introduced, House Bill 1338, does not increase taxes.

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.

More on the Owens Cronyist Retention Program

Yesterday the Post reported that Bill Owens illegally guaranteed 23 of his cronies jobs in the Bill Ritter administration. The Rocky swiftly covered Owens' denial. (My thread on the exchange here.)

Today, the Post responded with a pair of stories. In the first, the paper reported Owens' attempt to blame the situation on a rogue staffer:

Owens said the decision to alter the contracts - in violation of state law and personnel rules - was made by Jeff Wells, his executive director of personnel and administration. "Had we known how this would be perceived, my administration certainly would have vetted it and might have reached a different conclusion," Owens said in a telephone interview.

But Diane Carman used her column to blast the GOP's culture of cronyism:

When it comes to feeding at the public trough, few have been as brazen as Bill Owens' cronies. Then again, few public officials have been as creative as the former governor about devising ways to funnel taxpayers' money to pals without enduring the tedious business of equal employment opportunity rules or public scrutiny.

The sweet job protection program for 23 Owens appointees that was revealed Wednesday by Post reporter Mark Couch is only the latest chapter in an eight-year saga of flagrant disregard for state personnel laws and utter contempt for the civil service system.

Bill Ritter has put a stop to the Cronyist Retention Program. But it bears underlining: The GOP of today has abandoned the principles of small government and increased competition.

Cross-posted at SquareState.