Denver Post Letters to the Editor:
Re: "Stacking caucus deck; Dems aim to lift state's stature in presidential race," Jan. 28 news story.
Some have recently suggested the very bad idea of moving Colorado's caucus date up to February in 2008. If anything, it should be moved back to April or even to May. The warmer weather would increase participation, whereas the February date will very likely just kill it off. People who care about grassroots and neighborhoods should speak out about this now.
John Wren, Denver
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Rocky Mountain News
Denver voters choose wise course
February 1, 2007
Denver voters left little doubt that they're ready to bring the recording and election functions of city and county government into the 21st century.
Tuesday's special election on charter reform was a blowout, with 68 percent of voters backing Referred Charter Amendment 1A.
The amendment will abolish the Election Commission in May and place the responsibilities of clerk and recorder and election supervision under the control of a single, elected official.
Voters will decide who will first hold that newly created position during the May citywide election, or in a June runoff, if needed.
From the initial returns, it looks as if the commission performed well under the pressure of a tight schedule and the withering scrutiny of the public.
The nightmare of Nov. 7 may have sealed the commission's fate with voters.
But there had been problems aplenty over the years, including frequent staff turnover, blurred lines of accountability, and inadequate training of election workers.
City Councilwoman Rosemary Rodriguez and City Auditor Dennis Gallagher deserve credit for highlighting these concerns.
They pushed for this change in the charter more than a year ago, and continued to champion the special election as the best way to make a forward-looking, structural repair to city governance.
As candidates for the new office come forward, it's essential they receive a full vetting, so that confidence in Denver elections can be restored.
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteThe idea of moving Colorado's caucus date up to February sounds quite bad.
Any serious decision requires deliberation, and time saves one from making too hasty decisions.
Any one who rushes me wants me to make a mistake.
It is too bad that Colorado has in substance only one newspaper.
In this age, it might be worth to create alternative media, like all Colorado Conservative blog (a la NRO Corner), or forum, where ideas might be exchanged and criticized without all too zealous editing by people who deem themselves worthy of shaping public opinion.
Dmitri.