Tag: Brandon Shaffer
An intentionally sedate McInnis on the Hickenlooper candidacy
Last night 9 News talked to GOP gubernatorial frontrunner Scott McInnis about the fact that Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will now be his Democratic...
Colo. Democratic leaders say jobs top priority for coming legislative session
DENVER-- Gov. Bill Ritter, Senate President Brandon Shaffer and House Speaker Terrance Carroll told a crowd of mostly media gathered on the west steps of the Capitol this afternoon that the majority-party legislative agenda this session would focus on creating and maintaining jobs in the state and balancing the budget. The three men also underlined the value they placed on a bipartisan approach to achieving their priorities. A scheduled conference called by Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper who would be announcing his candidacy for governor just hours later, however, hung over the event and suggested how difficult true bipartisanship might be to effect this election year.
Ten Democratic state and federal lawmakers feel out run for governor
Colorado Democratic Party Chairwoman Pat Waak told the Colorado Independent yesterday that ten would-be candidates for governor had been testing the waters for a...
Times sees Colorado disappointment over health reform as emblematic
In a front-page story that positions Colorado as representative, the New York Times today reports that voters here "crave reform of health care and...
Ritter cites family reasons in not seeking re-election
DENVER — Gov. Bill Ritter confirmed an hour ago that he will not seek reelection this year. Addressing reports that stretched across the national political mediasphere last night and this morning, the governor told the crowd packed into the west lobby of the Capitol that he was seeking to re-establish the balance between his professional and personal lives.
"I have worked in public service for most of 30 years," he said. "I've had to balance the various aspects of my life... but it has been my family who has sacrificed the most. I haven't found a proper balance."
Penry uses legislative preview to renew attacks on Ritter
DENVER-- Senate Minority Leader Josh Penry has been out of the governor's race for a month, but you couldn't tell based on the back-and-forth on display at the press conference held by Colorado legislative leadership at the Denver Press Club Monday. Ostensibly a meeting called mainly to present legislative ideas on how to address the budget, Penry devoted his time there to making the same finger-wagging points he made for months on the campaign trail, calling Gov. Bill Ritter a bad manager and a big spender not yet fully chastened by the state's budget crisis.
Digital Gov’t two-step: Senate broadcasting greenlighted; staff net-access still filtered
The leaders of the state legislature danced a kind of forward-back tango with the internet this month. The Senate at last found the money...
State Long-Term Fiscal Commission a ‘philosophical battleground’ by design
It appears at first as though an important political-cultural wall has crumbled. Provocative conservative talk-radio host Amy Oliver is offering testimony in an official capacity on state budget and funding priorities. She is a member of the legislature's Interim Long-Term Fiscal Commission, the site this summer of what the Denver Post called a battle of philosophies.
Decision on State Senate broadcasting still in the air
In the long march toward greater governmental transparency in Denver, the Capitol may be reaching a milestone. Senate President Brandon Shaffer told the The Colorado Independent that, despite last-minute setbacks, the Executive Committee, which is comprised of the leaders of the House and Senate, is "down to the short strokes" in completing the deal to finally begin broadcasting floor proceedings from the Senate chamber.
CSU tape: ‘Un-Christian’ lawmakers mock ‘the Pope’; Plus: More cronyism
As part of the settlement this week of an open-meetings lawsuit, Colorado State University has released an extended version of a tape of the...