Colorado: Ben Marter

Members of Colorado's congressional delegation on Monday started to receive their allotments of nearly 2,200 inaugural tickets and began distributing them to both the lucky and well-connected.

But how many of the recipients are staffers, family members, business associates, campaign donors or in-state residents is almost entirely unknown. While aides to President-elect Barack Obama have pledged inaugural transparency, the delegation isn't talking.

All nine of Colorado's elected officials declined a request from The Denver Post to disclose the names of ticket recipients. The seven Democrats in the delegation also passed on providing breakdowns of tickets distributed to family, friends and campaign donors.

Both the Colorado Senate majority and minority press offices are getting some new faces for next session.

The Senate Democrats have hired Abigail Vacanti, an anchor producer at CNN's American Morning, as their new press secretary, according to Senate Majority spokesman Terry Whitney. Vacanti replaces Ben Marter, who's headed to Washington, D.C. to become U.S. Rep.-elect Betsy Markey's communications director.

Vice President Dick Cheney will be in Littleton on Wednesday to attend a private fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-Fort Morgan), the Grand Junction Sentinel's Political Notebook is reporting.

As Political Notebook pointed out, the visit will likely spark an outcry from liberals seeking to connect Musgrave with the unpopular Bush Administration.