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Colorado: Brown

June 1, 2009 - 01:32 pm
NEWS FEED: Denver Post

Supreme Court nominee's quote sparks flap

By Michael Booth

As talk radio and the blogosphere blew up with claims that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is a racist, scholars of ethnicity and politics called for a quick truce.

A one-time poor choice of words on Sotomayor's part, perhaps, was their view. The New York appellate judge said in a 2001 speech, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

But Sotomayor's other, voluminous words — even in the same controversial speech — scream moderation, said academic experts who are following the debate.

Read More at Denver Post >
There have been 61 comments posted in response to this story.

April 30, 2009 - 05:39 pm
NEWS FEED: Denver Post

Council panel OKs labor plan

A divided Denver City Council committee on Tuesday forwarded to the full council an ordinance that would require winning bidders on city service contracts to keep the employees of the previous contract holder for 90 days.

The proposal, which is strongly opposed by business interests and just as strongly supported by labor groups, will come before the full council within the next two weeks.

To garner support, Councilman Chris Nevitt limited the scope by agreeing that the new ordinance would not govern licensees, such as rental-car firms, or concessionaires, such as fast-food operators, who operate on city-owned land.

"At the end of the day, this is pretty small-bore," Nevitt said.

Read More at Denver Post >
There have been 9 comments posted in response to this story.

April 30, 2009 - 05:39 pm
NEWS FEED: Denver Post

Hickenlooper hires former editor as communications chief

The former city editor of the Rocky Mountain News will become Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's communications director.

Eric Brown will take the post April 20, the mayor announced in a press release this morning. Brown, 38, will be paid $99,929 annually.

He will succeed the current communications director, Sue Cobb, who will remain a senior advisor to the mayor. In that role, Cobb will manage special projects including coordination of communications and outreach relating to progress of the city's bond improvement campaign, approved by voters in Nov. 2007.

"Eric is a highly respected journalist with an impressive knowledge of the city and its programs," Hickenlooper said in a statement.

Read More at Denver Post >
There have been 8 comments posted in response to this story.

March 7, 2009 - 11:24 am
NEWS FEED: ColoradoPols.com

Tom Stone Works Springs GOP Dinner

By Colorado Pols

The Colorado Statesman reports on last week's El Paso County GOP Lincoln Day dinner, laying the scene for a rare treat: press coverage of Dick Wadhams' opponent for Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party.
More than 300 Republicans attended the $80-a-plate dinner at the Antlers Hilton, where they dined on chicken breasts in Marsala wine sauce, sang patriotic songs and nodded their heads in agreement with speeches that ridiculed Obama's economic recovery plan as socialistic voodoo.

As Obama inspired the majority of Americans for "change" in the election last year, the Democrats are inadvertently unifying Republicans in their march toward the next political battle.

Read More at ColoradoPols.com >
There have been 31 comments posted in response to this story.

February 23, 2009 - 09:36 am
NEWS FEED: Denver Post

Push to restrict ballot gathering cut from proposal

Denver Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz's push to restrict campaign workers' and political operatives' gathering of absentee ballots in municipal elections failed Tuesday to get the blessing of her council colleagues.

The council General Government Committee amended that proposal out of her legislation to overhaul city election laws.

The committee members who voted to amend out Faatz's proposal were council president Jeanne Robb and council members Carol Boigon, Carla Madison, Rick Garcia and Paul Lopez.

Joining Faatz in supporting her original language were council members Marcia Johnson and Charlie Brown.

The practice of gathering up absentee ballots by political operatives in municipal elections is widespread and makes elections vulnerable to fraud, Faatz said.

Read More at Denver Post >
There have been 6 comments posted in response to this story.

February 21, 2009 - 02:15 am
NEWS FEED: Rocky Mountain News

Colorado Constitutional rewrite considered

By Berny Morson

The Colorado Constitution needs major surgery - in the form of a constitutional convention - to untangle conflicting provisions added over the years, some lawmakers say.

Driving consideration of what one legislative leader calls "the nuclear option" are provisions that govern state spending. One amendment limits state spending, while another requires more spending for schools.

"You can't do an algebraic formula," state Rep. Don Marostica, R-Loveland, said of those two provisions, and several others that govern how the state spends its money. "The math doesn't work."

Marostica is a member of the Joint Budget Committee, which drafts the annual state spending bill. He recently sought advice from staff attorneys on whether the legislature can call a constitutional convention limited to financial issues.

Read More at Rocky Mountain News >
There have been 24 comments posted in response to this story.

February 11, 2009 - 03:34 am
NEWS FEED: Denver Post

Push to restrict ballot gathering cut from proposal

Denver Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz's push to restrict campaign workers' and political operatives' gathering of absentee ballots in municipal elections failed Tuesday to get the blessing of her council colleagues.

The council General Government Committee amended that proposal out of her legislation to overhaul city election laws.

Faatz said she still would bring her original proposal before the full council without the committee's blessing.

The committee members who voted to amend out Faatz's proposal were council president Jeanne Robb and council members Carol Boigon, Carla Madison, Rick Garcia and Paul Lopez.

Joining Faatz in supporting her original language were council members Marcia Johnson and Charlie Brown.

Read More at Denver Post >
There have been 24 comments posted in response to this story.

February 6, 2009 - 05:36 pm
NEWS FEED: Denver Post

Surprise, inspiration meet Obama in Colorado

But as Barack Obama took his oath Tuesday, watched by 30 teens in Brown's civics class, the teacher said he wouldn't have traded the chance to see it with youths watching their first inaugural.

"Everyone's so hopeful," said Brown, who the night before had performed in a Denver rodeo with the all-black Buffalo Soldiers of the American West.

The group had applied to take part in the inaugural parade but didn't get in.

"I don't know if I feel any differently than I did before," Brown said. "But I'm very hopeful. Maybe we'll see world peace—gosh, wouldn't that be

Read More at Denver Post >
There have been 24 comments posted in response to this story.

February 6, 2009 - 05:35 pm
NEWS FEED: Denver Post

Worker retention laws eyed elsewhere

With a majority of the Denver City Council saying it wants to require new bidders on city contracts to keep the employees of previous contract holders, the city of Denver is wading into a growing area of law known as "worker retention."

About a dozen cities — including Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington — already have enacted such union-backed ordinances, which began cropping up in the 1990s.

Assistant City Attorney David Broadwell on Tuesday was reviewing past litigation on the issue in preparation for advising the council.

He said there have been about 10 legal cases on the subject, which he still was reviewing, and he was not prepared to give a legal opinion.

Read More at Denver Post >
There have been 5 comments posted in response to this story.

February 4, 2009 - 02:04 am
NEWS FEED: Denver Post

Worker retention laws eyed elsewhere

With a majority of the Denver City Council saying it wants to require new bidders on city contracts to keep the employees of previous contract holders, the city of Denver is wading into a growing area of law known as "worker retention."

About a dozen cities — including Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington — already have enacted such union-backed ordinances, which began cropping up in the 1990s.

Assistant City Attorney David Broadwell on Tuesday was reviewing past litigation on the issue in preparation for advising the council.

He said there have been about 10 legal cases on the subject, which he still was reviewing, and he was not prepared to give a legal opinion.

Read More at Denver Post >
There have been 7 comments posted in response to this story.