This year’s all-mail election in Denver won’t be city’s last

Denver clerk and recorder Stephanie O’Malley’s announcement that the November 3 election in Denver will be conducted entirely by mail didn’t prompt rioting in the streets, protests from political heavyweights or much more than a shrug from the populace at large, and for good reason. Off-year elections like the one…

Colorado’s puppies and kitties at risk after Amendment 54 ruling

Yesterday, Judge Catherine A. Lemon granted a temporary injunction against Amendment 54, a measure passed by Colorado voters in 2008 that makes it illegal for any entity that gets a six-figure or higher no-bid government contract to make donations to candidates or political parties — and according to satirical advertisements…

Denver Blogs: Ask, tell, shout it from the trenches

A leisurely stroll through the local blogosphere. Send tips. Jared Polis and Diana DeGette don’t ask but tell Obama to kill Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. (Colorado Independent) In Aurora, a curious play to discourage new construction. (Face the State) A Denver illustrator whose work you should know. Or at least…

How would you slash $70 million from the city budget?

Go ahead. Pretend you’re Mayor John Hickenlooper. It’s your job to cut $70 million from the 2010 city budget proposal and you’ve got a list of chopping-block contenders in front of you. Do you cut back on watering the grass in city parks? Charge more for rec-center memberships? Reduce the…

Forget Shane: Come back, Christo! Christo, come back!

As noted in a previous blog, “Doing the Math on Christo’s Arkansas River Wrap,” Colorado art mavens and opinion leaders are just crrraaaazy about Over the River, the proposal by husband-and-wife artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude to suspend six miles of silvery fabric over the river between Canon City and Salida…

Denver Blogs: Just how broke are we?

Our daily blog round-up. Send tips. New fiscal forecasts for the state are due in Monday. Anyone have some Paxil? (Face the State) Who’s that new tight end? Oh, that’s the third-string quarterback. (Mile High Report) Legends of Tom Tancredo’s douchebaggery continue to grow. (Colorado Independent)…

Denver gets handout from Delta County

The front page of the Denver Post declares, “Hard Times Getting Harder for Coloradans” — and Delta County, located in a particularly beautiful part of the state’s Western Slope, isn’t immune from such problems. It’s especially ironic, then, that officials there recently wound up giving $1 million in social-services money…

Denver Blogs: The Marshall plan

A cruise through the local blogosphere. Send thy tips. What do fans want the Broncos to do with Brandon Marshall? (Mile High Report) Jared Polis is pissed about the Defense of Marriage Act. But not pissed enough to piss off his fellow Democrats. (Colorado Independent) At CU, being true to…

Denver Blogs: Obama continues to be total p#$sy about gay marriage

Blogs: We read the good ones so you don’t have to read the bad ones. Send tips. Polis tells Obama to sack up and repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. (Colorado Pols) Colorado kids are really, really poor. They should get jobs or something. (Kidding!) (Colorado Independent) Wait, what? The…

Denver Blogs: A retreat we’re happy we missed

Some local blogs worth reading. Send links if you’ve got’em. A retreat’s not a retreat without some Republicans. So why did you pay for it? (Colorado Pols) Hey! We’re getting a 13-1 return on our investment in tourism marketing! Unless, that is, if you ask an economist! (Face the State)…

Denver Blogs: Promises, promises

Our daily tour of the local blogoshpere. Send tips. Is Bill Ritter passing the buck on health care? (5280) More Ritter: He really, really likes his bike. (Face the State) The ethanol industry descends on Denver to try to save itself. (Colorado Independent)…

Tornado picked wrong day to suck up politicians

Our recent rash of severe weather included the funnel cloud seen in the video above, which seemed to hover directly over the State Capitol building yesterday. “Too bad it didn’t touch down,” writes the YouTuber who captured these images. “Could have been a crazy place for a tornado.” True –…

Denver Blogs: Once again, life imitates Saved by the Bell

Links. Click on them. And send some if you feel like it. Tensions over new drilling regulations continue to burn hot. Did Zach Morris teach us nothing? (Colorado Independent) What Sonia Sotomayor can and can’t do for the West. (5280) A look at the future Rockies who could help down…

Denver Blogs: Stop yelling, I just want some Sun Chips!

Our daily look at local blogs. Send tips. Picket signs and screaming workers: Coming to a grocery store near you? (5280) Colorado leads the way in green jobs. (Colorado Pols) Tom Lucero gets down and dirty in Loveland. (Colorado Independent)…

Obama says he “loves” Jared Polis’s reality show. Really, prez?

President Obama and I disagree… about the awesomeness of CNN’s YouTube-y reality show Freshman Year, starring Colorado’s own freshman congressman, Jared Polis of Boulder. According to Polis, Obama “loves” his show. Me, not so much. (Although I do sorta love to hate it.) If you’re not familiar with Freshman Year,…

Michael Bennet bedeviled by union matters, too

Just as Governor Bill Ritter has undermined his own political future by his handling of various union-related measures, so, too, has Michael Bennet, who Ritter appointed to the U.S. Senate when Ken Salazar moved to President Barack Obama’s cabinet, given his reputation as a rising young Democratic party star some…

Bill Ritter gets defensive on Channel 9

It’s not a lot of fun to be Bill Ritter these days. The governor swept into office with high marks from a broad coalition of voters, but of late, he’s managed to piss off plenty of longtime supporters — including grocery store workers and firefighters, many of whom no doubt…

Can Mike May shock and awe his way into the governor’s office?

Among Governor Bill Ritter’s latest politically dubious moves was his decision to create a new chief operating officer gig, with a salary of $146,000, to oversee federal stimulus money. That’s red meat for the GOP, and House leader Mike May chomped into it like a starving Rottweiler, declaring in a…

John Hickenlooper’s savvy response to the Dump Ritter movement

Governor Bill Ritter’s continued success at turning friends into foes has caused even some supporters to doubt his political aptitude — but no one questions Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s talents in this area. Today’s front-page story in the Denver Post, about his disinterest in offering Ritter a primary challenge, showcases…