November 2010 Election Results
Denver Mayor and brewpub owner John Hickenlooper beat out Republican Dan Maes and Tom Tancredo, who ran on the American Constitution Party ticket, to become the next governor of Colorado.
Maes, a tea party favorite won only 11 percent of the vote, while Tancredo, who entered the race with an ultimatum to Maes and his primary opponent, Scott McInnis, to get out of the race if either were trailing Hickenlooper in the polls the day after the Republican primary, won 37% of the vote. Hickenlooper will be succeeding Gov. Bill Ritter who chose not to run for a second term.
Senator Michael Bennet, who was appointed by Gov. Ritter to fill the seat vacated by Ken Salazar after his appointment as Secretary of the Interior, won his first election beating another tea party favorite, Ken Buck, the Weld County District Attorney, by a very narrow margin. Bennet won with 47.7 percent of the vote to Buck’s 46.8 percent in what was considered the most expensive race in the country for outside spending and the most expensive race in Colorado history with more than $45 million spent.
In the 5th Congressional House District race, Republican Doug Lamborn beat Democrat Kevin Bradley with 65.8 percent of the vote.
Now that he has regained his seat, one would assume the congressman will be focusing his energies on issues affecting his constituents such as jobs, home foreclosures and the economy, but Lamborn has more important priorities; the defunding of National Public Radio.
It appears Lamborn is more concerned with Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers than with the budget problems of the cities and municipalities in his district. He introduced H.R. 5538 to prohibit federal funding for NPR but Congressional Democrats voted down the legislative proposal on November 17, the first introduced in the House since the midterm elections.
Colorado voters also soundly defeated Amendments 60 and 61, all designed to limit government’s ability to raise income and borrow money, and Prop. 101, which would have lowered vehicle registration fees to 1919 levels at $10 (See the October issue of Colorado Central). Voters also defeated the so-called Personhood Amendment, 62, which would have restricted emergency contraception, fertility treatments and treatments for miscarriages. It was defeated by a 3-1 margin.
State Senator Gail Schwartz, District 5, held off a challenge by Republican Bob Rankin in a race that was marred by large amounts of mailings by outside shadow groups. One group, the conservative nonprofit Western Tradition Partnership (WTP) sent out a poorly Photoshopped card inserting the head of incumbent Schwartz on the body of Donald Trump with the words “you’re fired” printed in bright green below. WTP was originally registered in Colorado in 2008 by Republican operative Scott Shires who reportedly still owes $8,437 in fines levied by the state for improper electioneering during the Garfield County commissioners’ race in 2008.
Three-term Democratic congressman John Salazar was defeated by Cortez Republican Scott Tipton in the 3rd District race.
Salazar, a member of the conservative Blue-dog Democrats lost 46 percent to Tipton’s 50 percent. Millions of dollars were poured into the race by national Republican and conservative political committees including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a successful effort to recapture the house majority.
In local elections, former Colorado House District 61 incumbent Kathleen Curry lost to Democrat challenger Roger Wilson after a court-ordered count of additional ballots, according to the Gunnison Country Times.
Curry, a three-time incumbent who was first elected as a Democrat but changed to unaffiliated last year, missed a deadline which would have allowed her name on the ballot and ran as a write-in candidate. Almost 30,000 votes were cast in the race.
Three-term Democrat Jim Starr was ousted by challenger Phil Chamberlain in the race for Gunnison County Commissioner. Chamberlain won with the help of mail-in and early voters, according to The Gunnison Country Times.
Salida is going to get a new high school after nearly 69 percent of voters gave the thumbs up to school bond issue 3A. The vote will mean a $17.9 million tax increase which will secure funding from a Building Excellent Schools Today grant in the amount of $12.5 million. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2011.
A referred ballot measure which would have removed term limits for the 11th Judicial District Attorney was defeated in all four counties in the district. Democrat Pete Palmer beat out incumbent Chaffee County Sheriff Tim Walker 4,203 to 4,011.
All three Chaffee County commissioners will be sporting an “R” after their names after Dave Potts beat Bill Reeves to fill term-limited Tim Glenn’s seat. Only three years ago all three seats belonged to Democrats.
Dolores Semsack has been elected as Lake County’s first female commissioner. The Democrat beat her opponent Kevin Kannell (R) by 21 votes. Rodney Fenske (D) beat his brother-in-law Calvin Dawe to become Lake County sheriff.
Allen Butler will become the next Custer County commissioner, having won 99 percent of the vote against write-in candidate Arthur von Boenninghausen. Voters there also voted to not allow medical marijuana dispensaries in unincorporated Custer County by a narrow 54 to 46 percent.
Central Colorado Chosen for Major Bike Race
SALIDA – A cycling tour including 120 professional bicyclists from around the world is coming to Central Colorado with the first stage set for Salida.
The inaugural Quiznos Pro Challenge cycling tour is scheduled to be held August 22-28, 2011, and will wind its way nearly 600 miles though the region including Gunnison, Crested Butte and Buena Vista.
24 cities bid for a stage in the race, with 11 selected. The race will include many members of the famed Tour de France, and is expected to become one of the most significant international pro-cycling events in the world.
Ranch for Troubled Teens Rejected
WESTCLIFFE – A proposal to turn a dude ranch in Custer County into a facility for troubled teens was rejected after strong opposition from neighbors of the facility, according to the Wet Mountain Tribune.
The permit was denied after a hearing before the Custer County Planning Commission and county commissioners on November 9. The program would have offered schooling and an equine therapy program, as well as individual and group counseling. Neighbors voiced fears about increased traffic, the possibility of increased crime, and lowering of their property values.
The applicants had 30 days to appeal the decision in District Court.
Body Finally Recovered
BUENA VISTA- After being ejected from a private raft on July 11, the body of raft guide Kimberly Appelson, 23, of Breckendridge, was finally recovered from the Frog Rock rapid in the Arkansas River north of Buena Vista after a muti-agency effort on October 27.
Members of the Colorado Springs Heavy Rescue unit, Arkansas Headwaters Recreation area (AHRA), Lowry Construction, Salida Fire Department, Chaffee County Search and Rescue, Chaffee County Sherrif’s Office, Chaffee County EMS and the Summit County Special Operations Team were all involved with the recovery effort. It involved construction of a cofferdam upstream from Frog Rock as well as the use of an eight-member dive team. Appelson’s body was found in a deep chamber under the rock where she became trapped by debris after being thrown from the boat. There are no plans to alter the rapid itself, according to the AHRA. Since 1990 there have been four deaths at Frog Rock according to the Bureau of Land Management.
Notable Quotes:
“I’ll run again. I’m not sure for what, but I’ll run again.” – District 61 State Rep. Kathleen Curry, who lost her seat after running as an independent. The Gunnison Country Times, November 18, 2010.
