The Fort Collins Insider

Andrew Boucher for City Council

2009-02-20T10:17:00.001-07:00

That's right, I'm running for the Fort Collins City Council.

www.andrewboucher.org

We've Moved (finally)

2007-07-19T13:43:00.000-06:00

Blogging has resumed after a slight (let's be honest, it's been over a year) delay.

Go here.

Site Re-Launch Coming Soon...

2006-12-11T11:15:00.000-07:00

We're going to be re-launching the Fort Collins Insider in the next few weeks. Look out for an updated design, some actual investigative reporting, and even more annoying attempts at wit.

One more thing...

2006-08-19T08:33:00.000-06:00

The city has been pushing really hard on the "you cut the budget" theme.

But why are participants limited only to the cuts put forward by city staff?

That seems a bit disingenuous on its face: You cut the budget, but we control the menu.

Some Reading Materials

2006-08-19T08:27:00.000-06:00

Red light cameras.

Regulatory silliness from the city. Is this part of an anti-smoking crusade? Busy-work for city staff? An attempt to make it difficult for anyone to do anything in Fort Collins? I just don't get it.

Manvel said smoking from hookahs could lead to health problems and said the city shouldn't "encourage" it.
"I don't necessarily want to throw this wide open and have Fort Collins establish a lot of hookah bars," Manvel said.

Really? Is that your role as a member of the City Council? To determine what the residents of the city want?

More on the size of the Fort Collins city government.

Now THAT's Service!

2006-07-23T11:27:00.000-06:00

We had our home delivery of the Coloradoan suspended for a few days while we were out of town, and it wasn't resumed on the appropriate date (actually, it had been about a week.)

So, finally, I wrote a rather snarky e-mail this morning asking when they were planning on resuming our service.

Wouldn't you know it, about five minutes ago someone rings the doorbell with a copy of the Sunday Coloradoan and an apology.

Impressive.

We're Moving...

2006-06-26T14:21:00.000-06:00

... and redesigning, rebranding, re-somthingorother - I just haven't figured out what. I'll have more in the next few days.

Ray Czaplewski is Right(?)

2006-06-06T09:14:00.000-06:00

Today's letter:

Enforced noise ordinances = More affordable housing.

Let's see here:

a. I agree that we need strong enforcement of our noise ordinances.
b. I agree that we need more affordable housing.

What Czaplewski is saying is that the city can basically open up whole new neighborhoods for young families by making sure those neighborhoods are family-friendly.

It kind of makes sense. We'd essentially be increasing the supply of housing, thus reducing the cost. (Of course, it reduces supply for students, but let's tackle one problem at a time.)

While I was against the three-unrelated rule, I was always in favor of aggressive enforcement of nuisance violators. And now that the three-unrelated rule is law again (yes, I know, it never wasn't law), I'm actually hopeful that it will work.

Anyway, I hope the City Council won't kowtow to the new student-led push to ease up on nuisance penalties. Just because someone gathers a bunch of signatures and gets their name in the paper doesn't mean that their cause is right. Nor does it mean that you have to use their position as the start-point for some sort of compromise.

Hurricane Guru

2006-06-01T11:31:00.000-06:00

There's a pretty good profile of CSU Professor William Gray in the Los Angeles Times. (Free registration required.)

New Arrival

2006-05-24T18:41:00.000-06:00

Bailey James Boucher, born May 23 at 1:14 PM, 5 lbs., 9 oz. She's got ten fingers, ten toes, and plans to register to vote in time for the August primary. Mother and daughter are doing fine.

All Wet

2006-05-20T09:15:00.000-06:00

Hmmmm... Let's check in to see what's going on in the town where I grew up....

The "Growth Should Pay its Own Way" Canard

2006-05-19T09:27:00.000-06:00

Glen Colton had an op-ed on Monday, calling for growth to "pay its own way".

Colton's thesis is that:

a) Growth in Fort Collins doesn't pay enough in impact fees to cover its cost on the community.
b) As a result, growth is a net drain on our tax base and leads to higher taxes.
c) Thus, we should demand the growth "pay its own way".

Unfortunately, nowhere in Colton's op-ed does he offer any empirical evidence to back up his claim. We're supposed to just take him at his word that his numbers add up.

Colton notes that any growth requires an expansion of infrastructure (i.e. roads, schools, jails, etc.), and goes on to say that impact fees do not cover the cost of that expansion - which is true: Impact fees from a new shopping center do not cover all of the costs of the infrastructure needed, and impact fees from a new housing development do not cover the costs of a new neighborhood school.

However, Colton completely ignores the sales tax revenues that are brought in by that shopping center and the property tax revenues brought in by the new housing development. Those revenues are a long-term expansion of our overall tax base, providing revenue annually. New residents pay fees to the city for their utilities, pay their property taxes to support the schools, and, when they shop, they pay the sales taxes that feed the city's (anemic) general fund.*

Colton does not factor any of this into his equation - instead, he just counts the one-time development fees.

In other words, Colton ignores the largest contributions of economic development projects: the expansion of the tax base and the multiplier effect of job creation.

*Unless, of course, the anti-growth crowd gets their way and people in Fort Collins are forced to shop outside of the city limits or in Loveland.

Catch-Up Time

2006-05-13T12:00:00.000-06:00

Been absent from the blogging world for a few days. Check out some of the new posts below.

Column on the Budget Mess

2006-05-13T09:02:00.000-06:00

For more on the budget, see the post below. Here is my take, from my Fort Collins Weekly column:

The bad news? We’re broke. The City of Fort Collins faces a $2.3 million budget shortfall in 2007.

The worse news? The $2.3 million we already know about is probably just the tip of the iceberg.

Ominously, sales tax revenues are not on pace with the estimates that were used to craft the 2007 budget. We could be facing an additional $2 million to $4 million deficit – on top of the $2.3 million that we already know about.

By my math, that means a deficit of anywhere from $4.3 million to $6.3 million in 2007.

In anticipation of the original $2.3 million shortfall, city staff put together a package for City Council of potential taxes, fees and cuts to close the gap. Choices include a transportation maintenance fee; a parks maintenance fee ($48-$78 per household per year); the creation of a library district property tax hike (which would go to the ballot); increased “payments in lieu of taxes” (read: higher utility bills); and, yes, even some proposed cuts to city services.

There are two problems with the recommendations. First, these “solutions” were put together with the $2.3 million in mind – not the $6.3 million scenario. Second, the recommendations are based on the same mentality that got us into this mess in the first place.

“The city had some years of rapid economic growth, and during those years previous councils exercised very little fiscal restraint,” says City Councilman Diggs Brown. “Now we’re paying the price, and it’s up to us to fix the problem.”

“You can’t expect sales tax revenues to grow when you’re making it harder to do business in the city,” says Brown. “Previous councils increased taxes, fees and regulations; businesses struggled; sales tax revenues fell; and now we’re facing a serious budget shortfall. We have got to be careful not to make the same mistakes.”

Brown is adamant: “Before we even consider taxes or fees, we must make some difficult cuts.”

Unfortunately, the city staff’s recommendations don’t include enough cuts to cover the shortfall. Even worse, the cuts they’ve proposed are guaranteed to generate the most possible outrage. If there’s enough blowback, the City Council might back down. A cynic might even say that the cuts were chosen not so they would pass, but rather so they are guaranteed to fail.

The city staff’s proposal reads like a laundry list of demographically-targeted, politically-charged issues guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings. What they don’t spell out explicitly is any dollar savings that could come from reducing salaries or benefits for city staff. Instead, they call for further reductions in Dial-A-Ride (seniors); cuts to recreation scholarships (underprivileged kids); closing the library one day a week (library district advocates); and cuts to police programs targeting gang violence and crystal meth (law-and-order conservatives). The goal is to lead the voters to the conclusion that “If that’s what they have to cut, then we might just have to raise taxes.”

Think I’m exaggerating? They’re recommending closing bathrooms at neighborhood parks. You can’t argue with the urgency and anger of a voter with a full bladder.

It’s bureaucratic blackmail. If the City Council doesn’t raise taxes and fees, the cuts as proposed are guaranteed to produce outraged citizens, sympathetic newspaper profiles, and indignant letters to the editor.

The City Council should demand a new menu of cuts, based on the most pessimistic estimates and putting everything on the table. That should include a hard look cutting salaries and benefits and a re-examination of the city policy that requires Fort Collins pay its employees more than the average employees of other cities.

A year ago, one candidate for mayor spoke of the city’s “economic health” and advocated “aggressive, smart management of the city budget.” The other promised to declare 2006 “The Year of the Arts in Fort Collins.” The voters elected the serious candidate with a clear-eyed view of our fiscal realities.

It’s time to get serious. Let’s hope our mayor lives up to his mandate.

The Budget Mess

2006-05-13T08:44:00.000-06:00

Long story short:

We're out of money. Sales tax revenues are lagging behind projections and we face a budget shorfall of anywhere from $4.8 - $6.8 million.

Let the long, hot summer of healthy debate on spending priorities begin.

The Fort Collins Weekly broke the story on Tuesday.

Is Fort Collins Running on Empty?

City Manager warns of “hard conversations” needed to deal with a 2007 budget shortfall that’s “significantly greater” than projected

By Greg Campbell

Despite a revolutionary new approach to balancing the city’s budget, Fort Collins could be looking at yet another staggering shortfall in revenue to fund city services in 2007 if sales tax collections continue to lag behind projections.

The 2006-2007 budget was adopted knowing that another $2.3 million in cuts to services or additional revenue would be required to pay for a pavement maintenance program in 2007, but if sales tax collections don’t improve markedly, the city could be looking at an additional $2 million to $4 million deficit in its general fund for 2007.

In a worse case scenario, the city could be looking to fill a financial hole in its budget of as much as $6 million, a shortfall that seems to have caught city officials by surprise.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

“This is a significantly larger gap than we anticipated,” says City Manager Darin Atteberry. “The problem is significantly greater than $2.3 million.”

This news comes only months after the city adopted the biannual budget using a method called Budgeting For Outcomes in which more than $5 million was already cut to balance the city’s bottom line. Although far from perfect, the method was applauded at City Hall as an intuitive and common sense approach to funding city services that are critical to citizens while maintaining fiscal responsibility. Perhaps the only hitch was that it left a $2.3 million gap in funding for the pavement maintenance program. The budget was still considered “balanced” because it assumed City Council would implement a so-called Transportation Maintenance Fee, or TMF, to close the gap. The fee would be paid by property owners based on the amount of auto traffic they generate and would be applied to street repair.

But before deciding to go with the TMF, City Council directed the city staff to assemble a list of possible further cuts to services as well as a list of possible fee and tax increases, including the TMF, that could balance the 2007 budget. City Council was to discuss the options at a study session on Tuesday, May 9.

The trouble is that keeping the remainder of the budget balanced rests on the assumption that sales and use tax collections would behave as they were forecasted to behave, which is to grow at a rate of 3 to 4 percent.

So far, that hasn’t happened.

“We’re going to be significantly lower than our projections we made in ’05,” Atteberry says. “Our sales are generally flat. The good news is that sales aren’t on a steep decline. Whereas we projected a slight incline, the gap between the projection and actual (collections) shows relatively little to no growth.”

Yet the current rate of collections would be low enough to jeopardize the 2006 budget if it weren’t for a one-time spike in sales tax related to a business sale in February.

When that one-time spike is deducted, and as city staff evaluated preliminary results of retail sales from April, it has become obvious that collections that are “trending below” projections, says Deputy City Manager Diane Jones.

“If our trend continues, based on what we have now … we would have been under (for 2006),” she says.

Therefore, City Council will be eyeing the staff’s options for cutting services, raising revenue or both with a much larger figure in mind, one that is two to nearly three times what was expected.

The list of services that may be cut is sobering for a city that has already endured millions of dollars in reductions to services and amenities to cope with previous declines in sales tax collections. While many believe the city is more efficient and responsible operating in a leaner fashion, some of the cuts have been difficult for residents to swallow, such as the pending closure of the Youth Athletic Center and the discontinuation of the city’s SmartTrips program.

Another round of cuts could go significantly deeper, but Atteberry stresses that it’s up to the City Council whether to adopt cuts or implement fees—or come up with a combination of both—to cope with the anticipated shortfall.

No decisions have yet been made, he says.

“This isn’t a list of recommended cuts,” Atteberry says, “It’s a first look at what should be considered. … We’re not recommending, at this point, those cuts.”

Among the options for reducing expenses:

• From the police department, eliminate the criminal impact unit, which investigates gang activity and crimes related to the sale and distribution of methamphetamine; the motorcycle traffic enforcement patrol; and the school resource officer program for a total savings of approximately $1.6 million.

• From the Cultural, Library and Recreational Services department, permanently close neighborhood park restrooms in lieu of portable toilets; eliminate all flower plantings between Laurel Avenue and the Gateway Bridge, with the exception of Old Town Square; eliminate the recreational scholarship program which pays fees for city recreational services for low-income residents; close Gateway Park; and close the library for one day a week for a total savings of $656,000.

• From Transportation Services, cut maintenance at the Harmony Transfer Center in half, which would reduce the schedule for snow clearing, weed trimming and street-stripe painting; reduce the pavement maintenance program by $300,000 for 2007 only; reduce Dial-A-Ride service, which was an emotionally-charged topic during the last round of cuts, to no more than what’s required by the Americans With Disabilities Act, reducing ridership by 30 percent; and end the city-employee parking subsidy for a total savings of more than $1 million.

• From Community Planning and Environmental Services, cut staffing in half at the Historic Preservation Planning department; eliminate the Human Services Program and the Historic Preservation Design Assistance Program; cut a number of positions in the Natural Resources Department, including from Air Quality and Solid Waste; cancel contracts to fund business database subscriptions; eliminate an initiative to host charettes on emerging trends in development; and suspend funding on the South College Corridor Plan for one year for a total savings of $748,500.

• From the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Services department, reduce appropriates for software upgrades, absorb the grocery tax rebate administration into other departments and eliminate $93,000 from the governmental affairs program for a total savings of $213,000.

All told, the cuts would whack $4.3 million from the city’s budget if all of them were implemented. That doesn’t count a possible re-evaluation of employee pay and benefits.

Options for additional revenue that could be generated to make up the shortfall include the Transportation Maintenance Fee which is be expected to yield up to $2.3 million; a Parks Maintenance Fee program that could yield between $2.6 million and $4.3 million depending on if it were applied to only city parks or to both city parks and neighborhood parks; and an increase to the Electric Payments-in-Lieu-of-Taxes program to generate $700,000. These options could be implemented by City Council ordinance; another idea under consideration is the formation of a Library District that could generate another $2.3 million to $4 million depending on the number of mills added to property taxes. That initiative requires approval by voters.

Jones says that although this smorgasbord of options was compiled to address only the $2.3 million shortfall in the pavement maintenance program, City Council has more than enough options to combine to cover the larger deficit caused by lagging sales tax collections.

Although she and Atteberry caution that estimates of a “significant” sales tax revenue shortfall are based on only four months of data, it’s smart to start considering ways to deal with it if the current revenue trends continue.

“We’re following it very, very closely,” she says. “We want to keep everybody well-informed with timely information to get it handled.”

The question likely on many council members’ minds—as well as citizens’—is why was the forecast off so dramatically? Why is the city once again having to consider painful cuts, increased cost of living, or a combination of the two?

The answer is two-fold. The most obvious reason, says Atteberry, is that people aren’t spending as much money in Fort Collins as hoped. The majority of money the city has to spend on things like police patrols, historic preservation and library services comes largely from sales taxes levied on goods bought and sold within city limits.

“The bottom line is retail sales have not come in the way we projected and hoped for,” he says.
The second reason is more complicated and has to do with the way that Fort Collins forecasts its economic health.

“The model has proven to not be the best predictor of our economic forecast,” Atteberry says.
Historically, Fort Collins has based its economic predictions on state data that estimates people’s disposable income. Pointing to a graph tracking state projections versus local collections, Jones shows that Fort Collins’ has more than kept pace from 1992 to 2001.

“As long as Fort Collins mirrored or tracked what was happening statewide, it was a very good predictor,” she says.

Actual collections plunged compared to the state projections after the 9/11 terrorist attacks but have gained ground since. What the forecast model did not predict, however, was regional retail pressure.

“The modeling says we’re still in OK shape,” Jones says. “The disposable income for the state is up, but I guess it depends on where you dispose of it.”

Lately, people have been disposing of it in Loveland and other growing cities in Northern Colorado. The Promenade Shops at Centerra are undoubtedly responsible for some of this retail siphoning, but so too are retailers that open multiple stores in a regional market, she says. In other words, with a Home Depot in Loveland and a Home Depot in Greeley, why drive to Fort Collins to shop at Home Depot?

Jones adds that it was no mystery to city staff that the opening of Centerra would impact sales tax revenue. To account for it, staff reduced the city’s revenue forecast by the margin of error contained in the state forecast, $1.6 million.

“We tried to, statistically, as best we could, address that, but it’s not looking like it was enough,” she says.

Indeed, the news of the looming 2007 shortfall has Atteberry and Jones reconsidering the way Fort Collins conducts its economic forecasts. They will soon be speaking to other regional finance managers to learn their methods.

“We want to explore different tools,” Jones says. “What do they use, what are some of their tools? … It’s really, really important that we have as accurate a predictor as possible because we rely on that to translate into services for our citizens.”

Despite the grim news, both say Fort Collins can weather the change. Preparing for a possible hit to the 2007 budget early is critical to making sound decisions, Jones says. While Budgeting for Outcomes has gotten City Council familiar with trimming the fat and doing more with less, Atteberry cautions that the months ahead are going to be trying.

“From Tuesday through November (when the 2007 budget is adopted), we’re going to have some very, very hard conversations,” he says.

More FOP Follies

2006-05-13T08:42:00.000-06:00

The entire City Council writes a soapbox rebutting the claims of the Fraternal Order of Police.

The police respond by essentially calling the Mayor a liar. Classy.

Ray Czaplewski is RIGHT

2006-05-13T08:36:00.000-06:00

We may disagree on 98 percent of the issues facing this community, but that remaining 2 percent includes the Fraternal Order of Police ballot initiative. (His letter appeared in the Fort Collins Weekly, but there's no link available.)

Ummm... Okay.

2006-05-05T08:37:00.000-06:00

This is the voice of opposition?

Pretty Cool

2006-05-01T08:41:00.000-06:00

The Coloradoan is now offering video coverage of local news on its website.

Disgraceful

2006-04-29T07:31:00.000-06:00

From the Denver Post:

Holtzman's campaign manager, Dick Leggitt, admitted Friday that he lied to a Denver Post reporter in an e-mail by fabricating poll numbers that purportedly showed Holtzman's name recognition going from "10 percent to 70 percent and his favorables among GOP primary voters are now just slightly less than (U.S. Rep. Bob) Beauprez's (39 to 42)."
Leggitt also admitted he made up polling results indicating that support for ballot measures Referendums C and D was lagging.
"We didn't have any polling results," Leggitt said during the administrative court hearing. "It's what we in the election business call spin."

No, Dick. That's called lying. "Spin" is offering a favorable view of the situation - not fabricating facts out of whole cloth.

This is unethical, disgraceful and unacceptable, and it should be particularly upsetting to anyone involved in politics - especially those who make their living in politics.

Leggitt should resign now. Better yet, Holtzman should fire him - not only because of the complete lack of ethics, but also because he has absolutely zero credibility now that he's had to defend his political lies under oath. Who's going to believe a word that comes out of his mouth?

FOP Follies

2006-04-27T11:25:00.000-06:00

Here's my Fort Collins Weekly column from this week. This isn't an issue of how much we value and appreciate our police force. It's an issue of whether or not we want the decision of how much we pay our police force to be taken out of our hands as citizens.

One more thing that I didn't emphasize enough in this column (hey, it's only 650 words): This is a budget buster.

Right now the Fort Collins city budget is a zero-sum game. If the police get a mandated raise, some other project is going to take a hit. If you have a stake in any aspect of the city budget, be it bike paths, public transportation, lawnmower rebate programs, the wood smoke hotline, high-tech crosswalk technology, or even such items as roads, utilities and infrastructure, you should be very wary of the FOP proposal.

Here's the column:

The Fraternal Order of Police is asking voters to vote away the power of their vote.

The police union is asking us to pass a measure that will limit our ability to govern ourselves by taking power out of the hands of our elected City Council and handing it over to an unelected third party.

Right now, the City Council controls how our government spends our tax dollars. Various competing city departments vie for a slice of the city budget. Some departments get cut, some see budget increases. Some employees get raises, others see their jobs eliminated in hard fiscal times. The final decisions are made by the City Council, and the final decisions about who sits on the City Council are made by the voters of Fort Collins. It is a system of built-in accountability, and the ultimate accountability is to the voters on election day.

The police union wants to change that. You might have noticed representatives of the police union standing outside of supermarkets around the city, gathering signatures. They’re trying to put a question on the ballot that will change the City Charter, forcing the city to accept binding arbitration in contract disputes with the union. In other words, if the City Council does not meet the union’s salary and contract demands, the union can declare an impasse and the case will go to an arbitrator. The arbitrator will make a decision about how much the police will be paid, and that decision will be binding.

If the police union gets its way, no longer will the City Council be able to weigh competing budget priorities. They will be forced to accept the dictates of an arbitrator and then divvy up the remaining budget to the other departments. If the decision of the arbitrator means less money for road maintenance, bike paths or cost-of-living increases for other employees, so be it. The City Council – and thus the voters – won’t even have a say in the process.

Two years ago, the voters of Fort Collins voted for a ballot measure that granted the Fraternal Order of Police the right to collective bargaining and the right to binding arbitration. The collective bargaining went into place, but after 58 days of negotiations last year the union declared an impasse and asked for binding arbitration.

However, it turns out that the 2004 measure was flawed. The City Charter clearly stipulates that all decisions on personnel are to be made by the City Council, and the 2004 measure did nothing to change the City Charter. In other words, City Council by law must have the final say over any contract – to give up that right to an independent arbitrator as proscribed by the 2004 measure would be in violation of the law. The police union is now trying to change that law.

Because the 2004 measure passed, the police union is accusing the City Council of ignoring the will of the voters. And it is true that the voters did indeed vote for binding arbitration as part of the 2004 measure. But because that measure was flawed, the police union has to go back to the voters to ask them to change the City Charter.

In other words, the voters get a second chance.

As it is right now, the elected City Council has the final say in contract negotiations. As it is right now, the voters of Fort Collins have the final say over who sits on the City Council. We get to vote every two years, and if we don’t like how the City Council is running the city, we, as voters, have an opportunity to make a change on Election Day.

The Fraternal Order of Police is asking the voters of Fort Collins to take power from our elected City Council and hand it over to an unelected third party.

We, as voters, are the final level of accountability in our community. Let’s keep it that way.

Good Questions

2006-04-26T16:36:00.000-06:00

From David May's column in Monday's Coloradoan:

For our part as voters, we have an obligation to pay attention and let elected officials know what we think about their money proposals and service cuts.
We have the ultimate say at the ballot box by re-electing them, or not, and approving their tax measures, or not.
With all of these government entities, it's important to ask them some hard questions and listen closely to their answers.
Before asking for higher taxes, what have you done to scrub the budget of waste and to find efficiencies? Exactly why do you think you need more money, and what will it be used for? How much have revenues grown over the last 20 years and how does that compare to inflation and population growth? How do you compare to other communities and districts?'

Go read the whole thing.

Pure Genius

2006-04-20T07:28:00.000-06:00

I actually recommend the Sagamore Bridge rotary. Either way, this guy's right on.

The Fourth Congressional District

2006-04-05T17:23:00.000-06:00

Here's my Fort Collins Weekly column this week:

Not All Politics Are Local

By Andrew Boucher

In Fort Collins, politics often revolves around local issues. We have hearty debates on occupancy ordinances, water rates and public transportation. You want local? Our City Council is currently embroiled in fierce debate on how best to euthanize hundreds of disease-infested prairie dogs.

But the famous quote “all politics are local” doesn’t refer to city councils. It was a phrase coined by Tip O’Neill, the legendary Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, to emphasize that even members of Congress need to be responsive to local issues.

In 2006, however, not all politics are local in Fort Collins, especially not when it comes to our race for the U.S. House of Representatives. We have one of the most contentious House races in the country. Democrat state Rep. Angie Paccione is challenging incumbent Republican Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave. To mix things up, former Reagan Administration official Eric Eidsness announced over the weekend that he is running on the Reform Party ticket.

This is a very targeted column, with a very simple message. If you’re a longtime Musgrave supporter, you don’t need to read any further. Likewise, if you’re driving around with a “Bush Lied, People Died” bumper sticker on your car, this column isn’t likely to resonate with you.

Some of you, however, might still be uncertain whether or not you will be voting for Musgrave, and if this describes you, keep reading. Let’s be honest, almost everyone has an opinion about her, and in some circles it’s considered gauche to be a fervent Musgrave supporter. Unless you only spend your time with Republicans, when Musgrave’s name comes up, you’ve probably heard the refrain: “I usually vote Republican, but…”

That’s not going to cut it in 2006. The message this election season is simple: A vote for Angie Paccione or Eric Eidsness is a vote for uncertainty in the war on terror.

Fast-forward to January of next year. Imagine Nancy Pelosi taking the podium and being handed the gavel as the new Speaker of the House. A Democrat-controlled House of Representatives would put Michigan’s John Conyers in the chair of the Judiciary Committee, and Conyers has already signaled that he’s ready to begin impeachment proceedings. While that might be a way for Conyers to score some face time on television and the Democrats to score some political points, it’s not an effective way to fight a war.

What about support for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan? Can you imagine what would happen to our nation’s ability to wage war if every battlefield decision were subject to a grandstanding Congressional committee? Would the fledgling democracies in those countries be confident moving forward if they thought that a vindictive and partisan Democrat-controlled Congress might at any point cut off funding for their rebuilding programs?

All of those issues will be decided right here in Fort Collins this November. The national Democrats are targeting Marilyn Musgrave’s seat, and a pickup of only 15 seats nationwide will put Democrats in control of the House. Do you trust the security of the United States to the Congressional Democrats?

Now, I don’t know where Angie Paccione or Eric Eidsness stand on impeachment or security issues. Frankly, it doesn’t matter. If the Democrats pick up those 15 seats, the most important vote our next member of Congress will get to cast will be for the leadership of the House of Representatives. It’s a vote we can’t afford to lose.

So when you head into the privacy of the voting booth next November, don’t think about what your neighbors may say. Think about the image of Nancy Pelosi with a gavel. Think about John Conyers and other Democrat committee chairmen presiding over Congressional inquiries into every minute aspect of the war on terror.

Not all politics are local. The ability of our country to defend itself might just come down to one vote in Fort Collins this November.

Finally

2006-03-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

I usually wake up on Wednesday mornings with a sense of dread: "What did the City Council do last night?"

Well, this morning brought a pleasant surprise: "Before implementing any new programs to increase its waste diversion rate from 25 percent to 50 percent, City Council decided Tuesday night the city needs to determine if that goal is appropriate in the first place."

New Media

2006-03-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

Want to know what's going on with the elections in the Ukraine?

Bob Schaffer's there, and he's blogging for the Denver Post.

Water, Halligan, and a Threat (Actually, Two Threats)

2006-03-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

City Council rightly voted to streamline the tiered water rates in Fort Collins on Tuesday.

Tiered water rates are an attempt to force conservation. Instead of charging you a set rate per gallon, Fort Collins charges you more per gallon the more you use. Every time you hit one of their usage tiers, you pay a premium for each additonal gallon above that tier.

It doesn't matter if you have a large family, a big lot, a vegetable garden or a penchant for long showers. You pay more per gallon the more you use.

Think about that for a moment: The larger family in Fort Collins pays more per gallon of water than the smaller family.

So the City Council decided on Tuesday night to streamline the tiers, moving towards a simpler , fairer system.

Councilmember Kelly Ohlson was not amused. He flat-out stated that he would go back to the more punitive tiers if he is ever put back into the majority.

Said Kelly:

I won’t hesitate, whenever presented with the opportunity of the majority, to flip the rates once again. That’s not a threat, it’s a reality. I view this as regressive, unfair, non-conserving, bordering on odd, and I won’t hesitate to flip it the first chance I get.

It gets better. Fort Collins has spent about $5 million to study improving the Halligan Reservoir, a project that could solve Fort Collins' water problems for generations. Yet some of the federal funding for the project might be contingent on whether or not we are perceived as trying to conserve water as a community. (N.B. "might be contingent," and we don't know what their standards for conservation are. After all, we're still using tiered rates to conserve water, the tiers are just simpler and fairer.)

Not only did Kelly Ohlson threaten to reinstate the more punitive tiers if he ever gets into the majority, he also stated that he will actively try to block the improvements to Halligan if he doesn't get his way on tiered rates.

Kurt Kastein:
I want to first understand your comment about talking to the Halligan folks about the “error in our judgement.” I didn’t quite understand what you said there. Would you actually go to the Halligan folks that are in charge of approving Halligan and say: “The city’s not conserving, you should not approve this?”

Kelly Ohlson:

Yes.

Kurt Kastein:

You will stand in the way of Halligan for this rate structure?

Kelly Ohlson:
Yes.

Clearer fault lines couldn't be drawn as we head towards next April's City Council elections.

One side - Kelly Ohlson's side - wants higher water rates and will fight sensible water storage projects.

Mayor Hutchinson is making our water rate system fairer while planning for the future water needs of Fort Collins.

Ohms Background

2006-03-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the sidebar explanation of how "The Ohms Files" (see below) came to be. (Reprinted with permission).

About the Ohms Files

There’s little question that Al Ohms, candidate for Larimer County Sheriff, did not want his internal affairs files from his time as a sheriff’s deputy released to the media. One reason, he told the Weekly, is because the decision to make the documents available was in the hands of his political opponent, Sheriff Jim Alderden.

Law enforcement documents like those related to internal affairs investigations are releasable under the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act if the custodian of those documents—in this case, the sheriff—determines there is a compelling public interest in their release that outweighs the privacy interest of the individual. That’s the case the Weekly made to the sheriff when requesting the documents, that the public has a compelling interest in knowing what Ohms’ files say about him since it’s known that he was fired from the very agency he hopes to be elected to run. Alderden granted the Weekly’s request with the caveat that he would only release documents of investigations where charges were substantiated. He did not release records of investigations where there were no findings of wrongdoing.

He also extended the timeframe for release of the records in case Ohms wanted to challenge his decision in court.

“If I deny a request for a record, there is a statutory provision for judicial review of that denial,” Alderden wrote. “While there is nothing in statute that requires that same option for review of a decision to release a record, I believe fairness requires me to give Mr. Ohms that opportunity.”

Ohms made no legal objection to Alderden’s decision to release the records—Ohms says he didn’t have enough time to appeal for an injunction—but he objected quite pointedly when interviewed by the Weekly.

“The release of these files is an example of political mudslinging at its worst,” he said. “It is Jim Alderden’s attempt to avoid addressing the real issues he is confronted with at the Sheriff’s Office. It’s time for a change. …

“This is a political game he’s playing.”

The Weekly also requested the release of any similar records in Alderden’s files where allegations of wrongdoing were substantiated. Sgt. Michael Rairdon in the Sheriff’s Office’s Professional Standards unit found no records where Alderden was guilty of any misconduct. In 1992, Alderden was asked to resign from the Sheriff’s Office by then-Sheriff Richard Shockley. The only explanation as to why came with the release of letter in 1998 from Shockley to Alderden that shed little light on the matter, other than to say that their “bond has been broken.” Alderden says Shockley gave him no further explanation.

—Greg Campbell

The Ohms Files

2006-03-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

This is the article by Greg Campbell in this week's Fort Collins Weekly. (Reprinted with permission).

The Ohms Files

Internal affairs investigations into former deputy Al Ohms, now a candidate for Larimer County Sheriff, show a pattern of dishonesty and questionable judgement

Ohms doesn’t dispute many of the facts, but says he’s the target of a long-running smear campaign at the hands of Sheriff Jim Alderden

By Greg Campbell

....................................................................

Al Ohms, a candidate for Larimer County Sheriff and a 25-year veteran of law enforcement, vows on his campaign Web site to bring honesty, accountability, leadership and professional knowledge to the office if he’s elected in November.

Under his leadership, the department will be guided by “integrity and trust,” the site says.

But a Fort Collins Weekly review of Ohms’ disciplinary records during his 17-year tenure as a patrol deputy and sergeant with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office shows that he was fired from the department in 2002 for a noticeable lack of those very qualities.

In fact, over the course of a career with the Sheriff’s Office that began in 1985, he’d been the subject of at least eight internal affairs investigations and one supervisory inquiry, all of which had found some violation of rules, procedures and standards of conduct. The violations include lying, harassment, conducting illegal searches, using unnecessary force and initiating unwanted physical contact with a female subordinate, among others. He’d been reprimanded repeatedly, ranging in severity from a verbal warning to probation to suspension without pay.

He was fired at the conclusion of two concurrent internal affairs investigations, one which determined he’d conducted an illegal search of a residence and one which found he’d lied to Sheriff’s Office investigators about a sexual relationship with a former friend’s wife that began with a kiss in his patrol car while he was on duty.

Continue Reading "THE OHMS FILES"...

His termination letter, penned by Capt. William Nelson, makes it clear that “integrity and trust” were values that Ohms had consistently failed to demonstrate.

“These disciplinary actions … appear to show a pattern and tendency to be untruthful and an inability to make consistently good decisions,” Nelson wrote. “As you are aware, this is an integrity issue and we will not tolerate untruthfulness.”

Ohms unsuccessfully appealed his firing to a hearing board, but he’s clearly determined to continue his career in law enforcement, this time as a politician as well as an officer of the law. Ohms is hoping to not only get back his badge, but to take over leadership of the Sheriff’s Office from the man who fired him for reasons that were never publically explained.

Until now, that is.

The Ohms files

Ohms’ history with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office is checkered at best. Three weeks ago, Fort Collins Weekly requested the candidate’s internal affairs files under the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act (see sidebar). The Sheriff’s Office provided hundreds of pages of documents dating back to 1987, the results of numerous investigations in which some or all of the original allegations were found to be substantiated by internal affairs investigators. Taken as a whole, the files paint a picture of Ohms that is distinctly unflattering—he is found to have lied repeatedly to investigators, to have harassed his ex-wife, to have used excessive force on a suspect, to have conducted illegal searches and to have put the public at risk at least once during a high-speed pursuit. Additionally, a supervisory inquiry resulted in the opinion that he “failed to comply with numerous requests and direction from his supervisor” and “repeatedly failed to get his assignments done in a timely manner.” After his termination as a result of the overlapping internal affairs investigations in 2002, a hearing board composed of three members—two of which were chosen by Ohms himself, per departmental rules—upheld the decision, writing that Ohms was not trustworthy.

“The board felt that having someone that had this many violations of the truthfulness rule just could not be retained by the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office,” the board wrote in its appeal decision. “If the information of these investigations were revealed to attorneys in the area or the District Attorney’s Office, Al Ohms would not be trusted in a court of law as being a credible witness.”

Ohms, in an extensive face-to-face interview with the Weekly, defends his record with the Sheriff’s Office. While he doesn’t dispute many of the facts contained in the records and says that he’s made “mistakes,” he says the documents don’t reflect his overall career, which is also marked by numerous commendations and letters of appreciation, including the hard-to-earn Medal of Valor and the department’s Distinguished Service Award. Many of the incidents in question had extenuating circumstances, he argues, but the crux of his defense is that he is a victim of a smear campaign at the hands of his political opponent, Sheriff Alderden. Ohms claims that the investigations that occurred after he began talking with friends about running for office in 2000—investigations that substantiated charges of inappropriate physical contact with a female employee, lying about a personal relationship with a friend’s wife, neglecting his duty for kissing her while supposedly patrolling a dam in Estes Park, illegally searching a home in Wellington and the inquiry into his job performance—were trumped up to make him look bad and ruin his career. Again, he does not dispute many of the facts of many of the incidents for which he was investigated, but he says that the conclusions drawn by various investigators were directed by Alderden in a coordinated campaign to “make life hard for Al,” he says.

Alderden says Ohms’ claim is “absolutely, categorically untrue.”

“The first I even heard of Al Ohms even contemplating running for sheriff is December ’05. You’re shocking me with that allegation,” Alderden says. “Furthermore, the allegations (against Ohms) were brought forth independent of me. We didn’t go out and solicit these complaints.”

Indeed, the complaints originated from a variety of sources, including Ohms’ ex-wife, suspects encountered while on duty, fellow deputies and at least one cuckolded husband. And the investigations into those complaints span the tenures of three sheriffs.

The nature of the complaints fall roughly into two categories: those that raise questions about Ohms’ job performance and those that raise questions about his judgement in personal affairs.

Job performance

Ohms started his career with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office in 1985 after working in law enforcement in his home state of Wisconsin for the previous 10 years. Only a year after joining the force in Larimer County he came under the scrutiny of internal affairs investigators, who found that he violated many of the standard functions of his job, a common theme of allegations that would mar his record all the way up to his firing in 2002.

The first substantiated complaint on record in Larimer County is an investigation into a 1986 incident in which he and another deputy conducted a search of a suspect’s car that was not found to be related to the suspect’s arrest on drunk driving charges. The investigation found that Ohms conducted an illegal search and seizure, failed to file correct reports and provided false information to Sheriff’s Office investigators. A year later, he was investigated for allegedly forcefully pulling a suspect from his chair and pushing him unprovoked. That investigation determined Ohms had used unnecessary force, violated his responsibility to serve the public and violated the Sheriff’s Office’s truthfulness rule. He was investigated the same year for allegedly using excessive force on an intoxicated man believed to have been involved in a fight at a Loveland convenience store. The suspect said that Ohms twisted his arm and bent him over a trash can trying to get information about the person the suspect had been fighting with. The suspect was so intimidated, according to the documents, that he asked another deputy assisting Ohms if he would be going straight to jail or if they would stop on the way where he would “get the crap knocked out of me.” Ohms says he grabbed the man’s arm to take away his cigarette after the man repeatedly blew smoke into Ohms’ face. He said he held his arm only momentarily to ask the man who he had been fighting with. The investigation did not substantiate the claims that Ohms had used unnecessary force, but found that he had violated his responsibility to serve the public by intimidating the suspect. The investigator on that case noted in the report’s conclusion that “this is not the first violation that it would appear he is guilty of and with past violations and this present matter it appears that the Code of Ethics do not apply to Deputy Ohms.”

It’s unknown what disciplinary actions, if any, were taken in the cases from the 1980s.

In the interview for this article, Ohms says charges brought by citizens alleging unnecessary force are often given more weight in investigations than they merit.

“If the citizen complains, that’s who’s word they take,” he says. “Period.”

But Ohms’ ability to adequately perform the duties of his job was questioned not only with his interaction with suspects, but also with his supervisors during an inquiry into his job performance spanning an 11-month timeframe in 2001. By this time he was a sergeant in charge of the department’s Reserve Unit, a group of volunteers who assist deputies in a variety of ways, from crowd control to crime-scene security. Once, Ohms was paged to provide reserve personnel to secure an arson scene for evidence collection. He told the requesting officer that no one was available to respond, but in fact he hadn’t actually called anyone because it was late at night and didn’t want to wake them. The investigating officer also criticized Ohms for not quickly responding to a request for assistance from the Estes Park Police Department during that city’s annual Parade of Lights, said he was slow to file certain paperwork and didn’t “obey orders from his supervisor in a timely manner.”

Ohms says the supervisor performing the inquiry rushed through it and inaccurately cited him for not completing an Incident Command System document, which he says was done thoroughly and on time. He also defends not calling out the reserves during the arson investigation because he was acting as an advocate for the reserve unit. In response to the inquiry, he wrote that the request for the reserves was “late in coming and unreasonable.” He was found to be in violation of the department’s truthfulness policy for saying no one was available after admitting he hadn’t called anyone. He says this inquiry is an example of Alderden “making life hard for me” because he’d begun talking about running for sheriff to friends and people within the Republican Party whom Ohms refuses to name.

But one of the most significant inquiries into Ohms’ decision-making skills came before he says he had those conversations, after a high-speed chase on and around I-25 in 1999 where he was found to have put both himself and the public in danger. Sheriff’s deputies and Colorado State Patrol officers were in pursuit of a suspect driving at speeds well over 100 miles per hour on the interstate. The suspect was driving erratically and crossed the median to change directions several times. During chases, there are specific protocols that pursuing officers follow in order to both minimize danger and coordinate response. Importantly, officers don’t change their positions in the pursuit without coordinating the change with other officers or unless the circumstances dictate a safe and logical switching of positions. Communication among the pursuers was especially important in this case because there were two different agencies involved communicating on two different radio frequencies.

At one point, the vehicles were traveling north on I-25 approaching Prospect Road at speeds of 100 mph or more. Two CSP vehicles were in the first and second positions behind the suspect, with Ohms following. Spotting an approaching semi traveling in the same direction, Ohms passed both CSP cars without any notification and attempted to pass the suspect vehicle to box him in behind the slower-moving semi. Before he could complete the maneuver, however, the suspect swerved toward Ohms and forced him to back off. In a review of the case, an investigator was highly critical of the move.

“That type of maneuver is very dangerous to all officers involved, the public and to the fleeing suspect,” the report states. “At those speeds, any contact between vehicles could easily result in either of the vehicles going out of control, presenting a severe danger to other officers and most certainly any oncoming traffic. This would have made for a collision speed with oncoming vehicles at easily 160 to 170 mph. On the videotape I observed, four different vehicles were in the oncoming lanes of I-25 while Deputy Ohms was trying to pass the suspect. Needless to say, this would almost certainly have been a fatal collision if it had occurred.”

Ohms succeeded in getting in front of the suspect’s car after the chase moved onto eastbound Highway 14. The car was stopped with Ohms in front and several other law enforcement vehicles behind, but the suspect began ramming his way out of the trap. Ohms got out of his car, stood in front of the suspect’s vehicle and fired seven shot from his .45 pistol into the hood of the suspect’s car in an attempt to disable the engine. It didn’t work. The suspect roared off again only to crash a short while later.

Ohms’ shooting drew heavy criticism from the officer who reviewed the incident even though it was determined that his use of deadly force was justified by the circumstances. But by standing in front of the suspect vehicle while other officers were behind it, Ohms not only made himself an easy target if the suspect had been armed, but he “created a crossfire situation for all of the other responding units,” the report states.

“The next issue of concern is Ohms’ choice of targets,” the report continues. “We train that a handgun of the calibers that we carry is not effective in disabling motor vehicles and also have never trained or advocated shooting at the engine or for the distributor, fuel line or carburetor on a moving vehicle, especially if those parts are concealed under the hood of the vehicle.”

The report notes that if the other officers had opened fire in response to the shots, Ohms could have been hit in crossfire. At the time of the incident, Ohms had been a firearms instructor with the Sheriff’s Office for several years.

“All of these factors lead me to be concerned about Deputy Ohms’ quality of judgement in high stress situations,” the report concludes. “In this incident, it appears that Ohms acted independently from other officers involved and created unnecessary risk for fellow officers and the public. While everything in this incident, (sic) it could have very easily turned out much differently because of the actions of Deputy Ohms.”

In the interview with the Weekly, Ohms says he put his life on the line to try to stop the suspect on I-25 and says he doesn’t remember any oncoming traffic.

“I’m very intense in my job and when I do my job, I do it 100 percent and look out for the public,” he says. He defends shooting to disable the car because he says he didn’t want to kill the suspect.

Personal matters

Many of the documents in Ohms’ disciplinary files reflect that matters in his personal life often found their way onto his job. Most serious is an internal affairs investigation into allegations that Ohms harassed his ex-wife following their divorce in 1992. Ohms was found to have called her repeatedly over several months, often at odd hours; appeared uninvited at her work and at the mobile home they’d shared during their marriage; and made threats. At one point, Ohms entered his former wife’s boyfriend’s house uninvited and confronted them in a bedroom while Ohms was in uniform and on duty. On another occasion, he went to the mobile home while his ex-wife was at work, swallowed some of her sleeping pills, wrote what she told investigators were “suicide-type” notes and fell asleep on her bed. Co-workers from the Sheriff’s Office were called to remove him from the house. On yet another occasion, he came to the mobile home late at night and, standing outside a bedroom window with a flashlight, woke up his 15-year-old stepson, asking questions about his ex-wife. After a two-month break from work to sort out his personal life, Ohms ignored both the advice of his friends and direct orders from his supervisors to leave his ex-wife alone. As a result of the investigation, he was found to have violated harassment laws and the department’s standards of conduct. He was suspended for 10 days without pay.

Ohms admits that he made a number of mistakes in that situation.

“I regret it,” he says. “We both regret what happened.”

He admits to making another mistake several years later when, as the supervisor of the Reserve Unit, he “smacked” a 23-year-old female Reserve Deputy on the buttocks after walking her to her tent during the annual Laramie River Rendezvous in 2000. The Rendezvous is an event in which deputies and reserve staff members host at-risk youths on a weeklong camping trip. An internal affairs investigation into Ohms’ actions began when the employee made the charge eight months after the incident occurred as Ohms was investigating her on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. On the night in question, the woman was returning to her tent for an asthma inhaler and Ohms accompanied her because she said she was afraid of bears. According to the internal affairs documents, their versions of events differ greatly. The woman says Ohms grabbed her in an attempt to kiss her and placed one hand on her buttocks. Ohms initially told investigators that he hugged her in a friendly manner but did not touch her inappropriately, letting go when she objected. He later said that they had no physical contact whatsoever. Then, facing a polygraph exam to find out which of his versions was the truth, he told investigators that he couldn’t remember exactly what happened but that he’d “probably” patted her on the buttocks. In the interview for this article, Ohms admitted that he “smacked her on the butt” and said he shouldn’t have. But he also said the woman’s charges were motivated by his investigation into her. Nevertheless, Ohms was again found to have been untruthful to investigators, a finding he disputed, blaming faulty memory rather than dishonesty for the variations in his statements. He was also found to have violated the standards of conduct. The woman who made the charges was also found to have violated the rules of conduct for her behavior toward Ohms while he was conducting the concealed weapon investigation.

And more recently, Ohms’ personal life led to an internal affairs investigation initiated when a former Sheriff’s Office employee alleged that Ohms was having an affair with his wife. Before the investigation was officially launched, Ohms told the internal affairs investigator that he was aware of the complaint against him and that there was no affair. But later, during his official interview, he admitted that he’d taken the woman along on patrol in October 2001 when he was assigned to monitor the dam in Estes Park as part of the Sheriff’s Office’s Homeland Security duties following the 9/11 attacks just weeks earlier. Such civilian ride-along passengers are required to receive permission from supervisors, but Ohms says he made a last minute decision to allow her to join him without telling anyone. The two had dinner together and later, toward the end of Ohms’ shift but while he was still on duty, he admitted they kissed and touched one another. That led in later days to a sexual relationship that lasted for several weeks.

Ohms admits that this occurred, but makes several qualifications. He says he believed the woman was divorced at the time of their relationship—and therefore by definition there was no “affair”—and he says the investigative file makes the encounter in the patrol car sound far more lewd than it was. He says the woman leaned over the seats and kissed him once. And although he says “that particular day I made a mistake,” he says he wasn’t distracted from his duty, another conclusion of the investigation.

“I did my duty as well that night as I ever have,” he says.

Burnout

Be that as it may, the incident at the dam coincided with another internal affairs investigation that found Ohms entered a home looking for a suspect when he shouldn’t have. His fate at the Sheriff’s Office was sealed.

In the termination letter, Capt. Nelson says about the dam incident, “I’m deeply troubled by your attempt to cover up your actions by lying to Investigator (Robert) Coleman prior to the investigation commencing.”

Nelson was similarly distressed about Ohms’ entrance of the suspect’s home, which the investigation concluded could have been avoided if Ohms had gotten more information from other deputies on the scene, some of whom left because they didn’t want to be implicated in an illegal search.

“I’m concerned by your lack of ability to gather information and make a correct decision,” Nelson wrote of that situation.

Ohms appealed his termination to a hearing board. Rather than call witnesses, he instead chose to respond to allegations in writing. Along with his disputes he included a number of articles printed from the Internet about job burnout, a condition that he claimed to suffer. Paranoia, depression and exhaustion are listed in one article as symptoms of job burnout and Ohms also included a self-survey about burnout that he filled out and submitted to the board. On the survey he indicated that he felt emotionally drained on the job, isolated from his peers and coworkers and that he’s tired of trying. In two different letters, one to the board and one to Sheriff Alderden, Ohms says he was overworked and stressed, a situation exacerbated by the extra work required by a recent wildfire.

“Other people saw things that were clues to my condition but failed to react in the proper manner,” he wrote to Alderden. “I believe it would be easier to get help if I were an alcoholic because people see that and know what the problem is and how to stop it. You remove the alcohol. I needed to remove the work for a short time.”

No mention is made of a coordinated effort to oust him from his job, but that claim is now front and center when discussing the circumstances of his termination. Ohms says that the numerous different investigators, lieutenants and captains who’ve reviewed his actions and investigated complaints against him took their cue from the sheriff who supposedly wanted him gone after he began discussing his aspirations for office.

“This whole thing is manipulated. From when Jim Alderden took office, every internal affairs investigation that’s been done on me or anyone else … has been manipulated in order for those people to look bad so that they could be fired,” Ohms says. “The sheriff is in charge, and what the sheriff says goes.”

But the sheriff says that Ohms’ file speaks for itself and that he should have been fired long ago.

“That’s the embarrassing part of this for me,” Alderden says. “After reviewing this, the legitimate question was why wasn’t this guy fired sooner? He should have been. The only explanation was Al was likable. I liked him. We do everything we can to work with an employee before we have to reach that decision to terminate. It clearly came down to a trust issue.

“We couldn’t trust him.”

Caucus Reports

2006-03-21T20:40:00.000-07:00

What's the word out there?

FCW Column (Hippies, Hippies Everywhere)

2006-03-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

Stranger in a Strange Land

I went to the anti-war rally on Saturday. No, I didn’t go as part of the counter-protest or to secretly record the names of attendees as part of my job as an undercover operative in Karl Rove’s massive intelligence network. I went to see the sights and revel in the political process.

And I wanted to make fun of hippies.

The first step was to make myself anonymous. I wasn’t there to debate. I was there to observe. Seeing as how I long ago shaved my beard and cut my hair (that’s another story for another day), I had to figure out how best to blend in.

My own closet turned out to be more than adequate in terms of hippie regalia. There were plenty of items that I had mothballed since the last time I visited my sister’s organic farm in Vermont (yet another story for another day).

Lacking Birkenstocks, I opted for hiking boots. I decided to go with cargo pants instead of faded jeans, hoping that no one would notice that they were from that corporatist chain store Banana Republic and not sewn by the indigenous peoples of Patagonia.

Ironically, the old fleece pullover that I found in the depths of my closet actually was sewn by native New Zealanders and even bore a logo proclaiming that it was “Keeping our Earth Green/Keeping our World Clean.” Perfect. The fleece went over the cliché flannel shirt and my 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign t-shirt.

Looking at this ensemble in the mirror, I realized that I needed to hide my straight-laced Republican haircut. Luckily (and inexplicably), wool ski caps have become part of the standard uniform for the left. (Can anyone explain this to me? It doesn’t matter what the weather is, if you’re around hippies, you’re guaranteed to see wool ski caps. Don’t these people’s heads ever get warm?)

I donned a wool ski cap. Immediately, my head began to itch.

I got to the rally early and watched the marchers as they came up College Avenue and funneled into Old Town Square. In the lead were about a dozen counter-protesters, carrying signs in support of troops. Some of the signs attempted to be provocative in a humorous manner, advocating that we “Drill ANWR” and warning spectators: “Caution: Liberal Loony Event Follows.”

The rally itself was a bit of a let-down. Honestly, I was hoping for more slogan-chanting. Instead, we got John Kefalas. Sure, there was an inevitable “BU$HITLER” sign, but most of the sentiments were pretty mundane. In fact, much of the anger was aimed at Democrat Senator Ken Salazar who, in the opinion of the rally organizers, hadn’t done enough to stop the war.

There were some humorous sights, of course. One sign, showing solidarity with 78-year old Texas attorneys, declared that “We all are Harry Whittington.” Another sign proclaimed that “We are the Majority.” I didn’t look like that to me. There was something going on with empty cardboard boxes, but they didn’t have the microphone turned up loudly enough for anyone to hear the explanation.

I haven’t been around that many liberals since the last Boucher family reunion, so Saturday was fun – in a tense, guarded, “don’t-talk-politics-with-your-siblings” sort of way. I couldn’t disagree more with the sentiments expressed, but I appreciate the exercise of free speech.

We take it for granted, but Fort Collins is a working model of the best of the political process. Citizens are informed and activists are dedicated. A day like Saturday brings out both protesters and counter-protesters, and election season means a campaign volunteer knocking on your door.

My wife and I made our initial visit to Fort Collins on the first anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, and we stumbled upon both anti-war protesters and pro-Bush counter-protesters that day in Old Town. Each group had enough passion and energy to gather in the public square in an exercise of the purest form of free speech.

We were home.

It's Caucus Day

2006-03-21T18:30:00.000-07:00

Why go to caucus tonight? Fred Brown explains.

If you don't know where your caucus location is, check this out.

Collegian Redesign

2006-03-21T07:16:00.000-07:00

The Collegian has a new look.

Credit Where Credit is Due

2006-03-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the Coloradoan blew it in its quest for "balance" regarding local political dinners (see below).

But they did a great job in yesterday's paper by balancing a straight account of the anti-war protests on Saturday with a letter from a soldier in Iraq.

Double Story, Double Standard?

2006-03-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

When the Coloradoan ran an article about the Larimer County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, they paired it with a preview of the Democrats' President Day Dinner (even though the Dems' dinner was two weeks away).

So where is the Republican story to go along with this report on the actual Democrats dinner that took place this weekend?

The March 4 stories are archived, but here are the thumbnails:

Dining and debating
March 4, 2006 •• 466 words •• ID: ftc2006030609220207
Politicians huddle to refine message GOP looks to filling promises on budget, values LINDSAY RENICK MAYER LindsayRenickMayer@coloradoan.com The clank of silverware echoed above the polite dinner conversation about topics such as fiscal discipline, permanent tax cuts and the war in Iraq when more than 250 Republicans gathered in Fort Collins on Friday night for the Larimer County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner. U.S. Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana, the keynote speaker, provided the

Husband of outed spy to call on city, nation to hold government accountable
March 4, 2006 •• 669 words •• ID: ftc2006030609250208
LINDSAY RENICK MAYER LindsayRenickMayer@coloradoan.com Former ambassador Joe Wilson has added Fort Collins to his list of places to spread a message about government accountability in the name of democracy and strengthened international relations. Wilson, a United States diplomat from 1976 to 1998, will be the keynote speaker for the Larimer County Democrats' Annual Presidents' Day Dinner on March 18.

Snyder on Fischer

2006-03-20T13:22:00.000-07:00

Go get 'em, Greg.

Growth

2006-03-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

I would have phrased it as "growth leads to greater diversity."

Diversity drives growth.

It's Sunshine Week!

2006-03-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

... so says David Roy in a Soapbox today:

I believe that we must all renew our efforts to understand why government must be open, and why government must be transparent and responsive.

Okay, then.

WEITKUNAT: And I want to support that. I don't have a problem with us talking. I don't have a problem with you [Roy] talking with Kurt. I don't have a problem with you talking with Marty. I'm going back to the regularly scheduled meeting of three or four council members with alternating persons, meeting on a regular basis, discussing regular issues. I think that's a problem.
DAVID ROY: And I have to disagree. In fact…. Uh, you can ask John, and you can certainly ask Ray, that, huh, any week to week, uh, organized and regular is not how, uh, some of my hours work. I mean, uh, I've missed, uh, at least three meetings with John. Uh, Ray and I uh, uh, miss meetings that, you, that are scheduled. Um… I...I catch as catch can on different things. I, I, I, uh, I don't have…. I don't have a block of time….
WEITKUNAT: It's not you specifically, David. You know, the reference went to Marty and Bill and Eric. And, um, you know, I don't hear them addressing the regularity of their meetings. You know. And I know, David, how conscientious you are in the information you're getting, and I…I…I believe that. You know.
HAMRICK: Just…just want to jump in a minute. What David said applies to me as well. You know, I got elected by, um, the folks, uh, because I , um, ran on a certain platform. They expect certain philosophical positions. And I meet with like-minded council members to work on strategy to develop proposals, to, uh, gather information. All of the things that David has mentioned. And I see nothing wrong with that because that's our job, is to pass a legislation for the citizens of Fort Collins. That's our job. I make no apologies about it.
WEITKUNAT: That represents your point of view
HAMRICK: That's correct! Absolutely.
WEITKUNAT: Where is the community point. That's what I'm saying. Where does the community fit?
HAMRICK: The community is when we pass legislation by majority vote. That's when it happens. And by us meeting to work out…working out, um, discussions on issues and positions and proposals for ordinance coming forward… I mean, it takes three council members to, uh, get a ordinance worked on. So… So… You, know, you're saying that this three… Maybe if we had a resolution says maybe Bill and Marty and I can't meet, maybe that…that would be okay. But, you know, what's… What's enough? Legally and ethically, it's fine for three council members to meet. Now if you have a suggestion about saying that you want to change the code and focus on the code, you know, we can discuss that. But, to single out three council members because they meet as they're supposed to because, uh, the citizens of Fort Collins elect them to office to work on certain items…. I…I…I don't see anything wrong with that at all.

Don't take my word for it, check out a contemporaneous account from a familiar name.

House District 51

2006-03-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

This article is devastating to Represenatative Welker's re-election hopes.

FCW Column

2006-03-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

Now, I'm sure I'll be accused of being "against the library," so let's get this straight at the outset: I love libraries. Got that?

I just think that the creation of a library district is a feel-good, deceptive way of raising taxes in Fort Collins.

Here's why:

The Library Shell Game

On one hand, we have a budget deficit. On the other hand, we have a popular city department that needs more revenue. The solution: We’ll just take that department out of the budget and let it pay for itself. The budget will be balanced and our popular city department will be fully funded, right?

Well, not exactly.

Imagine you give your teenager $10 each week in allowance. Now imagine the nightmare scenario where your teenager has the same level of fiscal responsibility as the Fort Collins city government: In other words, he’ll be back at the end of the week explaining that he actually spent $12 of his $10 allowance. (He absolutely needed that $2 Slurpee.)

You, as a parent, have three options for dealing with this budget shortfall. Option one: you tell your teen to live within his means. Option two: You shrug your shoulders and raise his allowance to $12. Option three: You proclaim that Slurpees are no longer a part of the allowance system and will henceforth be paid for out of a special “Slurpee Fund.”

What are the similarities between option two and option three? Both ways, you’re out $12 instead of $10.

The Fort Collins city budget faces a $2.6 million deficit in 2007. It costs $3.5 million to run our city’s libraries. A library district would raise more than $5 million through a mill levy and remove the $3.5 million in library operating costs from the city budget. The libraries are fully funded and the city budget is balanced.

Did you catch that slight of hand? I hope so. It just cost you $5 million.

This is the library district shell game: City Council takes a popular line items in its budget and dangles it in front of the voters, asking for more revenue. When the voters agree, the new tax clears up past deficits and creates space for more spending. It’s a tax increase. City Council passes the buck on to the voters with a message of, “if you want it, you pay for it.”

There’s nothing wrong with ballot initiatives to pay for capital improvements. For example, there will most likely be a ballot initiative this November to pay for needed improvements to our county detention center. In fact, if the creation of a library district were solely to pay for a new southeast branch, it would make sense. This is different. This is the creation of a new tax to pay the operating costs of an existing department.

Everyone loves libraries. Libraries are a political winner. Voting for libraries is like voting for motherhood and apple pie. Hence, libraries are the portion of the city budget being put on the ballot. It’s a nifty way of doing business: get the voters to approve new taxes for the most popular line items while continuing to overspend on those things that might not be approved by a vote of the people.

So here’s my suggestion: Let’s be honest with the voters about the budget. Instead of the library system, why doesn’t City Council put the taxpayer subsidies for low-wattage light bulbs and compost bins on the ballot? Why don’t they put the wood smoke hotline on the ballot? Or how about the lavish marketing campaigns designed to make us all better citizens of the earth? All of those items are funded from the general fund, just like the libraries, but I have a hunch that the voters might not be so inclined to raise taxes to pay for my compost bin.

The creation of a library district is a way for City Council to raise taxes, continue overspending and call the budget “balanced.” The voters would be doing the Council’s dirty work, and the taxpayers would be picking up the tab.

As voters, we need to make smart decisions. Sometimes the best decision is to force our elected officials to make hard choices. Perhaps our overspending teenager can do without that $2 Slurpee. Cut the budget first.

Planning Ahead in Loveland

2006-03-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

Loveland is starting to save now for a planned reservoir project.

New Look for the Trib

2006-03-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

The online edition of the Greeley Tribune has been redesigned.

The Department of Redundancy Department

2006-03-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

"Mayors' Awards Give Teenagers Recognition"

Good Faith Negotiations

2006-03-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

How do you define "good faith" negotiations? Getting what you want.

The Fraternal Order of Police did not get what they wanted in their negotiations with the City of Fort Collins, so they're asking the voters to change the ground rules.

Understandably, the City Council is not supportive. They took the rather proactive step of passing a resolution to urge the citizens not to sign a petition to put the FOP's proposed charter change on the ballot.

Halligan

2006-03-03T06:42:00.000-07:00

It looks like the potential expansion of the Halligan Reservoir is going to be a pretty big issue...

On Monday, they held an informational meeting about Halligan.

Of course, there's already a group formed to fight it. (We don't know any specifics about if or how the reservoir will affect the flow rates of the Poudre, so it begs the question: Is this group fighting for the health of the Poudre, or is it fighting against growth? If it were the former, wouldn't you think they'd want to know the facts before taking a position?)

The Coloradoan editorialized in favor of the reservoir:

For some, the idea of any reservoir expansion is tantamount to enabling population growth. We disagree. Communities that plan ahead for potential growth are better-equipped to make informed decisions about how to manage their resources well into the future and match those resources to land-use policies. Cities caught behind in resource management are more likely to be forced to take expensive, if not desperate and environmentally damaging measures to deal with the pressures of growth.

Stay tuned.

Annual Dinner

2006-02-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

The Coloradoan has a roundup of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce's 101st Annual Dinner.

Evidence?

2006-02-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

The lede sentence of this story in the Coloradoan reads: "With hundreds of people starving in Fort Collins..." There is no evidence offered in the article to back up this assertion.

Now, I don't for a moment doubt that there are real needs in Fort Collins. If anything, we tend to overlook those real needs as we go about our daily life. To that extent, coverage from the Coloradoan is a good thing: it reminds us of needs that are too easy to ignore.

This is a critique of the reporting, not the issue. If there are "hundreds of people starving," the reporter owes the reader some evidence to back up the claim. Starvation is not the same as undernourishment and poor nourisment. Starvation is fatal. If there are hundreds of people starving in Fort Collins, we would regularly be seeing people dying from starvation.

Is this splitting hairs? Perhaps. But we should be able to expect accuracy from the media, no matter what the issue.

Let's talk openly and honestly about hunger in Fort Collins. It is a good thing that the Coloradoan reported on the good work of the Poudre School District and the Food Bank for Larimer County. However, that shouldn't mean the end of jounalistic standards.

UPDATE:

The Northern Colorado Business Report's Business Report Daily had an article yesterday afternoon with a concise, fact-filled story on the same topic.

Food Bank sees rising client numbers
Originally published 2006-02-23 00:00:00

Despite a broad consensus that Northern Colorado’s economy is improving, the Food Bank for Larimer County has reported nearly a three-fold increase in the number of people it serves from its pantry program.
More than 7,200 people monthly this year will seek Food Bank assistance, compared to 2,500 in January 2001.
According to a report released today by a national food bank network, America’s Second Harvest, hunger is on the rise both regionally and nationally. The study is the largest ever conducted, with data based on face-to-face interviews with 52,000 people seeking emergency food assistance. The study included 280 interviews conducted at the Larimer food bank.
The study shows 63 percent of households served by the food bank are living below the federal poverty line, and that 43 percent of those have at least one adult working.
During the interviews, 47 percent of those surveyed reported making a choice between paying for utilities or buying food. Forty percent reported having to choose between paying for medical care or paying for food.
More information about the survey is available at www.secondharvest.org.

FCW Column

2006-02-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

I don't mean to gratuitously pile on, but...

Let's just say that this isn't limited to the Coloradoan. What bugs me the most is that these are the same outlets which endlessly editorialize in favor of more and more restriction on political speech.

Apathy? Don’t Blame the Voters.

It’s that time of year again. In the past few weeks, we’ve begun to see candidates for local office formally kick off their campaigns.

Here’s a challenge for you: Go through the back issues of the Coloradoan from the past few weeks and take a look at the “stories” about candidates making their announcements to run for office.

There aren’t any. Sure, there are short blurbs about candidates, and if those blurbs read like barely-edited press releases, it is because that is exactly what they are.

This is a disturbing trend. Through this past November’s election, the Coloradoan would assign a reporter to cover candidate announcements. The reporter would conduct an interview, ask questions about the candidate’s experience and positions on key issues, and write an in-depth story.

Now, however, we get reprinted press releases.

To be fair, this trend is not limited to the Coloradoan. The lack of straightforward reporting about candidates and issues is a national phenomenon. The best example comes every four years at the national conventions. Every four years, we hear the same lament from the pundits: “Nothing newsworthy happens at conventions anymore.” True, there’s no longer much controversy, but nominating conventions are an opportunity for nominees, party leaders and rising stars to speak directly to the American people about who they are, where they stand on issues and why they deserve our vote. According to today’s media, that’s not news. The Coloradoan seems to be buying into the conventional wisdom of the industry.

The irony is that this coming October we will see the same warmed-over editorials in newspapers around the country denouncing apathy and bemoaning the ignorance of the electorate. Yet those same papers give us reprinted press releases instead of reporting about candidates and issues.

As part of my consulting practice, I teach campaign schools for local candidates. I used to have a whole section on dealing with the media. I used to explain the key components of writing a good press release, how to hold a press conference, how to prepare for sit-down interviews.

Now? I basically give them the truth: “Don’t bother trying to hold a press conference,” I say. “Unless you stop traffic during rush hour by lighting yourself on fire, you’re not going to get any ink.” Unfortunately, that’s pretty much accurate. Reporters and editors decide what’s “news,” and they do not consider a candidate for office explaining where he or she stands on an issue to be news.

Instead, we see stories about how “the race is tightening” or that the “latest polls show the incumbent ahead” or how “the challenger had strong first-quarter fundraising numbers.” But a story that explains where a candidate stands on an actual issue? It just doesn’t happen.

It may seem a bit unfair to single out the Coloradoan, but they are the daily newspaper of record in this town. Like national newsweeklies, the publication you’re holding covers long-term trends, performs investigative reporting and provides candidate profiles. The monthly publications often offer candidates column space to write about their campaigns. Even the Collegian is currently running a series of candidate profiles where an actual human reporter writes an actual news article explaining who the candidate is, why they’re running and what they stand for.

The Coloradoan is now leaving that up to press releases. Through last November, they would cover candidate announcements, write an article as a follow-up to a candidate’s meeting with the editorial board, and, if a candidate was lucky, he or she might get a picture standing on a street corner holding a sign as part of the paper’s “make sure you vote” pre-election issue.
Aside from some space provided on the op-ed pages, that adds up to two actual news articles for an entire election cycle. Now we’re down to one. (Unless, of course, you count the inevitable editorial blaming you for being apathetic and ignorant.)

News, News, News

2006-02-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

You want news?

Ouch.

The Coloradoan editorial page is to the right of the City Council on taxes and spending.

But 2005 should have been the start, not the end, to scrutiny and comparisons with other municipalities about the size of Fort Collins’ government. So far, it doesn’t appear as though City Council is willing to shoulder this responsibility.
Residents should be aware that a shell game is at hand when city officials are shifting costs to the public without looking harder at cutting expenses first.

Ed Board Additions

Good choices.

I-25

Let me sum up what should be the entire planning proposal for I-25: Six Lanes First.

The 65 Percent Solution

It looks like the First Class Education initiative will be on the ballot in November. It mandates that school districts spend 65 percent of operational budgets on classroom instruction.

Evans City Council

The election is April 4. They're looking for candidates.

Infill Update

The Reporter-Herald has a feature on infill development.

Transportation

Are transportation management associations a solution to traffic issues? Possibly, as long as membership is voluntary.

Miller Running for Assessor

Steve Miller is running for Assessor and will try to get onto the primary ballot against incumbent Larry Johnson.

What's Wrong With This Column?

Here's a hint:

I was instrumental in the council's efforts to bring the Anheuser-Busch brewery to this area in a balanced manner...

Which, apparently, is a paraphrase for "I voted against bringing the brewery to this area."

Another Biased Coloradoan Headline (and story)

2006-02-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Check out today's headline: "Health help for workers."

Except that it won't be very helpful for the workers who are laid off so companies can afford a new state mandate.

This paragraph is buried after the jump, and after the glowing reports of a rally on the Capitol steps.

Chris Howes, president of the lobbying organization Colorado Retail Council, said companies might put jobs on hold and hire fewer people to save money.

This is not some sort of radical theory. It's pretty basic economics. If corporations are forced by the government to increase expenditures, they're going to need to get that money from somewhere. Why is it that some people continue to see corporations as endless supplies of money that the government can dole out by mandate? Where do they think that money is?

It's easy to paint corporate America as a bunch of fat cats (and the salaries paid to executives are not exactly great PR), but so-called "big corporations" are owned by millions of stockholders, and those stockholders come from every income class. In fact, today more than half of Americans now own stocks, when you factor in 401(k) programs, pension plans and private investments.

We're hindering the profitability of business by government fiat. While that might increase the health benefits for some workers, that money has to come from somewhere.

And it comes by cutting costs in other places - like from the workers who are laid off or the future workers who are not hired.

It comes out of the pockets of every stockholder who sees his or her retirement dreams diminshed or pension benefits cut when the business becomes less profitable and its stock price goes down.

So Long, Bullhorn

2006-02-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

It's been real.

From the Northern Colorado Business Report's Business Report Daily web site.

Sources: Weekly alternative paper calls it quits
Originally published 2006-02-08 00:00:00
FORT COLLINS - Readers looking for their weekly fix of alternative news will likely be disappointed tomorrow when they reach for the latest edition of the Rocky Mountain Bullhorn.
The Bullhorn, an alternative weekly published in Fort Collins, ceased publication today, ending a six-year run. Several employees confirmed the news, but publisher Joseph Rouse didn't return a call for comment before this story was published.
The next edition of the Bullhorn, due out on Thursday, will not be available in print. However, an employee indicated that the online version might be available later in the week.
The Bullhorn began publication in 2000 as a monthly news alternative. It converted to a weekly format in May 2003.

FCW Column: Blowing Smoke

2006-02-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

At a time when we're raising fees in order to close a budget shortfall, isn't it time to revisit some of the social engineering built in to the city government?

How much do these programs cost? How many person-hours of city staff time are spent on this?

The Fort Collins Weekly site is down for maintenance, so I'm posting the column here in its entirety.

Blowing Smoke

How well do you really know your city? Did you know that you can go to jail for not meeting the opacity standards for home wood-smoke emissions?

Allow me to explain.

With home heating bills on the rise, you might be inspired to turn down the thermostat and light a cozy fire in your wood stove. Think again. The City of Fort Collins disapproves. Grab one of their handy (taxpayer-funded) “Wood Burning in Fort Collins” brochures, and you’ll learn that “The City recommends that you avoid using your fireplace or wood stove to protect the health of yourself and your neighbors.” According to the City, “Wood smoke is a complex mixture of toxic substances that damage indoor and outdoor air, causing health and air quality problems.”

Fort Collins has an aggressive program to discourage you from burning wood. First of all, only EPA-approved stoves can be installed in the city (a building permit is required.) If you happen to have an older stove, the City will give you a zero-interest five-year loan of up to $2,300 to replace it.

But this subsidized “encouragement” is apparently not enough for the City of Fort Collins. They’re also trying to enlist citizens to be their eyes and their ears for the enforcement of stringent wood-burning standards.

Here’s how it works: If your neighbor deems the smoke or odor from your wood stove to be a problem he or she can call the Wood Smoke Response Line (221-6600) and complain. According to the brochure, “the City then sends a letter and this brochure to all homes in the area, including the source of the smoke. The City will work with the caller to educate the neighborhood and ensure the source is complying with City Code.”

Got that? If one of your neighbors complains about the odor emanating from the chimney on top of your house, the City sends a letter to all of your neighbors letting them in on the process. Talk about government overreach.

But wait, it gets better. The City of Fort Collins (apparently with nothing better to do) has set forth standards for that smoke coming from your chimney. Here’s the regulation: “After the first 15-minutes of start-up, smoke from the chimney must be at or less than 20% opacity (smoke should be barely visible looking at it with your back to the sun).” So now that all of your neighbors know that the City is investigating, perhaps you can invite everyone over, light up a fire in the fireplace, set an egg time for 15 minutes, and try to decide among the assembled group whether the smoke is “barely visible.”

Pretty funny, huh? Not really. There’s quite a lot riding on that 20% opacity determination. According to the City’s brochure, a violation “can result in a summons to appear in municipal court resulting in a fine of up to $1,000 and 180 days in jail.”

Where does it end? The City is so fanatical about the apparent suffocating pollution caused by wood burning that they’re not only regulating wood stoves, they’re also using tax dollars to help people buy cleaner stoves and have set up a system that encourages people to rat out neighbors.

Wood smoke is the tip of the iceberg. The City Code is rife with social engineering. Taxpayer-funded City programs offer up $50 if you want to replace your clothes washer, $110 - $225 if you’re replacing your air conditioner, even free weatherization programs to make sure you’re not using too much energy.

If you’re of the opinion that these types of programs are the responsibility of your city government, fine. But as a taxpayer, you’re paying for the Wood Smoke Response Line and the flashy brochure. You’re paying the salaries of the bureaucracy. You’re even paying to fund your neighbor’s home improvements.

Is this how you want your money to be spent?

News Notes: (1/31/06)

2006-01-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

State of the City

Tonight.

The Group Gathering

David Lereah, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, was the keynote speaker at last night's 2006 Real Estate Forecast. Larry Kendall of the Group gave his regional predictions. You can view the presentation here.

Lieutenant Governor Announcement

GOP gubernatorial candidate Marc Holtzman has announced that former Colorado Speaker of the House Lola Spradley will be his lieutenant governor running mate.

The Next Step for Centerra

The Millennium Consolidation was brought before the Loveland Planning Commission.

"Please" is Not the Magic Word (in Economics)

This guest commentary in the Tribune suggests that Windsor ignore the demands of the market and "Consider a beautiful Windsor business park instead of houses."

Musgrave Outlines Priorities

From the Tribune: "The House of Representatives meets Tuesday for the first time this year, and at the top of Rep. Marilyn Musgrave's to-do list are increased border security, lifting the Japanese beef embargo and congressional ethics reform."

Haynes Stirs the Pot

Former Larimer GOP chair Ed Haynes asks the $64,000 question of Senator Bob Bacon in a rather frank (yet refreshingly respectful) letter in the Coloradoan today: Is there a deal set up whereby Senator Bacon will step aside for Representative Paccione should Paccione lose her challenge to Congresswoman Musgrave?

In Case You Were Curious

If you're doing renovations, "you'll need a building permit, but that's a given and a good thing." It's a good thing, according to code compliance inspector Robin MacDonald, to have to get approval from the city bureaucrats and pay a fee before you can renovate your basement. Doing otherwise would be double-plus ungood.

The Activist Journalists of Tomorrow

... are writing for the Collegian today.

This story was all over the place. It begins with the lede: "Two weeks after a black man was reportedly beaten by four college-age white men, activist LeRoy Gomez staged a protest against "racist cops" in front of the city's police department Monday."

But the protest had nothing to do with the beating. It had to do with a dispute between two neighbors, one of whom, Ron Pittman, claims that the Fort Collins police are slow to respond to his complaints because he is black. "Pittman has had disputes with his neighbors, but whenever he calls the police, the officers always become suspicious of him instead because he's black, Gomez said."

Only in the final paragraphs of the story does the author refer back to the January beating (about which police spokesperson Rita Davis now asserts that "even the victim doesn't believe the assault was racially motivated.")

This is quite a stretch for the Collegian to create a theme for a story by linking two unrelated incidents and putting the more 'newsworthy' of the two in the lede.

The Coloradoan Clarifies

The Colorodoan published a clarification today (and a note to prospective letter-writers) regarding the Golub letter.

Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: ... All the Way to the Coloradoan

2006-01-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

A Daniel Golub has a letter published in the Coloradoan today, entitled "Teachers make it possible." In the letter, Golub describes a scene where:

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

What follows is a warm, fuzzy story about the importance of teachers.

But Mr. Golub wasn't at the dinner party. The whole letter is a cut-and-paste of a pretty common e-mail forward. It's featured on the Harlem Federation of Teachers website. It's on this website of teacher inspirations. It was even used by the New York Times' Tom Friedman in a commencement address to Williams (in which he attributes it to the poet Taylor Mali).

Oops.

(Hat tip: David Wheat)

News Notes: (1/30/06)

2006-01-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Shining the Light

David May's op-ed in today's Coloradoan is an essential first step towards highlighting the true goals of the well-organized anti-growth activists in Fort Collins.

Egg & I Expansion

The beloved Fort Collins breakfast spot is expanding. It now has 13 locations and is franchising into places such as Houston.

Nate's

Nate's Steak and Seafood is profiled in the Coloradoan.

Here They Come

The MoveOn.org types are targeting Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave.

Loveland's First Charter School

The New Vision Charter School is set to open in Loveland this fall.

83 and Counting

The Eagles set a record with their 83rd consecutive sellout of the Bud Center.

"I have been arrested..."

Words you might not want to include in your op-ed announcing your candidacy for office. Wasn't John Kefalas also busted for not paying taxes as a form of protest against American foreign policy?

School Board Blogging

2006-01-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

Poudre School Board member Ross Cuniff has a blog.

UPDATE: I've corrected this. It read: "School Board President..." Jana Ley is the president of the Poudre School Board.

A Glaring Omission

2006-01-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

The article about wood burning in the Coloradoan yesterday is embarassingly bad journalism. Why? Because for some reason, they neglected to tell the whole story. The Coloradoan politely notes that:

Fort Collins also has a code that prohibits dense smoke from residential chimneys. The smoke must not be greater than 20 percent opacity after 15 minutes of burning, said Lucinda Smith, senior environmental planner with the city’s air quality program.
“We have a certified city inspector who can go out and check that,” Smith said.

What the Coloradoan fails to report is that you can face a penalty of a $1,000 fine and 180 days in jail if you don't meet the city's wood smoke opacity standards.

Why did the Coloradoan leave that out? Are they trying to soften the city's image by ignoring the reality of the restrictiveness of the City Code?

News Notes: (1/27/06)

2006-01-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

For some reason Blogger was down yesterday morning. So here are two days worth of News Notes...

Road Safety

Larimer County leads the state in traffic fatalities among 16-20 year olds. While the article and the editorial both focus on the use of seatbelts, it's about time these grim statistics get us thinking more seriously about improving our roads and making our intersections safer. We should start with the intersection of Shields and Harmony.

Johnson's Corner

The Rocky Mountain News has an article about the fight to keep Exit 254. It has been a topic of discussion for CDOT, but apparently the exit is here to stay.

Water Pik Closing

Water Pik is closing its Loveland facility, eliminating 150 jobs.

Musgrave Open House

Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave held a well-attended open house on Wednesday.

Infection Bill

The Coloradoan editorializes in favor of Rep. Bob McCluskey's infection rate reporting bill.

The Airport

The planning for the Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport expansion is moving forward.

Greeley Growth

Greeley City Councilmember Pam Shaddock argues that any discussions of Weld County growth should include the towns. Meanwhile, the Broe development is starting to run into some community opposition.

Berthoud Growth

Berthoud is starting to have to deal with issues surrounding its growth.

Uggh.

If this profile of Randy Fischer in the Collegian was any more full of sap, it'd have to be printed on a pancake. "Face un-phased and eyes forward, Fischer said..." You've got to be kidding me.

Oops.

2006-01-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

If you are a parent of a soon-to-be ninth-grader at PSD, you should pause, take a deep breath, and read today's Coloradoan.

Yesterday, the Coloradoan reported that the school board had approved a proposal to move ninth-graders into the high-schools (the article is no longer on the web site).

Well, it turns out that that wasn't exactly right. Today, the Coloradoan reports:

When the Poudre School District Board of Education adopted eight recommendations Monday to deal with enrollment shifts, it set goals for the future and established committees to research several ideas contained in the recommendations.
One of the biggest possible changes would amend the current configuration of district schools, so ninth-graders would be enrolled in high school by the 2008-2009 school year.

Note the clarification: "possible changes." To its credit, the Coloradoan published an apology in the sidebar.

News Notes: (1/25/06)

2006-01-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

FRII Expands

FRII has purchased DataWest Internet of Colorado Springs.

Hotels

The Hampton Inn on 29th Street in Greeley is slated to open in the fall, while the groundbreaking for the Embassy Suites at the Ranch has been delayed.

Woodward Governor

Woodward Governor saw a 3 percent increase in sales during Q1.

The Broncos

Mike Burns of Burns Marketing Communications lost his bet on the Broncos-Steelers game.

(In a related note, there was a college-aged male standing at the corner of Shields and Prospect at rush hour last night, wearing a dress and holding a sign that read: "The Broncos Suck." I think it's safe to assume that there was a lost wager involved in that spectacle as well.)

Town Manager Gets a Raise

The Windsor Town Manager has been given a raise. He's now earning $120,750.

Now That's a Lot of Health

A 59,000-square-foot health club is planned for the 2534 development.

Welker Soapbox

Representative Jim Welker has his legislative preview op-ed in the Coloradoan today.

North College Jump Start

The Council is considering loaning $500,000 to the Urban Renewal Authority to jump-start the North College project.

The Recline of Fort Collins

The Fort Collins La-Z-Boy store is the company's top store in an 11-state region.

The Unpublishable Column

2006-01-24T16:40:00.000-07:00

For two years, David Wheat wrote a monthly "Community" column in the Coloradoan. In what was to be his November 2005 column, Wheat decided to write about the Poudre School District.

The Coloradoan refused to run the column.

Now, one of my biggest concerns with the op-ed page of the Coloradoan has been their willingness to publish even the most dubious "facts" - as long as they were contained within the body of an "opinion" column. And yet they were unwilling to publish David Wheat's column, even after he provided detailed sourcing to answer their questions.

Why the double standard?

The Coloradoan covers PSD issues with the same inquisitive reporting that they afford their coverage of the weekly school lunch menu. Apparently, that kid-glove treatment applies to the editorial page as well.

Here is the unpublishable column:

Culture Clash Goes To School

by David Wheat

As a writer, the highest praise I've received is from someone who disagrees with one of my columns, but can still manage to say that it was well-written. In that vein, let me say this about Community columnist Sarah Hoffman; she's a terrific writer whose logic and reasoning seldom make sense to me.

Hoffman has turned her disdain for Ridgeview Classical School, a charter school, into a cottage industry. In two recent columns she's described Ridgeview as having no place in public education because - brace yourself - they teach values alongside academics. Values that Hoffman finds repugnant, like encouraging boys to act gentlemanly toward the weaker, fairer, identical-in-every-conceivable-way sex.

Yet Hoffman assumes that there isn't also a set of values being foisted on students in regular public schools; values that many parents find just as offensive as those to which Hoffman objects at Ridgeview. The following examples, from eyewitness accounts or which I confirmed with teachers directly, show Hoffman's assumption to be far from reality:

In front of an entire class, a teacher asks an 8th grader if his parents are religious. After the student says that they are, the teacher tells the student to ask his parents why, if God is all-powerful, he needs their money.

On the first day of school, a high school teacher drops the F-bomb purely for effect and tells the students the may address her either by her name or as "B-tch."

On the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, a high school student is sent to the office because a teacher finds the message on his T-shirt ("Abortion is Homicide") offensive and distracting. Other students repeatedly wear shirts carrying the obscene spoonerism "Buck Fush," apparently without consequence.

Standing in the middle of a drug-free zone (a PSD junior high), a teacher tells his 9th grade class he believes marijuana should be legalized. He teaches a subject without the slightest academic connection to a discussion of drug policies.

Parents of a 6th grader are gobsmacked when their son announces that he learned what a threesome was at school that day. Not on the playground from a smut-mouthed kid, but straight from the lips of a teacher within the hallowed halls of the school during a health unit Q&A session.

Such behavior certainly doesn't describe the majority of teachers within PSD who are content to transfer academic knowledge to their students and who usually do so with excellence. But there is a sizeable contingent - the World Changers - who feel compelled to ensure that every student who passes through their classroom is proselytized to see things through the teacher's worldview.

Combine this manipulative activism with the primary characteristic of any monopoly (arrogance) and the result is the widespread projection of one set of cultural values into the classroom to the exclusion, and even persecution, of other perspectives.

Through the years, parents decided to do something about the immoral, humanist and anti-religious agenda being force-fed to their children by public education. Some decided to home-school their children. Others worked to help pass laws allowing for the creation of charter schools and then to protect them from being sabotaged by school boards. Though Hoffman considers charter schools essentially undemocratic, nothing is more democratic than private citizens working through peaceful and legal means to reform a monopolistic government institution that consistently ignores their voice.

In classic liberal fashion, Hoffman trusts government paternalism more than individuals and downplays parental importance within education by writing "Parents have a role in education, but children are the ultimate 'customers.'" The fact that charter schools exist at all is tangible evidence that PSD underestimates the power of parents to reform the educational status quo at the risk of becoming increasingly irrelevant.

David Wheat resides in Fort Collins. This is his last column for the Coloradoan. E-mail him at d_wheat@hotmail.com.

News Notes: (1/24/06)

2006-01-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

The Water is Fine

Before making a decision on whether or not to open an office in Fort Collins, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. tested the waters by hosting a job fair. It seems that the job fair was a success: They're coming.

Infection Legislation

Rep. Bob McCluskey's bill requiring hospitals to report infection rates was passed out of committee by a 12-1 vote. Rep. Kevin Lundberg was the sole dissenter.

Wanna Buy Some Sugar?

The Western Sugar Cooperative's Greeley factory is for sale for the price of $14 million.

CDOT Forums

CDOT held a forum last night to discuss the long-term future of I-25. CDOT will be hosting a meeting in Windsor on Wednesday to discuss Colo. 392.

Beat a Strategic Retreat

The Greeley City Council retreats.

Ideas for Loveland

The Community Foundation for Northern Colorado considers some ideas for improving Loveland.

Another Windsor Fight?

The Broe Companies' development in Windsor is drawing some fire.

Wheel! Of! Fish!

The Wheel of Fortune is looking for CSU students to appear during their "College Week."

News Notes: (1/23/06)

2006-01-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

I hope to post more later today, but...

Another Bad Headline

"Nature's new voice"? No. They're a citizen board - they're the voice of the citizens on natural areas issues.

Loveland Development

This time, it's along U.S. 287.

FCW Column

2006-01-20T06:10:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wondered why gas costs about ten cents more in Fort Collins than in Loveland?

I have.

(It never ceases to amaze me when the social engineers show an absolute disregard for basic economics. You mean to tell me that NO ONE brought up the point: "Hey, if we completely outlaw competition, prices might go up," when they were writing the city plan???)

FCW Column

2006-01-20T06:10:00.000-07:00

News Notes: (1/20/06)

2006-01-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

NCBR Forecast: Two Takes

Two different takes on the Northern Colorado Business Report's Economic Forecast 2006: The Coloradoan has a relatively optimistic story about economist John Green's presentation, focusing on the future of the health care and real estate industries. The Tribune, in a story entitled "Economy 'teetering on edge' of slowdown," focuses on the more pessimistic prognostications of Green. Same event.

Water Rates Increase?

Loveland is considering raising its water rates. But rather than adopting the Fort Collins tactic of using high water rates to discourage growth, Loveland is earmarking the extra revenue for new storage projects.

News Notes: (1/19/06)

2006-01-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

CDOT Wants Your Opinion

CDOT is hosting a series of public forums to gather public comment on proposed transportation programs. These forums are often dominated by anti-growth, anti-car types, so if you happen to believe in something as "controversial" as, say, the widening of I-25, you should show up and speak your mind.

"Fighting" City Hall?

The original story ran on Monday, and the Coloradoan follows up with an editorial today. One thing, however, is missing: nowhere in the original article is a single quote from anyone at City Hall. Why not?

Is the student really "fighting City Hall?" Is anyone "fighting" back? We don't know, because the Coloradoan doesn't seem to think that that part of the story is relevant. Instead, they've used another catchy, cliche headline in an attempt to make a relatively mundane story into a noble crusade.

New Hotel in Greeley

Forts Collins-based Spirit Hospitality is building a Hampton Inn and Suites on 29th Street.

Lee Farm Moves Forward

The Loveland City Council approved the annexation and rezoning of the proposed development at Lee Farm.

News Notes: (1/18/06)

2006-01-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

New Neighbors in Old Town

The Coloradoan has a story about some of the new businesses opening in Old Town.

Diggs Brown Meeting

Councilman Diggs Brown will be holding a neighborhood meeting on Thursday.

Big-Box Moves Forward

The city council voted unanimously last night to change the Harmony Corridor Plan to allow "big-box" retailers.

Infection Tracking

Rep. Bob McCluskey is pushing a bill that would require hospitals to report data on infections.

Colo. 392/I-25 Partnership

Windsor is hoping to work with Fort Collins on a plan to improve the intersection of Colo. 392 and I-25.

Beauprez in Fort Collins

2006-01-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Representative Bob Beauprez will be in Fort Collins today to announce his candidacy for Governor of Colorado.

He'll be at 4637 S. Mason, a storefront in the west side of the Wal-Mart parking lot, at 2 PM.

News Notes: (1/17/06)

2006-01-17T07:49:00.000-07:00

Back from the Dead

Words fail me. This farce of a project has failed miserably on the ballot twice, and yet David Roy still refers to the Mason Transportation Corridor as if it's already a done deal. Check out this paragraph:

This community meeting will focus on the creation of a grid pattern for the transit system of the city of Fort Collins, which will eventually feed into the planned Mason corridor spine. It will link the city of Fort Collins to the rest of the Front Range with commuter rail, a safe, efficient and sustainable transportation mode.

"which will eventually feed into the planned..." Planned by whom? The handful of activists at David Roy's neighborhood meetings?

"It will link..." No, David. It won't. These things only exist in David Roy's imagination, and yet this entire op-ed reads as if it's simply a matter of time. It is not. The voters have spoken. Twice. Perhaps David Roy would be better off if he focused on his district instead of his SimCity fantasyland vision of Fort Collins.

Sears Trostel Building Sold

The old Sears Trostel building at 315 Linden Street has been sold to CTL/Thompson Inc., a soil testing company.

Rodenberger Announces

Larimer County Treasurer Myrna Rodenberger has announced that she will seek re-election in November.

Starry Night

There's a profile of Old Town's Starry Night coffee shop in the Coloradoan.

Nervous Neighbors

They had been hoping for a mall, but the planned big box retailer has some of the neighbors nervous.

Centerra Phase II

Old Navy, Marshalls and Panera Bread are just some of the stores being added to Centerra in phase II.

Welker on Business Committee

Rep. Jim Welker has been named to the Business Affairs and Labor Committee.

Off the Market

The Hillside Center in Greeley has been taken off the market.

News Notes: (1/13/06)

2006-01-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

CSU and Business

Rick Snow, former general counsel at J.D. Edwards & Co. will serve as executive-in-residence at the College of Business at CSU.

Think Big

Rocky Scott of McWhinney Enterprises spoke to members of the Loveland Chamber yesterday, advocating a focus on the global economy.

Greeley Illegal Immigration

Now the Greeley city manager is going to try to address the illegal immigration issue.

Tilting at Windmills

It looks like there will be a GOP primary candidate against Sheriff Jim Alderden. Reading the article, however, it sounds like the case of a disgruntled former employee with an axe to grind.

News Notes: (1/12/06)

2006-01-12T05:43:00.000-07:00

The Legislative Session

The Coloradoan has a relatively straightforward article on the opening of the legislative session and some of the issues that will be coming to the forefront this year.

But the headline of the article is completely over-the-top: "Money Talks in Legislature." This is a smarmy attempt to use a play on words (Get it? Budget priorities are the big issue, so therefore "money talks.") to impugn the integrity of our elected officials by implying that they can be bought.

This is an embarrassment for the Coloradoan.

Historic Preservation

There's a historic preservation fight brewing in the Cranford neighborhood of Greeley.

Weld Tax Districts

The Weld County Commissioners are preparing special tax districts for the county.

Lundberg Op-Ed

Rep. Kevin Lundberg shares his outlook on the legislative session here.

Sod Buster

The Sod Buster Inn in Greeley will reopen on February 1.

Ethan Allen Moving

Ethan Allen furniture is moving from South College to 2534.

Morning Announcements

The Loveland Chamber's "Business InSights" program today will be held at Heska Corp.; and be sure to make your reservations for the Coloradoan's "Best in Business" luncheon. (Details for both can be found here.)

News Notes: (1/11/06)

2006-01-11T05:16:00.000-07:00

Intel Incentives

... were approved by the Larimer County Commission last night. My thoughts here.

Making the Grade

Poudre Valley Hospital was ranked in the top ten percent of hospitals nationwide in orthopedic care, care of stroke patients, and critical care by HealthGrades.

We're #73!

CSU was ranked 73rd among public schools for affordability and quality education by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.

Lowe's in Fort Collins?

There will be a vote next Tuesday on allowing "big box" retailers on the Harmony Road "lifestyle center" site.

Op-Eds from Johnson and Bacon

Senators Johnson and Bacon have their legislative outlook op-eds in the Coloradoan today.

In Brief

Two items in the "In Brief" section of the Coloradoan business page today: Steven Berens has been named the new CEO of Privacy NETworks, and Mountain Media Enterprises has added a direct imaging press.

Neighborhood Meeting

Councilman David Roy will be holding a neighborhood meeting on Saturday. Don't miss the fun!

Fee Free?

The Larimer County Commissioners are considering eliminating the fee for use of Horsetooth Mountain Park. Funds for the maintenance of the park would come from the county's open lands program.

29th Street

The Greeley City Council is considering an extension of 29th Street through to 65th Avenue.

392 Bypass?

Windsor is considering a Colo. 392 bypass.

Coloradoan News

The Coloradoan has hired Konan Hauser to be the new advertising director.

News Notes: (1/10/06)

2006-01-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

The Group Turns 30

There's a profile of The Group, Inc. in today's Coloradoan. The photo is pretty amusing.

Heading to Denver

Both Reps Bob McCluskey and Angie Paccione have op-eds today listing their priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

Cattle Call

Five Rivers Cattle Feeding Co. is moving its corporate headquarters to Centerra.

Water Pik to be Sold

Water Pik's board of directors has decided to sell the company.

Change of Plans

Loveland is considering a change in its planning to accommodate more mixed-use developments.

Swift Earnings Down

Swift & Co. earnings were down 5.2 percent in the quarter ending November 27.

Weld County

Chris Woodruff is going to run for Weld County Assessor.

News Notes: (1/9/06)

2006-01-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

Neighborhood Meeting

City Councilman Kurt Kastein is holding a neighborhood meeting on Thursday.

Pay Raises

Kersey public employees are getting 8.5 percent pay raises.

Dam

The Coloradoan has a profile of Henry Obermeyer and Obermeyer Hydro, Inc.

Building Companies

Lacy Edwards of Indicative Software Inc.: serial entrepreneur.

News Notes: (1/6/06)

2006-01-06T05:32:00.000-07:00

NCLA Wrapup

The Coloradoan has a wrapup of the Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance's meeting yesterday with Larimer/Weld legislators.

We're Back

The Legislature's economists are predicting that Colorado will finally surpass the 2000 peak employment levels of 2.25 million jobs. At the low, in 2003, the state had lost 103,900 jobs.

Schools, Etc.

PSD Superintendent Jerry Wilson has released a list of possible solutions to the problem of school overcrowding (and undercrowding in some areas.) A Coloradoan editorial lauds the list.

The Early Holiday Returns

The Trib has an article about the local retail centers' Christmas shopping season. Unfortunately, the article is premature, as they're comparing hard numbers from some areas with speculation from others.

Loveland Open Space

The Reporter-Herald has an editorial today lauding the Larimer County open space program.

The Weekly

This week's Fort Collins Weekly is online. Each of the Fort Collins legislators has written a preview (a "wish list," so to speak) for the upcoming session, there's a cover story on the McWhinneys, and my own predictions for '06 are in black and white.

News Notes: (1/5/06)

2006-01-05T05:57:00.000-07:00

DDA Extension

The city is backing a bill in Denver that would allow Downtown Development Authorities to be extended in 10-year increments.

Tech Jobs

Advanced Micro Devices has plans to bring 200 jobs to Fort Collins... assuming they can find the qualified high-tech employees.

Rehab Center

Columbine Health has broken ground on the new rehab center on Lemay.

Making the Leap (Sort Of)

Due to term limits, State Senator Dave Owen is attempting to make the unusual jump from the State Senate to the State House.

Getting Warmer

Is the Coloradoan going to run a similar story if next year is cooler?

Greeley Growth

The Trib has an editorial today on the topic. And, of course, an article on the inevitable demand for a publicly-funded open space program.

Thompson MVP

From the Coloradoan: "Brad Thompson with First National Bank Investments & Planning in Fort Collins has been named to "Bank Investment Consultant" magazine's list of the Top 50 Most Valuable Players of 2005."

LSI Remodel

LSI Logic is remodeling their facilities off Timberline.

Rift?

There have been plenty of stories in the last few days about a supposed rift within the Colorado GOP. And the usual suspects have been piling on.

It would be preferable if political parties could sit down at a table and agree to disagree on some issues, hold hands and sing kumbayah. But this is politics. There are strongly-held positions on both sides, careers on the line, and strong personalities everywhere - and people don't get involved in this process unless they are naturally the type to stand up for what they believe.

This type of infighting happens within political parties. It's called coalition building, and it's a constant, ongoing process. But we didn't see the same sort of gleeful media coverage when the Democrats went through their bloodletting last year. So let's not let the media coverage drive this story.

News Notes: (1/4/06)

2006-01-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Council Wrap-up

Holiday displays codified and a new severe-weather homeless day shelter approved in last night's City Council action.

Happy Ending?

I bemoaned the process and the arguments presented, but I can't argue with the final outcome: the Stonehouse Grille has purchased the J. Pitner building and will be moving into the space. This was the proposed location of the ill-fated Purple Martini.

Ironically, Stonehouse, with its focus on the young professional demographic (it both features excellent business lunches and retains strong ties to CSU athletics), will probably be attracting the exact same people as the Purple Martini would have.

Legislative Goals

The NCLA is working to promote business issues for Northern Colorado in the upcoming legislative session.

BFO Editorial

The Coloradoan has an editorial about Budgeting for Outcomes.

Road Priorities

After I-25, the second-highest priority project (according to a survey of residents) is U.S. 34.

Deal Gone Sour

A Ohio-based company has filed suit over their unsuccessful attempt to purchase the Ridgeview Ranch property in Johnstown.

MotorPlex

Davidson Chevrolet and King Pontiac are moving to the MotorPlex at Centerra.

Immigration Series

The Trib is doing a series on immigration. The third installment features Mark Gould of Gould Construction in Glenwood Springs who claims that he can not find native-born Americans to fill his $14/hour construction jobs. (Note: I have worked with Mark Gould in the past, and he is a strong Republican leader on the Western Slope and an impeccably honest businessman.)

News Notes: (1/3/06)

2006-01-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the light posting (actually, non-posting) over the holidays.

Holiday Display

The holiday display debate will be on the agenda for tonight's City Council meeting.

Human Rights Office Closing

As part of the 2005 budget cuts, the Human Rights Resource and Education Office is closing.

Watch Where You Park

Parking ticket rates are going up, as are the fines for moving violations in Fort Collins.

Five Companies to Watch

The Coloradoan profiled five companies to watch in 2006.

Bonne Annee

2006-01-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy 2006!

Top Ten

2005-12-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

The Coloradoan is counting down the Top Ten Local Stories of 2005.

Predictions? Nominations?

News Notes: (12/23/05)

2005-12-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

Van Meveren Out

Former Larimer County D.A. Stu Van Meveren has pulled his name from consideration to be the next U.S. Attorney for Colorado.

Menorah Controversy

I'm not sure what to make of this, other than my firm belief that Mayor Hutchinson is trying to find the best-possible way to be inclusive - and comply with the law.

It's Not Just for Cinnamon Rolls Anymore

Johnson's Corner is planning a residential, commercial and light industrial development on 80 acres east of the truck stop complex.

Lack of Diplomacy (or: "Over-the-Line Rudeness")

In a letter, the Windsor school superintendent accused members of the Windsor Planning Commission of bowing to "blackmail and intimidation." That's not going to play well.

New Greeley Police Chief

Jerry Garner, the police chief of Fort Lupton, has been named Greeley Chief of Police.

Intel

2005-12-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

Are tax breaks for Intel so-called "corporate welfare" or are they a smart investment in jobs and the increased tax revenues they will bring?

I believe strongly that communities should aggressively seek out high-quality primary employers, and local government should be willing to extend utilities, widen roads and provide infrastructure improvements to meet the needs of new empoyers.

And I believe that in many cases, straight tax breaks are a sound investment: we'll reap far much more in increased tax revenue.

But I'm also wary of this type of program because it creates an unfair playing field: when one company is receiving a de facto government subsidy, potential competitors are at an artificial disadvantage.

That having been noted, this is Intel, a company with no local competition (as far as I know) and a provider of high-paying primary jobs. This is a win-win situation. We'll see increased tax revenues and have an influx of new consumers in our economy. Primary jobs have a multiplying effect that helps local retailers and service providers.

The proposed tax breaks for Intel are a good thing. Let's just make sure that in all future cases we continue to follow two standards: a tax break must be a net increase in tax revenue; and a tax break must never artificially alter a competitive industry.

News Notes: (12/22/05)

2005-12-22T08:19:00.000-07:00

Incentives for Intel?

Intel might be getting some property tax breaks. According to the article, this is an extremely rare phenomenon in Fort Collins and Larimer County. (I'll post more on this later.)

Alderden's In

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden will be seeking a third term next fall.

Aims Seeks Mentors

Aims Community College is seeking professional mentors in the fields of pharmacy; radiologic technology; criminal justice; computer science; and business (accounting). If you can help, e-mail program coordinator Andrea Wieland at andrea.wieland@aims.edu or call 339-6383.

Water Valley v. The Broncos

Mike Shanahan is suing Martin Lind.

Lincoln Place Use Taxes

The City of Loveland is trying to make sure that the developers in Lincoln Place pay their use taxes.

Here Come the Letters

It's always easy to spot a coordinated letter-writing/op-ed campaign. Right now, we're seeing an aggressive campaign by Zach Elementary School parents to highlight overcrowding issues. It's clearly a problem, but the calls to effectively annex Traut are shortsighted and misguided.

News Notes: (12/21/05)

2005-12-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

Growth Paying Its Own Way

It's not just through fees. Let's try this one more time: New businesses generate sales tax revenues which fill city coffers. Of course, this is occurring in Loveland, where "Economics 101" is apparently not a foreign concept for community activists.

Don't Call It a Comeback

... he's been here for years. Or perhaps this is the beginning of a political comback? Rep. Bob Schaffer has been named to fill a vacancy on the state Board of Education. It's a good fit for Schaffer, who has always been passionate about education issues, and it could be a great opportunity for him to reconnect with the voters.

Punting on Third Down

The Greeley Council decided that they didn't want to get involved in the ICE controversy, so they didn't take a position last night. It wasn't their call anyway, so this simply means that the feds will not have an opinion from the council to factor in when making their decision.

Beef Found

They'll be eating Colorado beef in Kobe again. This op-ed lavishes praise on Senator Allard and Congresswoman Musgrave for their work helping re-open the Japanese marketplace - which had been shut down due to mad cow fears.

News Notes: (12/20/05)

2005-12-20T09:55:00.000-07:00

Greeley Layoffs

Encorp Inc. has laid off 25 employees - half of its workforce.

ButterBurgers

Fort Collins is getting a Culver's restaurant.

County Budget

The Larimer County commissioners have released the 2006 budget.

News Notes: (12/19/05)

2005-12-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hookah?

You know it's a slow news day when hookahs receive top billing in the Coloradoan.

County Cork

The County Cork has new management and a new menu.

Weld County Growth

Severance is growing, with a major development planned at the intersection of county roads 72 and 23.

Non-Profits and Primary Jobs

They're all interconnected. J.J. Johnston of the NCEDC explains.

2005-12-16T07:29:00.000-07:00

Obligation

How about this: Everyone who stood up testified against the Purple Martini should have to chip in to help pay the mortgage for every month the commercial space stays vacant. It's already been two years without a tenant. Let's start a fund.

Municipal government is always calling on business to pay the costs of their growth. How about having anti-growth activists pay the very real costs of the growth they obstruct? Every time they use unelected boards to delay or destroy a property-owner's ability to find a tenant, start a business or recoup investments, they should be responsible for the cost.

Historic Takings

Takings in Greeley. The controversy surrounds the Historical Preservation Commssion.

Skowran Goes National

Loveland City Councilman Walt Skowran has been elected to serve on the board of the National League of Cities.

Long-Term Transportation Planning

They have revised the plan to widen U.S. 287 north of town. Fewer homes will would be moved.

Christmas Parties

The Coloradoan has an article on the rebirth of Christmas parties which are actually fun. I know that here at the FCI, we're planning a blowout bash.

News Notes: (12/15/05)

2005-12-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

Fees Are Going Up

Residential building fees are going up in Fort Collins. Fees are now estimated to be 10 percent of total building costs. This is anti-growth activism disguised as "growth should pay its own way." And the end result is to pay for a city budget that was supposedly cut by $5 million. (Remember that?)

Berthoud Chamber ED Resigns

Michele Jurs has resigned as executive director of the Berthoud Area Chamber of Commerce.

Loveland (Government) Growth

$52 million in Loveland for city facilities.

Feces Factories With Wings

No. No, I won't "treasure Canada geese."

I Drove to Loveland, So I Might as Well File a Story.

Thirteen showed up to protest outside the offices of Sen. Allard and Rep. Musgrave. That seems newsworthy.

(Waking up grumpy is always a danger when you blog in the morning.)

Campaign Season

2005-12-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Great sign locations.

Ballot security.

Billboard advertising.

100-foot no-electioneering zone.

"I voted" stickers replaced.

News Notes: (12/14/05)

2005-12-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

Okay, we'll try a compromise: We'll keep an abbreviated "News Notes," but we'll reserve analysis and commentary for later in the day.

Greeley ICE

I haven't been following the whole ICE controversy in Greeley (the proposed location of a Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in the community), so it's time to play catch-up. Today, the Trib reports that the city's Human Relations Commission has advocated against ICE. Here are their recommendations. More on this later.

Dams

Letter-writer Scott Dent advocates more dams.

Trash Planning

The Coloradoan editorializes in favor of the land purchase for a potential new county landfill.

Downtowns

The Business Review has an intereting overview of regional downtown development.

Wanna Buy a B&B?

2005-12-12T14:11:00.000-07:00

Helmshire Hall is for sale. (Of course it has been for sale for quite some time now. Good for the Coloradoan to pick up the story.)

The Voice of Opposition

2005-12-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay. There's just too much to work with in today's op-ed by Rex Lappin regarding Congresswoman Musgrave. So let's narrow it down and focus on just one mind-bending inconsistency from Lappin.

First, Lappin accuses Marilyn Musgrave of taking bribes of dirty money from Tom DeLay in exchange for her vote.

Musgrave received a $30,000 "donation" from the criminally indicted Texan Tom DeLay. In return Musgrave voted as DeLay instructed 96.03 percent of the time. Perhaps this proves the old adage, "You get what you pay for."

Then, Lappin goes on to fill the rest of his op-ed with attacks against Musgrave for voting like a Republican.

The only problem: Both arguments can't be valid.

For the "you get what you pay for" argument to be logically viable, Lappin would have to assert that without the $30,000 Musgrave would have voted against her fellow Republicans. But he doesn't. Instead he specifically disproves his own point by spending the rest of the column decrying Musgrave's "extreme-right" ideology. So which is it, Rex?

How about this: Representatives Musgrave and DeLay are both Republicans. Hence, they will tend to have similar voting records. Tom DeLay would like to have someone with a similar voting record remain in office.

I don't assume that if Mr. Lappin contributes time or money to candidates he is doing so with the hope of buying their vote. I'm guessing that he gives money to those who share his views. So why is it incomprehensible that Republicans do the same thing? In Lappin's mind, the only way someone could possibly agree with Republican prinicples is if they're bought and paid for.

This is the voice of opposition?

Loveland is Growing

2005-12-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

A new residential development is being planned for the southwest corner of West 43rd and North Wilson Ave in Loveland.

Hopefully, this will be a bit more aesthetically appealing than that other development along North Wilson at the base of the foothills that just sticks out like an island of boxes. Can someone explain to me why they can't plant a dense ring of trees around housing developments?

North College Notes and Musings

2005-12-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have been pretty impressed by the Coloradoan's focus on the redevelopment of North College. If you haven't been reading the series, here's the most recent installment.

Driving north along College Ave., you're able to view the economic history of Fort Collins in reverse chronological order. Approached from the south, Old Town is clearly the center of town. North of the Old Town, however, there's no similar economic development.

North College isn't just the forgotten part of Fort Collins, it is also the key to the long-term viability of Old Town.

We can all agree (I hope) that Old Town is the heart of Fort Collins and that we all have a vested interest in maintaining it as a viable economic center. Disagreement comes in how to do that. The first viewpoint holds that Old Town can not compete with retailers to the southeast of town, so we must impede development along I-25. In effect, this view advocates government erecting barriers to change.

The alternate view is that instead of trying to fight change, Old Town should let those willing to put their own futures on the line try to anticipate the inevitable change.

Businesses go where the customers are and cater to the customers' tastes. Those customers are now closer to I-25, and their tastes are changing (as I noted in my Fort Collins Weekly column last week).

So the first step is to bring customers to Old Town. Investors are already way ahead of the government on this one. Real estate investors are scrambling to build lofts in Old Town. They're not doing this because the government told them to. They're doing it to make money.

But we also need to cater to customers' tastes. This is a bit more tricky, and you know what? I'm not even going to try to figure it out. And you shouldn't listen to anyone who claims to know customers' tastes unless that person has money on the line. What do customers want? They want what they're buying. You can do all of the government studies in the world, I'll just follow the entrepreneurs.

Anyway, this is where North College comes in. If you want to preserve Old Town as the center of Fort Collins, the first step is to get the government out of the way of the development of North College. Old Town is fighting with one hand tied behind its back. Don't tie the hands of the competition and call it a fair fight. Get the government out of the business of trying to plan every storefront along North College and watch Old Town flourish.

The adage "if you build it, they will come" is only partially true. Actually, it should be: "If a private investor is willing to pay for it to be built, there's a darned good chance that customers will come." Of course, that's not quite as catchy.

No-Brainer

2005-12-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

Colorado AG John Suthers is going to be pushing for more aggressive laws targeting child predators this next legislative session.

Whither the Coloradoan?

2005-12-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Coloradoan suffered a loss this past month when political reporter Matt Benson took a job with the Arizona Republic.

WAIT! I know, I know, liberal bias and all of that. But this isn’t a post about liberal bias in the media. With so much to work with, we have covered that topic extensively (and will continue to do so.)

Benson’s leaving is a loss to the Fort Collins political scene. Here's why: He was a good political reporter.

Perspective and context are essential to good political reporting. In politics, it's easy to follow a single thread to the wrong conclusion. It’s easy to find a fact or a quote to prove just about any thesis. Without perspective and context, the most implausible conspiracy theory can end up in the paper. And believe me, political reporters are fed laughable conspiracy theories on a daily basis.

The great political journalists bring perspective and context to their reporting through an institutional memory of the names, personalities, relationships and issues which make up a political scene. But younger reporters don’t have that type of experience. A bad article written by a less experienced political journalist reads like a breathless expose. Every rumor is their Watergate burglary - their big break in the quest to become the next Bob Woodward.

So lacking an institutional memory, a good political reporter will seek out the widest possible range of sources before writing a single word. Benson routinely did just that. He spoke to everyone.

Was Benson biased to the left? Yes. But most journalists are. In fact, every journalist brings a certain amount of bias - left or right - to their reporting. Bad reporters don’t recognize that they are biased. Abhorrent reporters consciously let their bias dictate their stories. Good reporters recognize their inherent bias and actively seek out those who will challenge their assumptions.

I dealt with Benson over the course of just less than a year, so I can only base my judgment on my personal experience. We went head-to-head on numerous occasions and I strongly disagreed with much of what he wrote. But I found him to be cautious and committed to getting the story right. He was skeptical but not cynical, willing to listen but not susceptible to spin (even mine). Most importantly, he was inquisitive – always seeking to build up that essential institutional memory.

Prior to this past year? I’ll let others make those judgments. But Fort Collins was lucky to have someone like Benson.

So what’s next for the Coloradoan? Who will be their next political reporter? Will there even be another political reporter?

Let's hope the Coloradoan increases their commitment to local politics and hires a dedicated political reporter. The Arizona Republic just got our last one.

FCI Announcements, Updates, Etc.

2005-12-09T10:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't been more active. I'm making a few changes to the site.

Most notably, I'm trying to figure out a more manageable way to produce daily content and in-depth commentary.

Ironically, I think the old format of the site (most particularly, the daily "News Notes" feature) made that difficult.

The original goal of "News Notes" was to keep people coming back by offering a roundup of relevant news stories of the day. Looking back, however, I think it actually limited the range of the site. There were far too many days where I spent all of my available blogging time cutting and pasting links to stories - and not necessarily adding anything in the way of commentary.

Needless to say, "News Notes" became quite a chore. It's an "all-or-nothing" proposition. It became an implicit promise to cover a certain topic area, and there were certain articles that I felt obligated to include.

So here's the plan. I'm going to shift to a more traditional blog format, where every item gets its own post. That way, I can be more selective of the isssues covered. I'll have more incentive to blog throughout the day, and my mornings will be a bit more sane.

Needless to say, there has been plenty to talk about recently. We'll start with my last three Fort Collins Weekly columns, which you'll find below.

FCW Column: 11/30

2005-12-09T10:09:00.000-07:00

Back to fun local politics. Was anyone else completely befuddled by the vehement opposition to the Purple Martini? I tried to tie in the battle over the Purple Martini to a discussion of the future of Old Town and the changing consumer demographic. (Also, I freely admit that my enjoyment of martinis makes me a bit biased here.)

$10 Martinis and Old Town

So we won’t be seeing a Purple Martini in Old Town anytime soon. The proposed high-end bar was denied a liquor license after local retail merchants complained that it would be one bar too many.

I’m not even going to go into my concerns about an overreaching municipal government getting involved in the free market. That’s another column for another time. But the saga of the Purple Martini brings up the even more complex issue of the long-term viability of Old Town as a retail center.

In other words, did the opposition to the Purple Martini by Old Town retailers make good business sense?

CONTINUE READING: "FCW Column: 11/30"

The Purple Martini was not going to be just another college dive bar. I understand retailers’ opposition to “just another college dive bar.” College bars tend to attract patrons ranging in age from 21(?) through 24. As short-term renters, their worldly possessions usually include a lot of items which were found on curbs. Sure, they’ll buy a new pair of jeans or an iPod every now and then, but chances are much of the shelving in their apartment still involves milk crates.

On the other hand, who visits bars like the Purple Martini? The underserved 25-34 demographic – young professionals who still enjoy a night out yet don’t want to be bumping into someone who was born after the release of Born in the U.S.A. This demographic is often in transition, and that means they’re consumers. They’re buying new wardrobes for new jobs. They’re buying new furnishings for new homes. They’re buying new toys for new babies.

The opposition to the Purple Martini was going after the wrong target.

The 25-34 demographic is essential to the long-term viability of Old Town as a retail center. If you’re over the age of 40, pay close attention to the following sentence, as it might come as a bit of shock. Many, if not most, members of the 25-34 demographic have never purchased anything in a non-chain retail store. They buy their jeans at the GAP, their stereos at Best Buy, and the endless knickknacks that fill their new houses at Bed, Bath & Beyond. They’ve never bought anything in a “Bob’s Electronics” or a “Jane’s Fashions.”

For this demographic, there is a counterintuitive trust that comes with making a purchase at a chain store. If you walk into a GAP, you’ve walked into every GAP. Serious consumers under the age of 35 know the layout, prices and quality of merchandise in their favorite stores.

Take another example. Say you have $20 to spend on a meal. An older consumer might simply go to their favorite locally-owned restaurant. After all, they know the place. There is an inherent trust: a comfort level with the menu, the quality of the food, and the ambiance of the restaurant. For the 25-34 demographic, chain restaurants have the exact same appeal. They know that what they’re going to get when they walk into a Chili’s and order a burger. It’s trust based on familiarity.

We often read about how locally-owned retailers need to adapt to the competition from chain stores by offering better service and a more personalized customer experience. With the 25-34 demographic, a group which has no connection to the “good old days” of shopping at the corner store, that’s not enough.

Locally-owned retailers must forge a long-lasting bond with the new generation of consumers. They need to compete for their trust. Faced with the choice of making a purchase in an unknown local store or a well-known chain store, a younger consumer is going to choose the chain store. It is up to the local retailer to reach out to this new generation of consumers, create a level of familiarity, and build that trust.

Sometimes the first spark of that long-term retailer-consumer relationship happens through a shop window. If I owned a retail store in Old Town, the average person who would have been dropping $10 on a drink at the Purple Martini is the exact type of person I’d want as a future customer. I’d want them looking in my shop window.

FCW Column: 11/16

2005-12-09T10:01:00.000-07:00

Everyone thinks their political scene is the most dysfunctional. I thought I'd use my post-election wrapup column to take a look around the state - especially focusing on local issues. (Quick note: I'm pretty sure the quote is "all politics is local," but the original quote, being grammatically incorrect, was changed on editing.)

All Politics Are Local

Even though it was an off-year, 2005 still managed to keep political junkies occupied and amused. While Referenda C&D dominated the headlines, blurred party lines and created some divisive battle lines, the real stores this election cycle were at the local level.

The local ballot was a sampling of the contentious issues facing Colorado’s communities. In Fort Collins, the ballot included our own tax-and-spend issue, the extension of the Building on Basics sales tax. County-wide, voters got to choose whether or not to extend the term limits of elected officials. In Windsor, the always-emotional question of whether or not to allow big box retailers was finally decided once-and-for-all (again).

Building on Basics passed by an overwhelming margin in Fort Collins. Other communities saw similar results. Commerce City passed a bonding issue for infrastructure improvements. Evergreen approved tax increases for parks and fire protection and bonding for the park district. Longmont raised its sales tax to pay for street improvements. Superior passed a bond for open space.

But other tax measures were not successful.

CONTINUE READING: "FCW Column: 11/16"

Louisville rejected a proposed use tax. In Adams County, voters rejected a tax increase to expand library services. Brighton voters rejected a tax increase earmarked for education and a bonding issue for school construction. The biggest anti-tax revolt at the municipal level took place in Aurora, where voters rejected a $10 million tax hike backed by the mayor and council.

The battle over term limits also played out in communities across Colorado. Along with Larimer County, Aurora and Boulder County passed term limit extensions. In Thornton, however, a similar measure failed 75-25 percent. Mesa County voted down the modest proposal to limit term limits on the coroner.

Another contentious issue this year was the battle over Wal-Mart. While the anti-Wal-Mart crowd is passionate, motivated, and loud, there are apparently far fewer of them than they would have us believe. The electorate seems to like Wal-Mart. Question 2E in Windsor was defeated easily. The measure would have limited the size of retail stores – and thus prohibited a Wal-Mart Super Center from moving to the town. Around the state, results were similar as Wal-Mart was victorious in Westminster and Thornton.

Of course, what election cycle would be complete without some downright bizarre results? We all know the story of Denver’s Initiative 100. The measure legalizing marijuana passed, but the new law is basically meaningless because it is superseded by county and state laws.

You think Fort Collins has soap-opera politics? In Broomfield, the mayor was re-elected after a campaign that saw her main opponent accuse her of having an affair (with him) eight years ago.

In Boulder, voters rejected a pay increase for city employees. Lest you think that Boulder has recently become fiscally conservative, consider this: the ballot measure was actually an increased pay increase. City council had already approved a pay raise, but it was apparently not enough for the backers of the ballot measure.

What happens if you’re not sure whether or not something is illegal? Voters in Delta County decided to clear things up on a rather important issue. If you happen to be traveling visit wineries in the community of Orchard City in Delta County, you’ll be happy to know that you can now legally taste the wine. No one was really sure if wine tastings were legal, so they passed the law to be sure.

Finally, an interesting proposal passed in the community of Lafayette. Voters approved an amendment to the city chart allowing the city council to lease open space for agricultural uses. It was a close 52-48 vote, but it could have far-reaching influence on other communities struggling with the maintenance costs of their open space programs.

November 2005 proved Tip O’Neill’s adage that all politics is local. What’s right for Fort Collins is not necessarily what’s right for Denver, Aurora, or even Loveland. But the most important questions of how we govern ourselves are still decided at the local level. That’s how it should be.