John Orr: Denver May 2007 Election

Inauguration of the Mayor & Municipal Officials of the City and County of Denver

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:37:01 GMT

Coyote Gulch was on hand today at the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre for the inauguration festivities for Denver's Auditor [Dennis Gallagher], City Council [Garcia, Faatz, Lopez, Lehman, Johnson, Brown, Nevitt, Madison, Montero, Robb, Hancock], Clerk and Recorder [Stephanie O'Malley] and Mayor [John Hickenloper]. Council President Michael Hancock ran the show today. After the swearing in Mayor Hickenlooper gave the inaugural address.

The Denver Municipal Band stole the show, along with the rendition of America the Beautiful.

Here's today's post from Councilor Montero's weblog.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council District 3?

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 13:59:55 GMT

From today's Denver Post, "City Councilman-elect Paul Lopez responded Friday to a court filing that challenged his eligibility for office. One of Lopez's opponents in District 3 has asked Denver District Court for a ruling on whether Lopez met residency requirements for the seat. An attorney for Lopez wrote in a filing that he 'was born in, has long lived in and has continuously possessed substantial familial, social and other contacts' in District 3."

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council District 3

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:16:22 GMT

From today's Denver Post, "City Councilman-elect Paul Lopez won his seat by an overwhelming margin, but he may need the endorsement of a Denver District Court judge before he takes the post next month. An opposing campaign filed a complaint in District Court Friday alleging Lopez did not meet residency requirements to run for the District 3 seat. Former candidate JoAnn Phillips and her campaign manager, Alfonso Suazo, filed the complaint without an attorney asking for a judge to declare Lopez ineligible for the seat he won."

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

Denver City Council runoffs: Lopez, Nevitt and Madison win

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:31:45 GMT

Coyote Gulch ran out of time this morning and failed to post the results of yesterday's runoff elections in the Denver City Council races. Congratulations to Denver's new councillors; Paul Lopez (Disrtict 3); Chris Nevitt (Disrtict 7); Carla Madision (Disrtict 8).

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 12:47:17 GMT

Here's an article about today's runoff elections from the Denver Post. They write:

Voters in three Denver City Council districts will select their representatives as runoff elections conclude today. In west Denver, District 3 voters are choosing between JoAnn Phillips and Paul Lopez. Chris Nevitt and Shelly Watters are squaring off for District 7, and in District 8, voters are selecting between Sharon Bailey and Carla Madison. Ballots must be returned by 7 p.m. today. The three runoff elections will fill the only three open seats on the council.

Remember to turn in your ballot if you're in Denver City Council Districts 3, 7 or 8. Here's a link to the drop off locations.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:16:57 GMT

Remember to turn in your ballot if you're in Denver City Council Districts 3, 7 or 8. Here's a link to the drop off locations.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council

Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:15:47 GMT

Runoff election ballots are due Tuesday. Here's a list of drop off locations from the Rocky Mountain News:

The following locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday:

DISTRICT 3: Barnum Recreation Center, 360 Hooker St; Schenck School, 1300 S. Lowell Blvd.

DISTRICT 7: College View Recreation Center, 2525 S. Decatur St.; Porter Place, 1001 E. Yale Ave.

DISTRICT 8: Glenarm Recreation Center, 2800 Glenarm Place; New Hope Baptist Church, 3701 Colorado Blvd.

Voters can also drop off ballots at the Denver Election Commission, 303 W. Colfax Ave., from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday. The commission will have curbside drop-off on the west side of Court Place between Colfax and 14th Street from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday."

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council District 7

Thu, 24 May 2007 12:41:57 GMT

Here are background pieces for Shelly Watters and Chris Nevitt from the Rocky Mountain News.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council District 8

Thu, 24 May 2007 12:40:21 GMT

Here are the background pieces for Carla Madison and Sharon Bailey from the Rocky Mountain News.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council District 3

Thu, 24 May 2007 12:33:23 GMT

JoAnn Phillips has picked up the endorsements of three of her opponents from the May 1st election, according to the Rocky Mountain News. From the article, "Jo Ann Phillips, a candidate for Denver City Council in District 3, was endorsed by three former candidates for the seat Tuesday. Phillips is in a runoff against Paul Lopez for the west Denver council seat. Mark Roggeman, Kathy Sandoval and Antoinette Alire endorsed Phillips. They were part of a crowded field of seven that ran for the seat earlier this month."

Here are background pieces for JoAnn Phillips and Paul Lopez from the Rocky Mountain News.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council District 3

Thu, 24 May 2007 00:03:10 GMT

Dear Denver: "Following up on the story in today's Denver Post: I'm hearing that JoAnn Phillips' campaign will challenge Paul Lopez's eligibility in district court."

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council District 3

Wed, 16 May 2007 00:19:51 GMT

Colorado Pols: " Denver Post repeats weak blog hit on candidate. We're not going to spend much time on this, because we don't really care, but it's an interesting case of blog-hype manipulating the news--a subject that, even when we don't think it's justified, remains close to our hearts."

Denver Politics: "Say what you want about the question of Paul Lopez's candidacy (and frankly, folks ain't sayin' much...), but Lisa Jones of Dear Denver continues to churn out thoughtful and fact-based analysis of the situation, and ought to be commended."

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council District 3

Tue, 15 May 2007 12:19:44 GMT

Paul Lopez is scrambling to ensure that he meets the residency requirements for his runoff election with Joann Phillips, according to the Denver Post. From the article, "[Former City Councilman Richard 'Rick' Taylor] and others questioned whether Lopez has lived in the district recently. Public documents connect Lopez to at least three addresses in the past year. Asked last month to clarify his residency, Lopez said he had lived in his family home his whole life. Presented with an August 2006 traffic ticket that listed his address on Lowell Boulevard outside of District 3, Lopez said he lived at the apartment to be closer to the University of Colorado at Denver. He said he still considered the family home his primary residence. Lopez said he moved out of the apartment in February 2006 - although his lease didn't expire until August - and had not renewed his vehicle registration at the time he was ticketed. On March 25, 2006, Lopez reported a burglary at the apartment to police. He said Monday that his sister was living there at the time. Last September, he changed his voter registration with the election commission back to the address of his family home. Records also connect Lopez to an apartment outside the district on West 38th Avenue. He said Monday his new wife and brother-in-law lived in the apartment, but he had 'paid a couple bills there.' The relevance of where Lopez lived while maintaining a permanent address in the district is a matter for debate, as Denver's city charter does not define the term 'residency.' Assistant City Attorney David Broadwell said the matter could only be disputed in court with an official election challenge. Lopez's campaign manager, Gia Irlando, said the election commission asked for more proof of residency as recently as last week. The campaign supplied 14 pages of bills, college financial statements and IRS statements with the District 3 address. Election commission spokesman Alton Dillard said Lopez's residence was first checked against information on hand prior to May 1."

Denver Politics: "In Council District 3, second-place finisher JoAnne Phillips trails frontrunner Paul Lopez by 30 points. Her prospects seem even worse in light of the fact that she didn't challenge him in a single neighborhood."

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

? for Denver City Council District 7

Tue, 15 May 2007 00:38:22 GMT

Check out Denver Politics Neighborhood analysis, Council District 7.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

Coyote Gulch outage

Sat, 05 May 2007 12:57:20 GMT

Today is a travel day for Coyote Gulch. We're heading down the two-lane blacktop for some r&r. Our destination is devoid of power lines and hotels with broadband so we do not anticipate posting again until Monday May 14th. We'll see you then if the artificial joints hold up and we make it out of the back country for the ride back to Denver.

Category: Colorado Water

Denver City Council runoffs

Thu, 03 May 2007 12:38:24 GMT

Here's a recap of Tuesday's election along with a look at the runoff elections from the Denver Post. From the article, "Denver officials said Wednesday that fewer people would have voted in Tuesday's city election, in which 78,000 votes were cast, if it were not for the mail-in ballots. While turnout was down from the last municipal election, when it was 47 percent, officials said the lackluster campaign season is best compared with the 1999 race. That year, like this one, featured only token opposition to the incumbent mayor and a largely incumbent City Council - factors that tend to drive down turnout. Just more than 51,000 voters - or 26 percent of the active voters in the city - headed for the polls in that election. Forty-one percent of active voters cast ballots this year...

"And the mail-ballot system meant a quick turnaround for the runoff elections. The Election Commission has not set a date for mailing ballots, but it is likely that voters will have ballots in a little over two weeks. That means a scramble campaign for Bailey and Carla Madison in District 8, Chris Nevitt and Shelly Watters in District 7, and Paul Lopez and JoAnn Phillips in District 3. On Wednesday, several of the runoff candidates said they were already out making calls or preparations. And the time crunch might have been worse. One race nearly delayed election results with a recount. Candidate Darrell Watson was just 74 votes short of Carla Madison in District 8. That put him behind by just over 1 percent. An automatic recount would have been triggered if he was within 0.5 percent. Watson's campaign manager, Wanda James, said he was monitoring the final tally, but they had no plans to ask for a recount. Dillard said residents can register to vote in the runoff election through Monday."

Here's a look at the City Council District 8 runoff from Denver Direct.

2007 Denver Municipal Election

Wed, 02 May 2007 12:47:25 GMT

Here are the election results from DenverGov.

Here's the coverage of the election from the Denver Post. They write, "Four years after taking the mayor's office as a political novice, John Hickenlooper coasted to a second term Tuesday as one of the most popular political figures in the state. The mayor held an overwhelming lead on election night with 88 percent of the more than 68,000 votes counted. Hickenlooper did not face serious opposition, even though residents recently endured weeks of frozen streets and a troubled election last fall - the sorts of woes that have historically thwarted elected officials. Instead, the mayor's lopsided victory came over city employee Danny Lopez, who ran without a campaign budget on the philosophical platform that voters ought to have a choice...

"Early returns in the mail-in election showed Stephanie O'Malley comfortably headed toward being Denver's first elected clerk and recorder, defeating public trustee's office employee Jacob Werther with 78 percent of the vote...

"Three open City Council seats were headed for runoffs, though Paul Lopez in District 3 and Chris Nevitt in District 7 had more than 40 percent of the vote in their respective races. Candidates must have more than 50 percent to be elected; otherwise the top two vote-getters compete in a runoff. As of press time, JoAnn Phillips, with 16 percent, would square off with Lopez in the 3rd and Shelly Watters, with 28 percent, would battle Nevitt in the 7th. In District 8, Sharon Bailey had 37 percent and will be in a runoff with either Carla Madison or Darrell Watson. Madison and Watson were separated by just 73 votes.

"Incumbent City Council members Peggy Lehmann, Marcia Johnson, Judy Montero, Doug Linkhart and Carol Boigon were predictably in control in their races. Incumbents Rick Garcia, Jeanne Faatz, Charlie Brown, Jeanne Robb and Michael Hancock won in uncontested races. City Auditor Dennis Gallagher won his bid for a second term, defeating opponent Bill Wells with 79 percent of the vote. Finally, a ballot question extending the term limits to three terms for the office of district attorney passed easily with 76 percent of the vote. Now all elected offices in Denver will be limited to three terms."

More detail about the City Council races from the Denver Post.

Here's the coverage from the Rocky Mountain News. They include some early insight into the runoff elections for City Council.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

2007 Denver Municipal Election Results

Wed, 02 May 2007 02:49:55 GMT

Here are the 2007 Denver Municipal Election results from DenverGov.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

2007 Denver Municipal Election

Tue, 01 May 2007 13:02:12 GMT

If you've waited until today to turn in your ballot you'll need to run downtown before 7:00 p.m. Ballots are being collected at the, "[Denver election commission] curbside drop-off on Court Place between Colfax and 14th St. from 7 AM - 7 PM on Election Day, Tuesday, May 1."

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

2007 Denver Municipal Election: Gulchie Awards

Tue, 01 May 2007 12:54:02 GMT

Today is election day. Unlike 2003 this election has been a pretty dull affair. Coyote Gulch thinks that candidates and voters are exhausted after the 2006 General election. Mayor Hickenlooper's popularity scared off challengers, as did Dennis Gallagher's campaigning prowess. Apparently no one wanted to put out the effort necessary to knock off incumbents or everyone is happy with the job they're doing. Incumbent councilors also generally had an easy time of it.

Each election in Denver (since 2003) is marked by the awarding of Gulchies. Gulchies are awarded in each race. We recognize the best use of Internet technologies by a campaign. We do not emphasize design since that might turn out to be a award for the deepest pockets. Instead, we judge the campaign based on various criteria.

Criteria for a Gulchie:

First up, does the campaign have a website? Many campaigns this election do but some don't. Coyote Gulch found 29 candidate sites this cycle. In some cases the effort seemed to depend on how much of a race the candidate had. For example Mayor Hickenlooper pretty much recycled (in the green spirit we're sure) his website from 2003. Meanwhile Dennis Gallagher set the 'minimalist' tone this year. There were exceptions however. Judy Montero's website was the most complete of the election even though she didn't face too stiff a challenge.

Email lists are a great way to reach out. Every campaign should have one. Since email skills are becoming pervasive it's an easy way to reach voters. Lists can be used to coordinate schedule changes, inform on the issues and ask for support. Don't assume that people that sign up for email information are automatically supporters of your campaign. Keep one e-mail list and assign someone to keep it current.

Weblogs have still not caught on in the local elections. Each time we hear candidate complaints about the lack of, or inaccurate coverage in the news media, we're tempted to remind campaigns that they can publish their own items, as often as they want and generate RSS feeds. If there is no weblog, include short and current content. Position papers are not an interesting read usually and a snippet of a candidate position is more accessible. Also post links to longer reads.

Each website needs to make it easy to donate online. Small donors are a great resource to tap and many of these donors use the Web. Fourteen campaigns took online donations this cycle.

Navigation should be straightforward. Make it easy to find various parts of the website. Label buttons intuitively and accurately. Always make it easy to return to the home page.

The website is a great place to post video and audio, including TV ads if the campaign has enough dough for a TV or Radio buy. With YouTube each candidate can show an inclusive attitude, that is, no matter what type of modern computer is in use the video can be viewed. Similarly .MP3 audio format is the inclusive choice.

Include a photo gallery and a photo on every page. You're trying to connect with humans and photo images can help.

Make it easy to find event information. Include addresses and contact phone numbers. Keep this content current. Again, you're trying to connect with people, help them find you.

Websites are not car dealer showrooms. Back off the hard-sell tactics. Many visitors are not supporters and too much selling might keep them from coming back.

A list of endorsements can add credibility.

Strive to present a confident, humble image.

2007 Denver Municipal Election Gulchie Awards:

Mayor - John Hickenlooper

Auditor - Dennis Gallagher

Clerk and Recorder - Jacob Werther

Council District 1 - Rick Garcia

Council District 2 - Jeanne Faatz

Council District 3 - Paul Lopez

Council District 4 - Peggy Lehman

Council District 5 - Mitchell Poindexter

Council District 7 - Chris Nevitt

Council District 8 - Darrell Watson

Council District 9 - Judy Montero

Council District 10 - Jeanne Robb

Council District 11 - Michael Hancock

Council At-Large - Carol Boigon

We want to give special recognition to Judy Montero for her weblog, Carla Madison for the video of the Raging Grannies, Greg Rasheed for his video introduction, Mark Roggeman for design and Carol Campbell for the print a sign application.

Thanks to those that nominated websites for the awards and thanks to the judges. In many contests the choices were tough.

Here are the Gulchies for May 2003, August 2004, November 2004, May 2005, November 2005, August 2006 and November 2006.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

Referred Question 1A

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:49:55 GMT

Say hello to FairTermLimits.com. We know that it's pretty late in the cycle but we're confident many voters have yet to turn in their ballot for tomorrow's election. They write, "The Denver City Council voted unanimously to put Question 1A on the ballot for May 1st, 2007. The intent of this measure is to treat the limitation on the terms of office of the Denver District Attorney on an equal basis with the terms of other elected officials in Denver. All city officials including the Mayor, City Council, Auditor and County Clerk are allowed to seek three consecutive terms in office - Question 1 would extend this provision to the District Attorney, who currently is limited to two terms in office. Question 1A is designed to provide uniformity and fairness in our election rules. Colorado needs experienced district attorneys to prosecute criminals and protect the public. Question 1A will allow the Denver District Attorney to serve three terms, the same as all other Denver elected officials."

Here's the link to the ballot drop off locations.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

2007 Denver Municipal Election

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 15:59:32 GMT

Denver Politics: "Turnout remains light for the 2007 Denver municipal election. Mark Mehringer of Colorado Confidential reports that with 2 business days left to vote, only 55,820 official ballots have been received. 29.5% of active voters (or 15.4% of the total voter registration list) have fulfilled their civic duty. Where are the rest of you?"

Here's the list of drop off locations for ballots.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

Hickenlooper for mayor?

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 15:30:11 GMT

Here's a look at Mayor Hickenlooper's first term from the Rocky Mountain News. They list some of his accomplishments and some items that still need work.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

2007 Denver Municipal Election

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 14:45:53 GMT

Don't miss Kenny Be's take on Tuesday's election in Westword.

Coyote Gulch is still accepting input for awarding Gulchies in each race in the May 1st election.

Category: Denver May 2007 Election

Web Mashups Help Citizens Track the Political Money Trail

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:47:43 GMT

Wired: "Tread carefully, politicians -- concerned citizens are watching your every move on the web. Their tools? Custom data mashups that use public databases to draw correlations between every vote cast and every dollar spent in Washington. Take this report about the widely debated and bitterly fought California SB217, which would have banned clear-cutting in ancient forests. Generated by the nonpartisan MapLight.org website, the report clearly shows that the logging industry, which opposed the bill, gave nearly twice as much money to politicians as environmental groups did. The bill was defeated. Sites like Maplight.org, Opensecrets.org and Follow the Money, along with wiki-based political reporting resources like Congresspedia, are increasingly giving ordinary citizens the ability to easily document the flow of special-interest money and how it influences the legislature. These new tools are providing an unprecedented level of transparency, exposing patterns of influence that otherwise would have remained invisible to ordinary citizens. "

Thanks to beSpacific for the link.

Category: 2008 Presidential Election