Former Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter isn’t just the only Democrat running for governor. He’s also the only candidate for chief executive in either party who is supporting Referendums C and D, the Colorado Economic Recovery Act twins.
Ritter took time Friday while driving to a Democratic summit in Colorado Springs to discuss his campaign and why the measures are so vital to Colorado’s future.
“My focus has been on running a strong campaign. At this juncture, you solidify the base and expand from that, so I’m talking mostly to core Democrats. There is a lot of concern that Colorado is not fulfilling its promise – that we’re not meeting our economic potential and not maximizing what we have available in the way of resources to provide the best quality of life across the board.
“You get a sense that it’s increasingly hard to tread water in the middle class. People feel they are falling back or at best just staying where they are. We need as a state to think of how you can give those people some help.
“Then there is the issue of the cost of health insurance and health care. Businesses, big and small, are struggling to provide health care to employees without impacting their bottom line so much they have to go out of business. We need to think how, as a state, we can help those people,” he said.
Ritter cites Referendum C as critical for providing money to revive Colorado’s embattled higher education system. And like Gov. Bill Owens, he supports the companion Referendum D to expand Colorado’s highway network. But he also stresses the importance of the proposals to bolster Colorado’s K-12 public schools.
“You see two pictures on education. Some local districts, like Cherry Creek, are in great shape, backed by good public/private partnerships. But a lot of districts are suffering, especially because the state contribution to capital construction has fallen away. And while the state is doing a lot to measure accountability, it’s not married to any kind of reform,” he said.
That’s why Ritter supports C and D, which contain money to help poor school districts with their capital construction needs as well as funds for higher education, health care and highways.
In contrast, the two announced Republican gubernatorial candidates, U. S. Rep. Bob Beauprez and Marc Holtzman, oppose C and D. Holtzman is strident in his opposition while Beauprez takes a lower-key approach.
Holtzman’s recent brochure does make the point that “except for public safety, public education is the most important service that our state and local governments provide.” But Holtzman has also called for repeal of Amendment 23, which would open the way to massive cuts in public school budgets to offset the $400 million revenue shortfall the state will face if referendum C fails.
“As governor of Colorado, Marc Holtzman will pursue an education agenda that will limit bureaucratic interference so teachers can teach and students can learn. Marc will work tirelessly to support education reform including merit pay for teachers, school choice and the rights of parents to educate their children at home,” the brochure promises.
Yet, at no point does Holtzman explain where the money for merit pay will come from if Referendum C is defeated. “School choice” is Holtzmanese for private school vouchers – a worthwhile idea, but also an expensive one. Once again, Holtzman is silent about how to pay for those vouchers. Holtzman also never says how he would fund the capital construction needs of poor districts that would be partly addressed by Referendum D.
Under the circumstances, it’s no wonder Holtzman supports home schooling – that may be the only alternative his radical cuts in the education budget would leave for Colorado parents.
Unlike Holtzman, Beauprez has a day job, serving in Congress from the 7th District, and hasn’t yet outlined as detailed a campaign platform as Holtzman. But neither Republican gubernatorial wannabe has said how he would avoid the deep cuts in education, transportation and health care programs that defeat of C and D would force. For citizens who care about Colorado’s future, their silence is more craven than golden.
Bob Ewegen is deputy editorial page editor of The Denver Post. He has written on state and local government since 1963.
