If victory has a thousand fathers, Referendum C may have trouble establishing paternity.
Was it the glitch-fixing governor or the skydiving mayor who put the ballot measure over the top? Perhaps it was the endorsements of 1,100 organizations, from the Weld County Livestock Association to the Gunnison Council for the Arts. Or maybe it was just Coloradans’ common sense.
No one can say for sure why Referendum C succeeded. But in the wake of last week’s election, several lessons are apparent – and worth heeding.
First, bipartisanship works.
Referendum C was the product of an unprecedented alliance among Democratic and Republican leaders. The governor and nearly three-quarters of the General Assembly set aside their political differences to put an economic recovery plan on the ballot.
Second, facts, as Ronald Reagan once said, are stubborn things. The opponents of Referendum C tried to trick voters into believing the proposal would cost them their income tax refunds, or their college savings, or their ice cream cones. Most Coloradans didn’t buy it.
Third, it’s still the economy. Referendum C’s advocates argued that the best way to bring good jobs to Colorado was to deliver a skilled and healthy workforce, a low tax rate, and a high quality of life. The opponents never offered a better formula for economic success – probably because there isn’t one.
These lessons should guide state lawmakers as we prepare for next year’s legislative session. Accountability will be our watchword.
Coloradans have chosen to invest their hard-earned dollars in education and health care.
Our top priority is to keep faith with their wishes, by ensuring that the revenues retained under Referendum C are used exactly as the voters intended. An annual accountability report will help taxpayers follow every dime.
At the same time, we respect the views of those who voted against Referendum C. Its passage does not diminish our duty to make state government leaner and more efficient.
Colorado will continue to operate under some of the strictest spending limits and one of the lowest tax rates in the nation. We should redouble our efforts to identify and eliminate waste.
Despite the warnings of Referendum C’s opponents – and perhaps the hopes of some proponents – this ballot measure does not authorize a spending spree. Coloradans expect us to be careful stewards of their money. We must live up to that expectation, by remaining as frugal as possible.
We are equally determined to craft an alternative to Referendum D. Its defeat does not relieve us of the obligation to repair our roads, bridges and school buildings, or to complete payment on our police and fire retirement plans. It simply forces us to find another way to meet those needs.
In the end, it wasn’t the politicians who passed Referendum C. It was the thousands of volunteers who walked and talked and knocked their way across the state – and the nearly 600,000 citizens who voted “yes.”
Colorado will be stronger as a result.
Democrat Andrew Romanoff is the speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives.
