Rick O’Donnell, running for Colorado’s 7th Congressional District, may be a Republican, but if elected he says he’d model his career after Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the late Democratic senator from New York who also served in Republican administrations. He calls Moynihan a “policy guy who wrote controversial things early in his career” – hey, sound familiar? – “but at the end of day he worked long and hard to make government work right.”
It’s the right answer for someone running in a district evenly divided between Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters. However, he went even further, calling former Democratic Rep. Patricia Schroeder “one of the best members of Congress we ever had in Colorado. … I may disagree with her on a lot of issues, but she fought for her issues, she fought for Colorado, she was open and accessible and she worked hard for her district. That’s what I want to be.”
Whoa, that’s far enough.
Hole-in-one loophole?
A new law approved this year prohibits Colorado lawmakers from accepting cash gifts. But Rep. Bill Berens may have come across a loophole.
He accepted a check last month for $20,000 from the Colorado Oil & Gas Association. The memo on the check reads: “Hole in one prize.” Berens sunk a hole-in-one during the August COGA golf tournament in Larkspur. What luck, eh? Maybe not.
Since he won the money, and it wasn’t a gift, it appears Berens can legally accept it. But questions are being raised about whether it was proper to accept that much – his legislative salary is only $30,000 – from a group with business before the legislature. Can’t you just hear an opponent’s campaign ads?
An invite for the event doesn’t mention the $20,000 prize, but does promise other rewards.
“It may be true that he may not be in violation of the letter of the law. However, here’s where the confusion and suspicion comes up: Why is he listing it on his gift disclosure form?” asked Sen. Ron Tupa, who wrote the bill banning cash gifts. “I’ve been in office for 12 years and have never seen anyone listing something they’ve won.”
Berens, who disclosed his winnings with the secretary of state, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Save the pregnant pigs
Colorado’s ballot this fall is the longest in nearly a century, but we can be thankful we don’t have to worry about these little gems:
Arizona’s Prop. 204: Mandates minimum living space for pregnant pigs and calves. Seriously.
Nebraska’s Amendment 3: Allocates $1 million for compulsive gamblers. (This is for counseling, from lottery funds.)
Oklahoma’s Question 724: Prohibits paying legislators who are in jail. (Yeah, but what if they get out on bail?)
Ohio’s Issue 3: Allows limited slot machines, dedicating the revenue to college scholarships. (Campaign slogan: “Gamble – it’s for the kids!”)
Exporting TABOR
Voters in three states will consider their own versions of Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights this fall. A poll in Maine shows the measure passing there, while another poll in Oregon shows a plurality of voters opposed. Former state Senate President John Andrews has campaigned for the measure in Maine and soon will head to Nebraska.
Term limit ads debut
Speaking of Andrews, he’s also chairman of Limit the Judges, the group supporting Amendment 40 to term limit judges. Television and radio spots featuring Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck saying it’s time to expand term limits to the third branch of government debut today.
Senator emeritus?
Citizen Tom Daschle donated $1,000 to Bill Ritter‘s gubernatorial campaign last month. What’s the former Democratic Senate minority leader been up to lately? Hard to tell. His occupation was listed as U.S. senator on the disclosure form, despite being drummed out of office by voters in 2004.
Dare to dream, Tom.
Dan Haley (dhaley@
denverpost.com) is a member of The Post’s editorial board. Read the Haley’s Comment blog at denverpostbloghouse.com/haley.
