Gov.-elect Bill Ritter on Tuesday selected three supporters to lead his inaugural-planning efforts, even as his transition team scrambled to figure out how new gift limits could affect private fundraising for the typically extravagant events.
Ritter announced that James Crowe, chief executive of Level 3 Communications Inc., and his wife, Pamela, will work with Denver lawyer Frances A. Koncilja on the festivities.
Ritter is scheduled to be inaugurated on Jan. 9.
The celebration will be planned under a cloud because voters last week approved Amendment 41, which prohibits elected officials and government employees from accepting gifts worth more than $50 in a calendar year.
“Our lawyers are reviewing the possible implementation of Amendment 41 even as we speak,” said Evan Dreyer, spokesman for Ritter.
“One way or another there will be an inauguration celebration,” he said. “If Amendment 41 limits the scope of that, that’s fine. We will live within whatever parameters Amendment 41 sets on these types of celebrations.”
Crowe and his wife contributed $1,000 each to Ritter’s campaign and $1,000 each to Ritter’s opponent, Republican Congressman Bob Beauprez. Koncilja, a former president of the Colorado Bar Association, also contributed $1,000 to Ritter.
Ritter’s party planners will post information about the festivities at a website, www.coloradopromise.org.
Recent inaugural events have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in private donations.
In 1999, after Gov. Bill Owens was initially elected to office, his supporters organized a black-tie ball that cost a minimum of $150 per plate. Corporate sponsors were asked to kick in $25,000 for a little special access during the inaugural events.
The event was estimated to cost about $200,000. State taxpayers provided $10,000 for the events.
In 2003, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s inaugural festivities were tuxedo-free zones that raised money for the Denver Public Schools Foundation. The party at Denver Botanic Gardens cost about $50,000 and raised $285,000.
Amendment 41 also threatens to affect Ritter’s recruiting of recent lawmakers to serve in his administration. The amendment prevents lawmakers from lobbying for two years after leaving office.
Dreyer said the Ritter transition team may ask the attorney general’s office for a formal opinion on the matter if necessary.
“Our initial review has turned up that there are some aspects that are unclear,” said Kristen Holtzman, spokeswoman for Republican Attorney General John Suthers. “There may be some questions that we can’t answer and it will be up to the courts to decipher it.”
Amendment 41 takes effect upon Owens’ signature of a proclamation of the vote, which can occur up to 30 days after the secretary of state certifies the vote results. Such proclamations have been released as early as Dec. 1 and as late as Jan. 19, according to the Office of Legislative Legal Services.
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-954-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.
