Editor’s note: Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter faces Republicans Scott McInnis and Dan Maes in next year’s gubernatorial election. The Post asked the three candidates this question: “The state has a $1 billion shortfall. What would you cut?” To read the other candidates’ answers, see the links at right.
I moved to Colorado in 1985, without job prospects, to fulfill a dream of living in our beautiful state. Even with the down economy, I managed to land on my feet and earn my way into business ownership just 10 years later. I have signed both sides of a paycheck and have lived through the realities that accompany such responsibilities. It is this skill set that can readily move Colorado through our current budget crisis quickly and decisively in order to get Colorado back on track. Let’s examine how:
Problem: Gov. Bill Ritter has too many employees. This is the result of 4,000 new state employees hired on his watch, almost 2,000 brought on during a hiring freeze since October 2008. Any room full of executives (the governor’s office is an executive office, by the way), when confronted with dropping revenues and negative cash flow, will almost unanimously recommend a head count reduction, consolidation of struggling or failing departments, followed by the elimination of unprofitable products (programs).
Solution: Release 4,000 employees. This would reduce our budget immediately by $400 million. and I bet we would hardly notice the difference.
Problem: K-12 has not delivered the goods with union-backed Amendment 23. With more money, they have not increased CSAP scores or graduation rates. Let’s fix it before we throw more money at it.
Solution: Our poorly managed budget to date now requires a cut of $250 million with K-12. The expiration of the 1 percent piece of 23 will save us another $50 million.
Problem: It is not enough to say our unemployment rate is lower than the national rate. It is not enough to have new energy at the expense of clean energy and thousands of lost jobs in energy, technology and manufacturing.
Vision: Give me 24 months in office and imagine a Colorado that should not be worrying about how to balance a budget or increase taxes and fees. With the right executive leadership, someone who knows how to turn around failing enterprises and how to generate revenue during the tough times (and thus jobs for workers), Colorado can be an enviable place to live and work once again.
We can have the Colorado I dreamed of. But I will have to clean up a mess in the short term to get there. Then we can make the Colorado dream a reality for all Coloradans. Will you join me?
Dan Maes is a Republican candidate for governor.
