John Hickenlooper, Democrat
Amendment 60: Oppose. If passed, Amendment 60 would wipe away decisions that voters have made to fund schools and other essential services such as police officers and fire stations. While it is dressed up as an effort to empower voters to decide local revenue questions, it will undo what voters have already decided and create financial chaos for our schools and communities.
Amendment 61: Oppose. Amendment 61 is a real jobs killer at a time when we need more construction and economic development. It doesn’t make good business sense. If we pass this proposed amendment, we’ll cripple Colorado’s ability to attract investment and capital for the major infrastructure challenges we have.
Proposition 101: Oppose. We ought to look at a sunset for FASTER, and while I am not opposed to lower income or tax rates down the line, Proposition 101 doesn’t make good business sense, either. It would prevent work we desperately need to complete repairs for 128 unsafe bridges throughout Colorado and would hurt our ability to improve transportation. This proposal is also a jobs killer.
Dan Maes, Republican
I have signed the Colorado Union of Taxpayers pledge and it is my intent to be a true fiscal hawk. I see tax cuts as part of our overall strategy for the future after we cut the size of government and increase revenues via energy and small-business success first. I agree with the spirit of these issues as the people of Colorado are very angry with recent increases in taxes and fees while the state government seems to continue to grow. However, I also think universal passage of all three would be very detrimental to our current budget situation. With that said, here is where I stand:
Amend 60: Support.
Amend 61: Oppose.
Prop 101: I oppose the vehicle-tax portion, but support the income- tax and telecommunication tax sections.
Scott McInnis, Republican
Amendment 60: Oppose. It’s completely understandable why the three ballot measures were proposed, since the legislature and governor sidestepped vital constitutional taxpayer protections to raise taxes. While I believe that local tax increases are not supportable in tough economic times, I do think it is wrong for the state government to dictate to school districts and local governments how to conduct their business.
Amendment 61: Oppose. Certificates of Participation allow the state to leverage its assets to build large-scale projects such as roads, bridges, and buildings, including the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. A COP is to the state what a home equity loan is to a family: a creative way to tap into equity to make improvements without new debt. By using COPs responsibly the state can avoid raising taxes to meet infrastructure need, and this is a tool that should be preserved.
Proposition 101: Oppose. While there are parts of this proposal, such as allowing voters to have a vote on the recent car-registration fee hike, that are good, other parts, such as lowering the vehicle registration fee to its level from the year 1919, go too far and are unrealistic. Transportation is a critically important function of state government, and this provision alone would devastate Colorado’s ability to maintain safe roads and bridges.
