Whoever wins Colorado’s race for governor will inherit an awfully difficult public financial crisis.
For most of his term, dealing with complex fiscal realities will be a top priority. We’ve asked the leading candidates to give voters detailed plans — not fuzzy platitudes — for how they’d tackle the state’s budget. (And we still await them.) But voters also deserve to get as clear a picture as possible about each candidate’s priorities and habits regarding how they make and spend their own money.
To help present that picture, we urged the gubernatorial candidates to agree to traditional requests from The Denver Post to release tax return filings. The documents often speak to those fiscal attitudes.
On the plus side, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and former Congressman Scott McInnis did provide information that led to revealing articles in Sunday’s Post by reporter Karen E. Crummy.
Hickenlooper provided extensive records documenting 23 years of income collected and taxes paid. The Democrat also provided summary information about his sizable charitable giving. McInnis kept his finances much closer to the vest, releasing only summary information about income and taxes. He declined to release information about his charitable giving.
Both men appeared on Dan Caplis and Craig Silverman’s KHOW radio show to discuss their reasons for filtering the information. In short, we found their explanations lacking.
We understand that in releasing tax data, there are political risks and difficult business and personal considerations. But a handful of legitimate questions have blossomed as a result of the candidates’ dodgeball answers.
McInnis ought to account for the money he’s made working for the lobbying heavyweight Hogan & Hartson and from any other relationship he may have profited from since he left Congress in 2005. Voters have a right to know whether those associations would prompt any conflict-of-interest concerns.
While it appears that McInnis’ charity may be limited and personal, Hickenlooper’s donations have been extensive. But he ought to account for his nearly $3 million in giving.
As candidate for mayor in 2003, Hickenlooper drew controversy over the Chinook Fund he co-founded because some of the causes supported were more liberal than the moderate image Hickenlooper wished to project. Questions about his contributions since are valid.
Running for office often requires candidates to open parts of their lives to the public that they find uncomfortable. But transparency also helps build the public trust.
