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06_17_2024amheadlines Greta Kerkhoff
Jefferson County GOP leader censured
The Jefferson County Republican Party has formally censured their party chair, following her efforts to oust Colorado GOP Chair Dave Williams.
JeffCo party chair Nancy Pallozzi started circulating a petition last week without endorsement from the local Republicans she leads. Her own executive committee moved to nullify the petition, as it was not circulated on behalf of the party but was publicized on the party’s Facebook account and under its letterhead.
The efforts were prompted by Williams’ anti-LGBTQ+ email and social media post last week, calling gay people “godless groomers” and encouraging people to burn all Pride flags. The petition lists several concerns with Williams’ leadership.
The Jefferson County executive committee released a public statement, saying, “this action concerns only the matter of the Chair acting without authority and is not to be construed as an endorsement of or opposition to statements or actions of any other party.”
The censure bars Pallozzi from speaking on the matter any further.
Pallozzi’s efforts garnered public support from several prominent Republicans in the state. Similarly, the Denver Republican Party’s executive committee unanimously voted to call for Williams’ resignation or removal as state chair on Wednesday last week.
In addition to the recent criticism related to his anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments online, Williams has received backlash for calling LGBTQ+ Pride supporters “Nazis” in a recent debate, and for using party resources to attack his primary opponent in the 5th Congressional District race.
Proposal to drastically change Colorado’s elections
There’s a newly-approved ballot initiative that aims to eliminate single-party primary elections.
According to Colorado Public Radio, Initiative 310 advocates for an “all-candidate primary,” as well as ranked-choice voting for general elections.
The measure is backed by one of Colorado’s wealthiest residents: Kent Thiry, the wealthy founder of the dialysis company DaVita.
Though backers still need to collect 125,000 signatures from voters by the first week of August in order to get on the ballot, CPR reports that Thiry’s funding will almost certainly carry the initiative through to the November elections.
The initiative’s supporters argue that the changes would improve Democracy by lessening the political strength of the two-party system. They also say that candidates will be less inclined to appeal to extreme views in order to win primaries, and that third party candidates will have more opportunity.
Critics say the new system may be hard for voters to understand, and that there would be limited time to educate voters before the upcoming election.
Boulder airport neighborhood on ballot for fall
Two proposed measures to close the Boulder Municipal Airport and turn the area into a neighborhood have officially garnered enough signatures to appear on the Nov. 2024 ballot.
The news came from the City Clerk’s Office last week. According to the Boulder Daily Camera, “Repurpose Our Runways” and “Runways to Neighborhoods” ballot initiatives each gained just over the 3,401 signatures required to qualify for the ballot.
Supporters say the proposed measures would fill a gap in Boulder’s need for affordable housing.
Aviation enthusiasts oppose the measure, saying it’s unlikely the Federal Aviation Administration would allow the airport to be closed. Boulder currently has about 18 years left on a 20-year contract requiring the airport to operate due to FAA grant funding.
The City Council will make final determinations about the ballot measures in the upcoming months. They may suggest amendments to the measures – but if the campaign committee doesn’t agree to those changes, the city and committee could end up putting competing measures on the ballot. It’s also possible that Council could bypass the whole process and adopt the measures as city ordinances, in which case the measures wouldn’t go on the ballot.
The City plans to have a conversation about the airport on July 25.
Record-setting revenue from skiing in Colorado
Sunday was closing day at the Arapahoe Basin ski resort, marking the end of the lift-served ski season for Colorado. Arapahoe was open for 222 days this season, from October 29 to June 16.
Colorado ski resorts logged 14 million visitations for the 2023/24 season – higher than most other states, but slightly down from 2022/23.
According to the Colorado Sun, total ski season spending in Colorado’s ski resort municipalities reached $4.5 billion, up from $4.4 billion in the record-setting 2022-23 season and up 50% from the pre-pandemic 2018-19 season.
