Face The State Staff Report
Face The State has obtained an invitation to a May fundraiser in support of Gov. Bill Ritter's 2010 re-election bid. Due to the event's timing, Ritter could be in violation of state campaign finance law.
Under Colorado's current campaign finance structure, statewide officials, including the governor and state legislators, are prohibited from seeking campaign contributions from lobbyists during the legislative session. This rule is extended for the governor until all pending legislation is cleared from his desk. As a report by Denver Post reporter Jessica Fender chronicled this morning, the invitation follows a fundraising e-mail sent out last month by Ritter's campaign team to a recipient list that included lobbyists.
"Gov. Ritter skirted campaign finance problems in the past, and here he is doing it again," said Denver election attorney Mario Nicolais. "At the very least, this has the appearance of impropriety. It's disappointing to see that type of behavior."
The host committee listed on the invitation (PDF), which Face The State obtained from a lobbyist, includes local attorneys, consultants, political activists, a state senator and former Denver Broncos star Brian Griese. While the law places the burden on lobbyists not to contribute, Ritter’s invitation clearly solicits a suggested contribution of $525 per person.
The event was held Friday at the home of James Crowe, president and CEO of Level 3 Communications. According to Colorado's professional lobbyist directory, Level 3 Communications employs the firm PoliticalWorks to lobby on its behalf. Campaign finance law prohibits lobbyists and companies that hire lobbyists, including Level 3, from contributing to elected officials during the legislative session.
Ritter campaign manager David Kenney and Governor's Office spokesman Evan Dreyer did not return Face The State’s request for comment.