In June, Gov. Bill Ritter hired Maranda Pleau as the "Minority Outreach Coordinator" for his office coordinating the spending of federal stimulus money. She was tasked with “helping state agencies set goals and procedures regarding minority contracting and outreach to minority communities.”
COLORADO'S FRONTPAGE
Face the State
Content Index: State Government
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2/5: A retirement double standard
Colorado's public-sector retirees argue they have an absolute right to their retirement. But the rest of us, shacked to Social Security, are still up a creek.
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2/2: Business taxes on the rise
Did your business lose money this year? Too bad, but the state's lining up to tax you, anyway.
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1/29: States' rights to the test
Do states' rights mean anything in the 21st century? We're about to find out.
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Who will Democrats run for governor?
Following Gov. Bill Ritter's surprise announcement this week he will not continue to seek re-election, Democrats are scrambling to find a replacement nominee. Will there be a primary, or can party leaders coalesce around a "consensus candidate"?
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Gov. Bill Ritter will not seek re-election
Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, announced this week he would discontinue his re-election campaign. Ritter describes his decision as "deeply personal." FTS has response from Democrats and Republicans under the gold dome.
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Will CDOT plow rural roads?
State Sen. Greg Brophy, R-Wray, has some harsh words for the Colorado Department of Transportation, which recently announced it would not plow certain rural roads during evening hours. Is this cutback unfair to drivers on the eastern plains?
Play audio - 10:58 minutes
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12/1: More law we don't need
A new law in effect today makes it illegal to "text and drive."
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Ritter's 2010 budget proposal
Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, this week presented his 2010 budget proposal to the legislature's Joint Budget Committee. Face The State has audio from his presentation as well as analysis from GOP budget hawk Rep. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs.
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Who determines what makes for "rational" school funding?
An interview with Independence Institute policy analyst Ben DeGrow regarding a lawsuit alleging Colorado's school funding system is "irrational." In a recent op-ed, DeGrow says such questions are best handled by elected representatives, not the courts.
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8/21: PERA soaked in red ink
Colorado's public employee pension system is soaked in red ink.
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PERA wants help in 'closing the gap'
A Face the State Staff Report
August 18, 2009Trustees of Colorado's Public Employees' Retirement Association, the pension fund covering over 435,000 current and retired state and local government workers, are asking for help in closing a $17 billion gap in its balance sheet. That "unfunded actuarial liability" represents analysts' estimate of the difference between PERA's future assets compared to its obligation to pay benefits. The General Assembly this spring directed PERA to develop proposed law to address the shortfall, which has left the pension only 51% funded.
Audio: First stop on PERA's 'listening tour'
The Public Employees' Retirement Association, Colorado's public-sector pension fund, held the first of eight planned "listening tour" hearings Tuesday night in Denver. Staff presented facts about the fund's current fiscal status to a packed house, and those in attendance - mostly public employees and retirees - were given an opportunity to briefly address PERA's board of trustees. The proceedings were simulcast live on the Internet and Face The State now brings you an archive of the meeting audio.
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Xcel ad campaign shows it's hard to serve two masters
FTS Opinion
August 11, 2009Xcel Energy has proposed raising energy rates on consumers while at the same time spending an undisclosed sum of money on a self-serving ad campaign. The “Responsible By Nature” ads seen online, in print and on the air encourage consumers to save money by decreasing consumption and take advantage of the company’s rebates. To encourage saving money by reducing consumption while at the same time raising rates at the meter has us scratching our heads.
State 'minority outreach' job still plays the race card
August 11, 2009Following aborted raid, lawmakers take up Pinnacol's future
A Face the State Staff Report
August 3, 2009A legislative inquiry into the operations of Pinnacol Assurance, the state’s largest provider of workers compensation insurance, could be a launching point for changes to the laws governing health coverage for injured workers.
FTS Humor: Another skirmish in the War on Poverty
Face The State Humor
August 1, 2009By Andrew Ripemoff
We have some good economic news to report. That Mercedes you've always wanted is now within reach. That’s right: Colorado lawmakers have formed a committee to reduce poverty.
Pinnacol's future; Huttner tests his credibility
A state legislative committee meets this week to consider the future of Pinnacol Assurance, Colorado's largest worker's compensation insurance provider. But will the proceedings be an opportunity for the company's critics to call for major overhauls to the state's insurance laws?
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Trio of anti-tax petitions on deck for 2010
A Face the State Staff Report
July 27, 2009Three anti-tax petitions are being circulated in hopes of rolling back recently-enacted tax and fee increases at next year's election. Backers of the initiatives emphasize the grassroots nature of their endeavor, but Colorado's most prominent tax-cutting activists are at work in the background helping to shepherd the measures to the ballot.
'The Buzz' on 1310 KFKA, 7/27/09 - Replacing Marostica; school fees explained
FTS managing editor Brad Jones visits with 1310 KFKA talk show host Amy Oliver to talk about recent stories penned by Face The State. This week: Who will replace state Rep. Don Marostica, who leaves the General Assembly to join the Ritter administration? And are school fees fair to parents and students stuck with shelling out hundreds of dollars every year?
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Mr. Ritter goes to Washington
Gov. Bill Ritter was in Washington, D.C. this week touting his "New Energy Economy," though not everyone is sold on the program and the heavy government subsidies it requires.
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FTS on 1310 KFKA: Mr. Ritter goes to Washington
Face The State visits with 1310 KFKA morning show hosts Trevor Carey and George Gray. Gov. Bill Ritter was in Washington, D.C. this week touting his "new energy economy," but GOP senators were ready and waiting for him with questions about carbon taxes, "green" government subsidies and other nastiness.
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Why not 'furlough' some paid holidays?
July 23, 2009Gov. Bill Ritter announced yesterday the dates of four furlough days for state government. And taking a page right out of Mayor John Hickenlooper's playbook, the state has conveniently scheduled its new unpaid days off adjacent to paid holidays. At the risk of raining on state employees' parade, we ask why long weekends should be made even longer causing state services to be inaccessible for up to four days at a time.
Trend watch: Pot dispensaries on the rise across Colorado
July 21, 2009In a 6-3 vote last night, the state health board rejected a proposal to tighten restrictions on medical marijuana caregivers, a decision met with broad-based support from patients and dozens of dispensary owners who are seeing their businesses boom in Colorado.
Hiring 'freeze' thawed, now Elliman's domain
FTS Opinion
July 21, 2009Despite substantial fiscal instability, the state hiring freeze quietly came to an end June 30. The moratorium on hiring, to which exemptions were liberally granted, will now be replaced by an even looser prior-approval process.
CSU prez, chancellor contracts worth over $3.75m
July 16, 2009Newly hired CSU Chancellor Joe Blake has promised to put transparency at the top of his agenda and in that spirit, Face the State is publishing employment contracts for Blake and President Tony Frank.
No prompt action on foreclosure relief
A Face the State Staff Report
July 16, 2009Though foreclosure relief was a major selling point for the federal stimulus package, Colorado might not spend money on that purpose for up to two years, and then with a focus on buying up and reselling homes already foreclosed upon.
7/16: Why are health care premiums on the rise?
Yeah, that's what our health care system needs: more regulation!
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More details on state elections director hiring process
July 15, 2009In May, Face The State published applications for the position of state elections director, which we obtained through the Colorado Open Records Act. The director is tasked with overseeing the state's election and campaign finance reporting processes in conjunction with county clerks. As we later learned, the most revealing part of the application - a "narrative exam" - wasn't released.
Impacts of 2007 health insurance law now unfolding
A Face the State Staff Report
July 14, 2009A 2007 state law is being blamed for dramatically higher health insurance rates for small businesses, but lawmakers and regulators say the bill isn't the only factor driving higher costs. The bill's sponsors say premiums are increasing with inflation and compounded by the down economy, with the bill as a convenient scapegoat.