State House: Mike McLachlan
In deciding who should represent the 59th District in the state House, voters face the same choice as in 2012 – Republican J. Paul Brown or Democrat Mike McLachlan. They should make the same decision they did two years ago and pick McLachlan. Having legislative records to compare should make the choice easy.
In his politics, Brown is out of step with mainstream Colorado, while McLachlan has used his time to work on issues targeting the real needs of his constituents.
Re-elect Mikee McLachlan.
Secretary of state: Joe Neguse
Democrat Joe Neguse would use technology to expand voter access and streamline the process for active military and in rural areas. His priorities are exactly what is needed in the office of secretary of state. Voting should be easy and welcoming.
Vote for Joe Neguse.
County commissioner: Brad Blake
Brad Blake, a Republican, is running against Democrat Cynthia Roebuck for county commissioner. A business owner and self-proclaimed conservative, Blake’s experience and views would complement those of commissioners Julie Westendorff and Gwen Lachelt, both Democrats.
Blake’s decidedly pro-development, pro-business stance would provide for well-rounded discussions as the county revisits the comprehensive plan.
Vote for Brad Blake for La Plata County commissioner.
Ballot measures
Amendment 67 would change Colorado’s Constitution to confer legal personhood on “unborn human beings” from fertilized egg on. It would ban not only all abortions – no exceptions – but also birth-control methods that prevent implantation as well as emergency contraception.
Voters should refuse to compromise the rights of all women in Colorado.
Vote no on Amendment 67.
Amendment 68 is a transparent attempt to use Colorado’s initiative process to benefit a single, out-of-state company. It would allow casino gambling at the Arapahoe Park horse-racing track near Denver to the detriment of existing Colorado casinos and jobs.
The selling point is a 34 percent tax on gambling revenue to be devoted to education. But if it materializes at all that money will go from one state pocket to another.
Amendment 68 would put jobs at risk and clutter up Colorado’s Constitution for no other reason than to boost an East Coast company.
Vote no on Amendment 68.
Colorado Proposition 104, a statutory change, would require school board negotiations with teachers’ unions be conducted in open meetings. That public schools, which are spending the public’s money, should do business in public only makes sense.
Unless it involves some sensitive element of national security, secrecy is the enemy of good government. There is no reason that principle should not extend to schools.
This specifically applies to collective bargaining. Negotiations for individual employees’ contracts are not covered.
Schools are a big part of everyone’s property taxes and teachers’ union contracts make up a huge part of schools’ budgets. Not only should how that money is spent be transparent to the taxpayers, so too should how that was decided. The process, not just the outcome, is the public’s business.
Vote yes on Proposition 104.
Proposition 105 would require all food sold in Colorado to carry a label if it was “produced with genetic engineering.” On its face, it sounds good. Consumers should be armed with information about what they are eating. Doing so on a state-by-state basis, however, is impractical and inefficient.
Estimates suggest genetically modified organisms are used in more than 80 percent of all food in North America – fresh, processed or pre-packaged. This is an issue the Food and Drug Administration must address. A patchwork labeling and regulatory process, however, would create an onerous environment for state agencies and food producers alike.
Vote no on Proposition 105.
