We at the Colorado chapter of Americans for Prosperity are committed to removing barriers to opportunity.
With offices in Fort Collins, the Denver Tech Center, Downtown Denver, Colorado Springs, and now Grand Junction and Durango, we are expanding our engagement with local communities to ensure that people’s rights are protected at all levels of government.
Unfortunately, our efforts are frequently mischaracterized by the press, as in a recent story in these pages (Herald, Feb. 19) that suggested we were ending our efforts against La Plata County’s proposed land-use codes. This, in turn, led to speculation that we were retreating from this local community to focus on purely state and national issues.
Nothing could be further from the truth. With local offices, local staff and local volunteers, Americans for Prosperity continues to engage and rally our activists on local issues throughout Colorado, including the issue of property rights in La Plata County.
Last fall, the La Plata County Planning Department proposed new land-use codes that would stifle the freedom of property owners. The heavy-handed regulations included new restrictions on building architecture and outdoor lighting, as well as a new permit requirement for private events of more than 24 people.
But this isn’t just what we think. The proposal riled the community – and rightfully so. Two hundred county residents signed our organization’s petition against the land-use codes, and more than a thousand people attended a public forum where they overwhelmingly denounced the codes as government overreach and an infringement on property rights.
As a result of the outcry, La Plata County has put the codes on hold to address residents’ concerns. This hard-won victory does not mean that Americans for Prosperity is dropping out of the fight. On the contrary, we will continue to engage on the issue of land-use codes, and rally our activists against any incursion against property rights in La Plata County and elsewhere in Colorado.
We also pushed back on land-use restrictions in Lakewood, where city officials proposed limiting residential growth to 1 percent annually and requiring city council approval for projects of 40 units or more. Americans for Prosperity launched a grassroots initiative to inform residents about how the proposal would drive up the cost of living and kill job growth.
Just like we are educating citizens regarding the threat to their property rights in La Plata County and Lakewood, we mobilized citizens against a threat to educational opportunity in Douglas County. Americans for Prosperity activists knocked on 18,000 doors and made more than 40,000 phone calls to educate residents on the importance of preserving the program and increasing the educational options available to students.
On local threats to property rights, educational freedom and more, Americans for Prosperity will keep up the fight. We will continue to deepen our engagement with local communities and educate residents on issues that affect them.
By opening a new office in Durango, we are sending a very clear message: Americans for Prosperity is here to stay – and we are just getting started.
Jesse Mallory is the Colorado state director of Americans for Prosperity, online at americansforprosperity.org.
