Common Cause

Show Us the Stimulus

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PST

Show Us the Stimulus

July 29, 2009

"Show us the Stimulus," a new report released today by Good Jobs First, ranks Colorado's official Recovery Act website as 2nd best in the country and rates Colorado 3rd best for the quality of its online reporting of Recovery Act highway projects. All states have created official Recovery Act websites as a way to provide transparency and greater public accountability for stimulus spending. The ratings measure states against a list of best practices, including issues such as the inclusion of data on job creation, contract awards and the geographic distribution of stimulus spending within a state.

Colorado Common Cause has convened a coalition with the Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute, COPIRG, 9 to 5 the National Association of Working Women, and more than a dozen other organizations to ensure that Colorado’s stimulus spending is meeting the needs of Coloradans. Colorado is doing a great job getting information on its website, but we can do more to engage the public in this unprecedented surge into our economy. While poverty rates and joblessness continue to climb in our state, we want to be sure that all Coloradans know of the opportunities and positive impacts the Recovery Act has to offer.

Coalition calls for restart of CSU chancellor search

Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 PST

Coalition calls for restart of CSU chancellor search

Today, Colorado Ethics Watch, Colorado Common Cause and New Era Colorado, joined together to call on the CSU Board of Governors to rescind its closed door decision naming Joe Blake as the sole finalist for CSU chancellor. The groups also called upon the Board of Governors to start a new, transparent search process to consider a number of qualified applicants, including Mr. Blake. The group decried the process as tainted by a lack of transparency and apparent conflicts of interest.

Mr. Blake participated in the controversial decision in December 2008 to split the chancellor position from the position of president of the Fort Collins campus of Colorado State University. On April 29, 2009, he formally submitted his application for the new chancellor position. On May 5, in a closed-door meeting that was called in haste while the legislature was considering a bill to change the process for selecting a chancellor, the Board of Governors voted to name Mr. Blake as the sole finalist for the position. The process that resulted in the selection of Mr. Blake as the sole finalist and denied students and the public a meaningful opportunity to provide input on this critical hiring decision, and it has been challenged as a possible violation of Colorado's Open Meetings Law.

"The process smacks of favoritism and insider dealing," said Chantell Taylor, director of Colorado Ethics Watch. "In his capacity as vice chair of the board, Mr. Blake participated in creating the lucrative new chancellor position then submitted his own application and was selected as the sole-finalist in a rushed, closed-door session that apparently violated open meetings laws. This is an assault on principles of open, honest government."

Jenny Flanagan, executive director of Common Cause, said the public has a right to a fair and open process in the decisions that affect their community. "The Governing Board knew their closed-door meetings would offend the public but went ahead anyway. Blake may be the right candidate for this position, but this was not the right process. The governing board must take steps to repair the situation."

"The closed-door selection process flies in the face of everything higher education should stand for—fair and open discourse with integrity," said Steve Fenberg, executive director of New Era Colorado. "These decisions should include the input of students, faculty, and the broader community of citizens of Colorado—the very populations our public universities and academic institutions exist to serve."

Read the article here: http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20090521/UPDATES01/90521034

Taste of the State

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:00:00 PST

Colorado Common Cause invites you to Taste of the State!

Join us as we gather to taste local wines, sample appetizers, bid on great items in our silent auction, and celebrate our work to strengthen democracy in Colorado

When: Thursday, April 30th 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where: The Space Gallery 765 Santa Fe Drive Denver, CO 80204

Featuring Colorado wines from:

The Infinite Monkey Theorem, Colorado’s boutique winery
&
Mondo Vino, Denver’s premier wine shop

Tickets are $50 per person and attendance is limited so please reserve your tickets now.

Call 303-292-2163, or register online http://www.commoncause.org/CO/TasteOfTheState