Backers of the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative yesterday alleged that Gov. Bill Ritter’s office broke the law by improperly using taxpayer funds to promote political opposition to a ballot initiative that would end affirmative action programs in Colorado.
The allegations came on the same day the Independence Institute, a conservative think tank, released a paper bashing another controversial initiative.
“Amendment 59 gives the education lobby a blank check,” the Independence Institute said in a news release, claiming the Savings Account for Education Initiative (SAVE) would lead to massive state spending and be detrimental to Colorado.
Amendment 46
The Colorado Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI) said Ritter’s Office of Economic Development used taxpayer funds to promote a Sept. 22 event titled “Amendment 46 and How it Could Affect Your Business.” The event featured a speech by Michael D. Sumner, PhD, a staunch critic of the proposed amendment.
Invitations to Sumner’s speech were printed on the Office of Economic Development letterhead. Under Colorado’s Fair Campaign Practices Act, the Colorado Supreme Court established that public officials are not permitted to use public funds for the purpose of expressing “an unbalanced position on a ballot measure.”
“Gov. Ritter is certainly entitled to his own political viewpoint, but he crosses the line when he uses our hard earned money to promote this agenda,” said a statement from Amendment 46 executive director Jessica Peck Corry. “Taxpayers should be outraged by this violation of our state’s Fair Campaign Practices Act.”
Ritter’s office said they were wrong to print invitations on state letterhead, but added that no taxpayer money was used for the event.
“We made a mistake in style and substance, and we will rectify it the best we can,” said Don Elliman, director of the Office of Economic Development.
Amendment 46 would prohibit “the state from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin” for jobs and schools in the public sector.
Amendment 59
SAVE, which will appear on the November 2008 ballot as Amendment 46, could lead to raised taxes and double digit increases in state spending, according to the Independence Institute.
Supporters of SAVE said the Independence Institute had their facts wrong, and that the initiative is more fiscally responsible than the current law.
The measure would eliminate constitutional requirements set by TABOR that force the state to refund budget surpluses to taxpayers, and would repeal a conflicting requirement set by Amendment 23 in 2000 that education spending rise every year.
The initiative, spearheaded by Speaker of the Colorado House Rep. Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, and State Treasurer Cary Kennedy, would take excess revenue when times are good and place the money in the state’s education fund for public schools. Ten percent of the money would be placed in a special savings fund for schools.
Estimates place the savings at $46 million in its first year and about $50 million the next year. Excess revenue would stop flowing into the fund when it reaches a level equal to 8 percent of the state’s budget.
“With the current economic situation, I can’t think of a worse time to force Coloradoans to endure a massive explosion in state spending,” said a statement from Jon Caldara, the Independence Institute president.
Romanoff said the state would be saving, not spending, under SAVE. The lawmaker added that the current economic crisis emphasizes how important it is to start a rainy day fund for education, since skilled and knowledgeable workers are central to the economy’s health.
“If you don’t want to go through this boom and bust, then I think creating a long-term fund for education makes sense,” he said. “It helps us strengthen the economy and helps protect citizens from damage caused by a recession.”
