On my radio show today GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes said his “short list” for Lt. Governor includes someone from Weld County with both executive experience in the Governor’s mansion and legislative experience as an elected member of the Colorado General Assembly.  Face the State has speculated that it might be either Senator Kevin Lundberg or Senator Scott Renfroe.  He wouldn’t say whether he was considering a man or a woman.

Neither Lundberg nor Renfroe has executive experience.

So who does? I thought of Greeley Mayor Tom Norton who served as CDOT director under Governor Bill Owens and was president of the Colorado State Senate during the 1990s.  But that was really just a wild guess — one that I don’t think is accurate.

A listener provided a great guess.  Someone who endorsed Dan Maes well before Scott McInnis’ “water” gate scandal. Someone with both executive experience as the head of DORA and legislative experience as the elected representative from HD 50.  I’m embarrassed that I didn’t think of this person.  My apologies to my friend Tambor Williams, who would make an excellent Lt. Governor.

Tambor most recently appeared on my show to explain her role on the Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission.

Tambor would be a great choice, but then I am biased because I think Tambor would also make a great Governor. Remember this is all just speculation. Maes will make his announcement tomorrow. Until then, have fun speculating.

Every year I watch the Greeley Stampede Independence Day Parade. Usually, I am half of the broadcast team for 1310 KFKA. This year, Scooter McGee took my place so I could simply enjoy the parade from the comfort of the mobile studio. Because I didn’t have to broadcast, it afforded me the great luxury of observing the crowd as onlookers watched the parade. And as I have done for the last few years, I provide my parade observations:

First, it was held on Saturday, July 3, to accommodate Sunday religious services, which I think is a kind gesture but it’s odd having the 4th of July parade on July 3rd. This really messed up my internal calendar.  Today, feels like Sunday instead of Monday.

Second, it’s still boring. I’ve been critical of the Stampede parade in the past because it is sterile.  A few years ago, the Stampede Committee put a stop to the traditional water gun fights.  They also put a stop to throwing candy and politics.  As a result, the parade is dull and one dimensional.

There is one thing that really struck me — how they received elected officials, candidates for office and their supporters. The reaction seemed to reflect the mood of a country that has little faith in its political institutions as the economy continues to falter.

When the Democrats, including Congresswoman Betsy Markey, Denver Mayor and gubernatorial candidate John Hickenlooper, and senatorial candidate Andrew Romanoff, passed by my spot, there was no booing, hissing, clapping, cheering or jeering. There was nothing — just erie silence.  The only attention they got was when my colleague George Gray briefly interviewed all three for the parade broadcast.

Last year , Markey was met with silence as well.  But this was different.  It seemed directed at the entire political class. I have no idea if they got the same reception along the rest of the parade route but it was nothing but silence from my position.

In this very conservative community, Republicans didn’t fare much better. There were polite claps but not the usual cheering.

This tells me that candidates, especially incumbents, will have to work a little harder for every vote.  This is a tough crowd.

Taxpayers should write a big thank you note to the members of the Douglas County School Board. They had the nerve to say “NO” to the school bullies that defend the education establishment.

The Douglas County School Board won’t use taxpayer dollars to sue taxpayers for more — you guessed it — taxpayer dollars, according to a story from Face the State. The state’s third largest school district won’t join Greeley Evans District 6, the Poudre School District, and 15 others across the state in the Lobato v. Colorado case, a.k.a. “Lobatomy v. Colorado.”

Despite pressure from the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), the Douglas County School Board ultimately sided with Attorney General John Suthers who believes this issue should not be litigated but rather legislated.

Our board has taken a look at it, and we feel that the issue involved is properly dealt with by the elected Legislature, and not the courts, said John Carson, president of the Douglas County School Board.

Even without Douglas County, CASB raided taxpayers’ wallets to the tune of nearly $245,000 to litigate this case.

Thanks to my friends at Complete Colorado for pointing me to this story. You can hear either Todd Shepherd and Justin Longo,of Complete Colorado on my show every Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m. on 1310 KFKA for a media wrap up including the most over and under reported news stories of each week as well as stories that could only happen in Boulder.

This week Coloradans got their first glimpse at 2010 student achievement scores with the release of third graders’ CSAP reading test results.  They weren’t great.  The Denver Post headline read “30 percent of Colorado 3rd-graders not reading at their level, CSAP finds.”

The perspective from Greeley’s newspaper was a bit different.  The public school cheerleaders, a.k.a. The Tribune, wasted no time spinning the Greeley Evans District Six marginal test results as success. An article headlined “District 6 third-graders narrow the gap in CSAP reading scores” began with this lede:

After slipping a bit last year, Greeley-Evans third-graders took a giant leap forward this year in closing the gap between their scores on the Colorado Student Assessment Program reading test and the statewide average score.

Quick history lesson.  In 2008, 65 percent of D6 third graders were proficient or better in reading.  In 2009, the percentage of proficient or better dropped to 63 percent.  This year the percentage is back up to 65.

So according to the Tribune, “slipping a bit” means a two percentage point drop from 2008 to 2009.  In fact, when the Tribune reported on the 2009 D6 third grade reading scores, it called the slide a simple “step backward.” Now, a two percentage point rise that brings D6 back to 2008 levels is labeled as a “giant leap forward.”

Also, as the paper promoted in its headline, D6 narrowed the achievement gap between its students and the state average.  The second paragraph reveals much of the reason why.

The state helped out a bit by dropping 3 percentage points since last year in the average number of students scoring proficient or advanced.

So D6 third graders took a “giant leap forward” because third graders in other districts didn’t perform as well. The newspaper should be ashamed of itself, but it probably isn’t.

The Tribune does no favors to the school district, students, parents or the community by constantly sugar coating marginal results.  Want to congratulate schools that saw success such as East Memorial or Shawsheen Elementary with their 15 and 14 point percentage increases respectively? Great!  Do it.  Those schools deserve recognition for their hard work but the district should not be congratulated for  the unacceptable fact that 35 percent of D6 third grade students read below grade level.

The Tribune has been a cheerleader and an apologist for the school district administration for as long as I can remember.  Remember this glowing editorial about former Superintendent Tony Pariso who left the district just as it was facing academic watch.  The Tribune’s inability to report honestly on the school district makes the paper part of the problem instead part of the  solution for a better education for our kids.

Even my little friend Eddie knows the difference between journalism and junk.  Check out his take on how the Greeley Tribune “reported” third grade reading scores.

So how much did you pay in taxes?  Want to send government a message besides just your check?  Then find a Tea Party near you.  Check out the list below and join in the fun.  I hope to visit Greeley, Loveland and Fort Collins so I can be among friends and promote the Independence Institute’s petition gathering process to defend Colorado from ObamaCare.

I would love to go to a Tax Day Tea Party in Lamar or La Junta.  If you are headed that direction, please follow up with details.

Denver - 10:00 am to 1:00pm
Colorado State Capitol
200 E Colfax
http://www.hearus-now.org/taxday2010.html

Colorado Springs - 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Acacia Park (downtown)
http://www.theconstitutionalisttoday.com/come-to-the-tea-party/

Fort Collins - 5:00pm to 7:00pm
Washington Park
301 Maple Street (behind City Hall)
http://www.NorthernColoradoTeaParty.com

Loveland - 4:00pm to 6:00pm
South Shore of Lake Loveland
http://www.loveland912project.org/home

Estes Park - 11:30am to 1:00pm
Bond Park (downtown)

Grand Junction - 5:30pm to 7:00pm
Lincoln Park (12th and North Ave)

Pueblo - 4:00pm to 6:00pm
Pueblo County Courthouse Steps

Woodland Park/Teller County - 2:00pm to 5:00pm
Lions Park - Gold Hill North
Corner of Hwy 67 X 24

Montrose – 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm
Old Courthouse
South First Street

Montrose (yep, there are 2 in Montrose) - 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Corner of Main & Townsend

Delta (This one is on Saturday, 4/17) 10:00 am- 12:00 Noon
Delta Courthouse

La Junta - 3:00pm to 5:00pm
Santa Fe Plaza
More info: Kathy and Betty - 719.853.6683 or 719.384.2473

Lamar - 4:30pm
In front of Courthouse

Greeley - 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm

Greeley Post Office, West 10th Street

www.greeley912.net

The school bullies who are threatening to take away student programs and text books unless  District 6 taxpayers pony up more money are whining.  Apparently some members of the campaign want “equal time” on KFKA because I am helping to organize the opposition to 3A, their massive tax increase.  

What the bullies don’t realize is that the equal time rule pertains only to candidates, not issues. 

My question: why aren’t the series of daily op-eds and a plethora of completely bias “news” articles in the Greeley Tribune enough?  Are they that worried about our new committee Citizens Against School Bullies?  They should be.

While taxpayers have to decide whether or not to approve a massive property tax increase, 3A MLO,  for District 6, the school board and teachers’ union are locked in a battle over the teachers’ master contract agreement. (I’ve actually read the entire document.)  The teachers’ union originally asked for a 10.25% total compensation increase.  According to a recent District press release the school board is offering:

• Fully pay the increased cost of teachers’ contribution to their retirement (PERA).
• Fully pay the increased cost of teachers’ health, dental and vision insurance.
• Continue to pay teachers for advancing their own education.
• Increase per-hour pay for non-contract work to $25 per hour from the current $18.

The teachers union will make a decision to accept or reject by October 6. 

How much do teachers make right now for their 184 day contract?  Roger Fiedler, Communications Director, provided me with the following information in an email:

There are 1,285 teachers in District 6. Of these teachers, 926 receive a total compensation package of at least $40,000. The only teachers whose total compensation package is less than $40,000 are part-time teachers or partial-year teachers (those who will work less than a full contract year because they were hired after the start of school).

• Number of teachers whose total compensation package (salary and benefits) is $40,000–$60,000 per year: 421
• Number of teachers whose total compensation package (salary and benefits) is $60,000–$75,000 per year: 229
• Number of teachers whose total compensation package (salary and benefits) is $75,000–$90,000 per year: 170
• Number of teachers whose total compensation package (salary and benefits) is more than $90,000 per year: 106

To put these figures into context, the median household income in Greeley is $39,438 according to the census.  When the Greeley Education Association embraces performance-based pay, I’ll support pay raises.  Right now, we endure below average graduation rates, below average standardize test scores and above average teacher salaries. 

I’m still waiting for specifics on pay for District 6 administrators.

3A is a massive 16 mils property tax increase for Greeley Evans District 6.  District voters will be asked to decide the tax increase with an all mail-in election.   Ballot will be mailed the week of October 12.  Ballot must be returned no later than 7 pm on November 3, to the Weld County Clerk and Recorders office.

 Below, readers will find some facts about the District and the tax increase. Following is the full text of 3A.

• Greeley Evans District 6 funding per pupil:  $9049 for 2007-2008 according to the Colorado Department of Education.
• Total funding from all sources — local, state and federal: $158.8 million according to CDE.
• District says it spends 87 percent of its budget on personnel costs.  According to MLO supporters the District cannot reduce personnel funding.
• District graduation rate for 2008: 65.75%  State: 73.9%
• District composite ACT: 18.2  State: 19.6
• Additional tax per $100,000 of residential property:  $127.36
• Additional tax per $100,000 of commercial property: $464.64
• Accountability: District says it will create a citizen’s advisory board to “monitor and report” how the additional tax dollars are spent.  This board has no authority.   School Board member Bob Stack testified at the state capitol against transparency.

3A full text courtesy of the District Web site.

BALLOT ISSUE NO. 3A:
SHALL WELD COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 6 TAXES BE INCREASED $16,000,000 ANNUALLY, BEGINNING IN TAX COLLECTION YEAR 2010, AND THEREAFTER BY WHATEVER AMOUNTS AS MAY BE COLLECTED ANNUALLY IN EACH FISCAL YEAR FROM A MILL LEVY INCREASE OF NOT TO EXCEED 16 MILLS, TO BE DEPOSITED IN THE GENERAL FUND OF THE DISTRICT AND EXPENDED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES, INCLUDING:
• PURCHASE TEXTBOOKS, COMPUTERS AND OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES REQUIRED BY STUDENTS AND TEACHERS FOR HIGHLY EFFECTIVE, HIGH-QUALITY ACADEMIC INSTRUCTION;

• SUPPORT COLLEGE, ACADEMIC, CAREER AND VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO PREPARE STUDENTS IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY FOR THE FUTURE;

• ENHANCE THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF STUDENTS, STAFF AND SCHOOL PROPERTY;

• ACQUIRE, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN BUSES TO IMPROVE STUDENT TRANSPORTATION;

AND SHALL SUCH TAX INCREASE BE AN ADDITIONAL PROPERTY TAX MILL LEVY IN EXCESS OF THE LEVY AUTHORIZED FOR THE DISTRICT’S GENERAL FUND, PURSUANT TO AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 22-54-108, C.R.S.; AND SHALL THE DISTRICT BE AUTHORIZED TO COLLECT, RETAIN, AND SPEND ALL REVENUES FROM SUCH TAXES AND THE EARNINGS FROM THE INVESTMENT OF SUCH REVENUES AS A VOTER APPROVED REVENUE CHANGE AND AN EXCEPTION TO THE LIMITS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE APPLY UNDER ARTICLE X, SECTION 20 OF THE COLORADO CONSTITUTION?

Who cares if Denver is facing a $120 budget shortfall.  They must have fine art — to the tune of $4 million.  Cut law enforcement.  Cut city services.  But hands off their art!   My colleague at the Independence Institute Todd Shepherd just exposed the real problem with how Denver funds art projects:

Eric Brown, spokesman for Mayor Hickenlooper, says the money slated for art projects can’t be re-routed or postponed because that funding is not discretionary and is not part of the general fund. “The public art program is set by ordinance from capital projects funding and would require City Council action to change the funding,” Brown said in an email. “Even if the art funding was eliminated, that money would remain in the construction budget for capital improvements and would not go back into the general fund.”

Greeley has the same type of requirement.  One percent of taxpayer-funded, capitol construction projects must go toward art — even at the expense of vital services.

As I have done for the previous four years, my Independence Day started  with a  broadcast of the Greeley Stampede Independence Day Parade.    I do this each year with  George Gray from AM Colorado on News Talk 1310 KFKA.  As usual, I have a couple of observations about the parade.

First, it’s boring.  There are very few “floats.”  Most are entries that include people riding in an classic car or a truck pulling a flat bed trailer full of people or people walking with a banner.  That’s it.  It’s tough to call a boring parade.  It’s even harder to make it sound exciting for listeners.

The parade participants can’t throw candy or give out literature.  It’s one dimensional with almost no interaction between parade participants and the audience.  Stop with the nannyism.  The Stampede needs to bring back the fun.  Bring back candy and water gun fights. 

The other observation involves our Congresswoman Betsy Markey.  First, her carbon footprint for July 4th was much larger than mine because I rode my bike while she rode in a very cool but not very eco-friendly corvette.  Also, when she went by there was awkward silence.  No booing. No cheering.  Nothing.  The street sweepers got more reaction.   I don’t know how she did along the rest of the parade route but when she passed my position in front of Cache Bank and Trust, she got  no response what so ever.   It seems that she has not connected with Weld County.

Markey has to win Weld County to win re-election in 2010.  She beat incumbent Republican Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave in Weld County by a margin of 53-47 percent but a look at the vote totals tells an interesting story.  Weld County didn’t suddenly shift to the left. 

According to the Denver Post,  in Weld County Markey received 44,790 votes to Musgrave’s 39,056.  Obama and Udall both got more votes than Markey (46,644 and 44,948 respectively) but lost the county.  John McCain received 55,913 votes.  Do the math.  That means 16,857 McCain voters did not vote for Musgrave and 11,123 didn’t vote for Markey.  If the next GOP contender wins those nearly 17,000 votes back and makes a slightly better showing in Larimer County where Markey got almost 61 percent of the vote, then the GOP candidate can win.  The other counties in the 4th CD all favored Musgrave by large percentages, and I don’t see that changing.  I realize this sounds like a very big “if” but from someone who lives in the 4th CD, it’s really not.

Congressional Quarterly  reports that Markey votes with her party a mere 92 percent of the time and with the President 88 percent.  I guess that is supposed to indicate Markey’s “independent” streak.  Problem is she votes with her party and Obama  when it’s important to them despite the wishes of her constiuents.  Markey’s yes vote on cap and trade proves that.