Welcome to The Spot, where The Denver Post’s politics team captures what’s happening this week — from the Colorado legislature to Denver city hall, with a stop through the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C. Each Thursday, our reporters and editors will break down what we’ve covered and what to watch for in the days ahead.
Let’s get right to it.
While the Colorado legislature was again busy dealing with the political fallout from sexual harassment allegations against several lawmakers, Congress narrowly avoided another shutdown (kind of) and began more debate about immigration. Meanwhile, in Denver, affordable housing is meeting the development boom in the River North Art District and down south in Douglas County there’s more big news in the school system.
Here’s what you need to know:
ROLL CALL
This week, to kick things off, we’re going to let our team introduce themselves by telling you what they’ve been covering (click a name to follow them on Twitter).
COLORADO: THE STATEHOUSE & BEYOND
- Within months of state lawmakers declaring that they’d fixed the state pension’s funding crisis in 2010, there were already clear warning signs that the “fix” might not work. That’s one of the key takeaways from our deep dive into the Public Employees’ Retirement Association, which found that lawmakers and the PERA board ignored numerous red flags in the last eight years. So why should you care? As one board member put it, PERA’s like a mortgage: “the further you fall behind, the greater the pain trying to catch up, and the sooner you face foreclosure.” And now all of us — taxpayers, public employees and retirees — are being asked to pay that $32 billion tab.
- Republicans aren’t going to cut your state income taxes by $365 million this year or criminalize abortion. And Democrats aren’t going to adopt the strictest renewable energy requirements in the country, or create expansive new social programs for the middle class. But that’s not going to stop them from trying.
- In a week’s time, the sexual harassment scandal spiraled into chaos. First, Democrats demanded Sen. Randy Baumgardner’s resignation. Then a once-secret complaint against Sen. Larry Crowder came to light. Senate President Kevin Grantham said a resolution in Baumgardner’s case would come soon. But when it did, it only escalated what’s increasingly becoming a partisan conflict.
- It’s still early in the Colorado governor’s race, but Walker Stapleton is playing an ace card to raise campaign cash — former President George W. Bush, according to an exclusive Denver Post report.
- Republican members of a powerful legislative budget committee this week voted to withhold funding for the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Yes, that panel at the center of the U.S. Supreme Court case between a gay couple and a Lakewood baker. Democrats raised a fury over the move, but the GOP said it was a routine action, that they think the commission is important and that the other side was just playing politics. It was clear this week that the controversy wasn’t going to soon fade.
- A new bill seeks to prevent the anguish the widow of a Colorado state trooper felt two years ago when her husband was killed in the line of duty. It extends the time a family of a fallen worker can collect benefits to a year from a month max. The measure has bipartisan support and has cruised past its first hurdles.
- If you want to get your civic engagement on next week, Congressman Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, is having a town hall in Greenwood Village.
DENVER & THE SUBURBS
- The Jefferson County commissioner seat that has been empty since last month, when Don Rosier stepped down to take a job with Sterling Ranch in Douglas County, has been filled with Republican Party appointee Tina Francone. Francone was a board director with the Regional Transportation District so now there’s a seat looking to get filled at the top levels of RTD.
- Oil and gas get a lot of play in Colorado, but this week the sun shone on the solar sector with the revelation that Arapahoe County could soon play host to the state’s second-largest solar farm. This facility could have more than 330,000 panels in place and the capacity to power more than 16,000 homes.
- The eight-year case of a Highlands Ranch student with autism whose parents accused the Douglas County School District of not providing him an adequate education hit a big milestone Monday, when a federal judge ordered the district to cover the cost of Endrew F.’s special-needs curriculum at a private school. Find out how a U.S. Supreme ruling from nearly a year ago drove the latest twist in this long-running public school saga.
- Have you been one of the many hoping for a resolution to the ongoing hang-up with the University of Colorado A-Line flaggers and the yet-to-open G-Line to Wheat Ridge? We should get some insights this week on a future course for both rail lines when RTD goes before a judge with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to convince him that technology at multiple crossings along both lines is safe and ready for prime time.
- As the Winter Olympics unfolds in PyeongChang, Denver is considering whether to launch its own bid to host a future Winter Games. Last week, we learned that, due to the U.S. Olympic Committee’s preference, a 2026 bid is out. But 2030 is still very much in play, and Denver’s exploratory committee is forging ahead toward a potential decision in coming weeks.
- A year ago, Mayor Michael Hancock touted a new appointee as a cornerstone of his stepped-up affordable housing strategy. This week, Erik Soliván called it quits — amid a shakeup that gave his office new oversight.
- The new executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, Mike Lewis, has a storied background as the one-time director of Boston’s $14.8 billion Central Artery/Tunnel Project, also known as the Big Dig. As CDOT prepares to marshal the Interstate 70 project through Denver, that history has drawn attention, both for the Boston project’s amazing scope — and for its notorious delays and cost overruns.
- In a historic vote, the Denver City Council on Monday approved the city’s first-ever offering of a height incentive to developers if they provide for affordable housing as part of their projects. The move will allow height boosts up to 16 stories in parts of the fast-redeveloping River North Art District. But the public debate reflected deep frustration with city officials’ attempts to address the downsides of Denver’s population boom.
D.C. POLITICS FROM A COLORADO PERSPECTIVE
- It’s no secret that the outdoor recreation industry is a fast-growing behemoth. But a government report out Wednesday says the sector accounted for an estimated 2 percent of the country’s gross domestic product last year — with $374 billion in economic activity. Both the study and the big number are a sign that the industry is gaining clout on Wall Street and Capitol Hill.
- Congressman Mike Coffman is calling for the resignation of the Veterans Administration chief. There’s a trip to Europe involved and a tweet to President Donald Trump.
- Colorado’s U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and Cory Gardner are known for working together despite being from different parties. Now they are joining forces with their own plan for immigration reform. Oh, and to be goofy dads in this Facebook video supporting Colorado’s Olympians.
THE WIRE
Here are some stories from around the state, region and U.S. we think you should check out:
- A leading GOP state lawmaker says he helped move legislation along in a Colorado statehouse committee only because a fellow Republican thought it would help in his primary race. — The Daily Sentinel
- Denver Public Works has a new tool in its arsenal as it fights E. coli and other contaminants in the South Platte River. It has started zapping bacteria with UV lights in the city’s first UV vault, installed near 36th Street and Arkins Court. — KDVR/Fox 31
- Democrats in a bunch of red states think legal marijuana can help them to victory. Here’s a look at the election politics of marijuana. — Politico
- Our neighbors to the west in Utah are looking to take action against opioid makers through a bill that would force their attorney general to sue painkiller manufacturers. Colorado has a host of bills up for consideration to try and halt the opioid crisis. — The Salt Lake Tribune
- As part of its infrastructure plans, the Trump administration is weighing whether to sell of federal assets like roads and airport. Here’s a look at what might soon be for sale. — The Washington Post
- It’s not just Colorado — more than a decade after the Great Recession, most lawmakers across the country are still having a hard time balancing their state’s budget. — Stateline
- In south Denver, the residents of Southmoor Park are proud NIMBYs, famously insisting against a direct connection to a light rail station that’s right behind their neighborhood. Here’s an interesting look at new fights on the horizon. — Denverite
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