ENGLEWOOD, CO – A leading proponent of a good-government initiative on this November’s ballot has filed a complaint against a group registered to oppose a different amendment.

Jon Caldara today submitted a formal complaint with the Colorado Secretary of State against the issue committee Coloradans for Middle Class Relief (CMCR). CMCR is officially registered only “to oppose statewide Amendment 47,” yet has mailed out flyers (links to images below) that also specifically oppose Amendment 49 (Ethical Standards) and Amendment 54.

A pair of formal complaints now have been submitted in the past week regarding anti-Amendment 49 activities that violate election law. On October 22, Colorado Springs resident and former school board candidate Reginald Perry filed a formal complaint against Protect Colorado’s Future (PCF) and another issue committee for an illicit transfer of resources.

Numerous media outlets further have called out PCF for its blatantly deceptive advertising.

“What we have now are well-heeled union lobbyists not only deceiving the public, but also breaking the law to do it,” Caldara said.

PCF and CMCR have combined to spend more than $20 million in the 2008 election.

“Some special interests clearly think they are blessed with the dual privilege of receiving government collection services and campaigning above the law,” said Caldara. “That only helps to make the case for Ethical Standards.”

Amendment 49 will prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees’ paychecks and delivering the funds to special interest groups. These special interests use the money to lobby the same politicians who just delivered the cash to them.

“It’s unethical for government to be the banker, accountant, and collection agent for political special interests,” Caldara said. “Government should be using our tax dollars and our civil servants’ time to provide crucial public services, not to funnel money to political organizations.”

Major newspapers supporting Amendment 49 include the Wall Street Journal, Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Boulder Daily Camera, Pueblo Chieftain, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Colorado Springs Gazette, Longmont Times-Call, and Loveland Reporter-Herald.

Links to evidence of campaign finance violation
Flyer 1
Flyer 2: Side A & Side B

DENVER – Six elected sheriffs from major Front Range counties today publicly refuted the deception in the campaign against Amendment 49.

Five of the six counties represented by the sheriffs have enacted an Ethical Standards policy very similar to what Amendment 49 proposes. The issue committee Protect Colorado’s Future has run a multi-million dollar campaign with flyers and television ads falsely claiming that 49 will deprive law enforcement of needed safety equipment.

“There’s a lot of deception going on stating that police officers, deputy sheriffs are not going to receive their body armor, aren’t going to receive their vests,” said Douglas County Sheriff David Weaver. “That is totally inaccurate.” He noted that Douglas County, which passed Ethical Standards in October 2007, just today received notification of grant funding to obtain more body armor for the sheriff’s department.

Weld County, which adopted the policy in August 2007, has had a similar experience. “I think it’s ludicrous and insulting on some of these ads that say we can’t do as good a job if 49 passes,” said Sheriff John Cooke.

Cooke decried the ads saying that Amendment 49 would restrict how public safety employees can spend their money. “That is not true,” Cooke said. “Weld County stopped this practice. What the people did is they just set up a private account with a bank.”

Weaver and Cooke were joined by Jefferson County Sheriff Ted Mink, Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle, and El Paso County Sheriff Terry Maketa in writing an open letter to refute the deceptive campaign against Amendment 49. The six sheriffs include five Republicans and one Democrat.

“Many of our counties already have a policy like 49 in place, and our departments remain equipped to keep themselves safe while ready and able to serve the people of our communities,” the letter states.

Also known as the Ethical Standards initiative, Amendment 49 will prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees’ paychecks and delivering the funds to special interest groups. These special interests use the money to lobby the same politicians who just delivered the cash to them. Major Colorado newspapers supporting Amendment 49 include the Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Boulder Daily Camera, Pueblo Chieftain, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Colorado Springs Gazette, Longmont Times-Call, and Loveland Reporter-Herald.

The twelve Colorado counties that have adopted Ethical Standards are: El Paso, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Larimer, Douglas, Weld, Mesa, Montrose, Delta, Elbert, Teller, a Kit Carson.

Listen to audio from
Sheriff John Cooke 1, 2, 3
Sheriff David Weaver 1, 2

Complaint: Amendment 49 Opponents Break Law
Issue Committees Illegally Transferred Campaign Resources

ENGLEWOOD, CO – Supporters of a good-government initiative on this November’s ballot say a citizen’s complaint against amendment opponents highlights the need for reform.

Today, Colorado Springs resident and former school board candidate Reginald Perry filed a formal complaint against the issue committee Protect Colorado’s Future (PCF) and a teachers union-run issue committee for a clear violation of existing campaign finance law. PCF has raised and spent nearly $8 million to fight Amendment 49 and two other statewide ballot measures.

Existing rules state that “An issue committee shall not contribute to, or accept contributions from, other issue committees that do not support or oppose issues supported or opposed by the issue committee making the contribution.” The Colorado Springs Education Association (CSEA) committee Teachers for Excellence in Education made nearly $2,800 in in-kind contributions to PCF, which was created to address statewide ballot issues. CSEA’s committee is designed to “promote ballot issues in School District 11.”

“I find it disturbing to see the teachers union funnel resources earmarked for local education issues into a fight against statewide political issues they don’t happen to like,” Perry said.

Amendment 49 proponents say the fault also lies with the committee accepting the contribution.

“It only helps to make our case when our opponents break the law just to raise a little more money to fight ethical government,” said Jon Caldara.

Also known as the Ethical Standards initiative, Amendment 49 will prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees’ paychecks and delivering the funds to special interest groups. These special interests use the money to lobby the same politicians who just delivered the cash to them.

“It’s unethical for government to be the banker, accountant, and collection agent for political special interests,” Caldara said. “Government should be using our tax dollars and our civil servants’ time to provide crucial public services, not to funnel money to political organizations.”

Major Colorado newspapers supporting Amendment 49 include the Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Boulder Daily Camera, Pueblo Chieftain, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Colorado Springs Gazette, Longmont Times-Call, and Loveland Reporter-Herald. In addition to the editorial endorsements, numerous business and civic groups, along with former U.S. Senator Hank Brown and former Gov. Bill Owens, have lined up behind the amendment.

ENGLEWOOD, CO – Editorial support for Colorado’s Ethical Standards initiative has grown beyond the state’s borders, with public backing from America’s second-largest newspaper.

The Wall Street Journal today has given national significance to Amendment 49 on the Colorado ballot with its support, arguing “that workers shouldn’t be coerced into subsidizing political causes they don’t agree with.”

The Journal brought the attention of its 2 million readers to Amendment 49’s compelling message, which has withstood a heavily-funded opposition campaign: “…[I]t’s a tribute to the basic justice of the initiative that it still has a chance to pass. Colorado workers should hope it does.”

“We are thrilled to have such a nationally influential voice on our side,” said Amendment 49 proponent Jon Caldara. “It’s not only a testament to the importance of Ethical Standards, but it also highlights the basic fairness and common sense in our proposal.”

Major Colorado newspapers supporting Amendment 49 include the Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Boulder Daily Camera, Pueblo Chieftain, Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, Colorado Springs Gazette, Longmont Times-Call, and Loveland Reporter-Herald. In addition to the editorial endorsements, numerous business and civic groups, along with former U.S. Senator Hank Brown and former Gov. Bill Owens, have lined up behind the amendment.

Amendment 49 will prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees’ paychecks and delivering the funds to special interest groups. These special interests use the money to lobby the same politicians who just delivered the cash to them.

“It’s unethical for government to be the banker, accountant, and collection agent for political special interests,” Caldara said. “Government should be using our tax dollars and our civil servants’ time to provide crucial public services, not to funnel money to political organizations.”

Local governments across Colorado have set the pattern for the Ethical Standards Initiative. Twelve counties representing over half the state’s population (including Arapahoe, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, and Weld) have implemented this reform since 2007. Amendment 49 will follow their lead and clean up the patchwork of laws to provide consistently simple and ethical payroll standards for Colorado governments.

DENVER–Amendment 49’s leading proponent has formally offered to remove the initiative from the ballot if Colorado’s governor will work to stop the unionization of state government.

Jon Caldara today submitted a letter to Gov. Bill Ritter offering to pull Amendment 49 from the ballot, “contingent upon your repeal of Executive Order D 028 07 and your word to oppose any effort to bring it forward via legislation.” The proposal is made in hopes of restoring “a measure of peace to Colorado’s political landscape.”

Gov. Ritter issued the executive order to introduce collective bargaining to state government in November 2007. The Denver Post published a rare, front-page editorial chiding the governor as “a bag man for unions and special interests.”

“The governor wants everyone to ‘holster their weapons,’” Caldara said. “Let’s be clear: with his executive order, Governor Ritter was the first to draw his weapon.”…

The campaign awaits word from Governor Ritter’s office.

ENGLEWOOD, CO – Amid an orchestrated attempt to blackmail business leaders into funding opposition to measures on this fall’s statewide ballot, a leading voice in Colorado’s business community instead has endorsed a proposal to clean up government payroll systems.

The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce has announced its support for Amendment 49, also known as the Ethical Standards Initiative. The Chamber is the established advocate for 3,000 small and large businesses in the seven-county Denver metropolitan area.

“The Denver Metro Chamber firmly believes that every employee, public and private alike, should be asked before any deductions to their paycheck are made,” said Chamber spokesperson Kate Horle. “The passage of Amendment 49 ensures that public employees will know where their money is going, and how it is being spent.”

The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce joins an array of business organizations backing Amendment 49—including the National Federation of Independent Business, Colorado Contractors Association, Colorado Health Care Association, Colorado Homebuilders Association, Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado Realtors Association Issue Committee, Southeast Business Partnership, Association of Builders and Contractors, and the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce.

“The members of Colorado’s mainstream business community are good citizens,” said Amendment 49 proponent Jon Caldara. “They understand the need for a commonsense reform like Ethical Standards that helps to ensure clean government across the board.”

In the meantime, published reports indicate that political and labor leaders are working behind closed doors to coerce business leaders to fund opposition of Amendment 49 and two other ballot initiatives. Labor leaders in exchange have offered to remove four anti-business initiatives from the ballot.

“The votes of Colorado citizens should not be subject to blackmail,” Caldara said. “This is the same kind of underhanded activity that justifies the need for Amendment 49.”

Amendment 49 will prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees’ paychecks and delivering the funds to special interest groups. These special interests use the money to lobby the same politicians who just delivered the cash to them. Local governments across Colorado have set the pattern for the Ethical Standards Initiative. Twelve counties representing more than half the state’s population (including Arapahoe, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, and Weld) have implemented this reform since 2007.

To learn more about the initiative, visit the Amendment 49 website: EthicalStandardsNow.org

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Ethical Standards Now | P.O. Box 100512 | Denver, CO 80250

ENGLEWOOD, CO – The self-styled “voice of agriculture in Colorado” has announced its public support of a statewide ballot initiative to clean up government payroll systems.

The Colorado Farm Bureau has issued an endorsement of Amendment 49, also known as the “Ethical Standards” Initiative, noting that “Amendment 49 is a common sense reform for Colorado,” said Bureau president Alan Foutz. “Government should not be in the business of handing out money to special interest groups.”

Originally formed in 1919, the Colorado Farm Bureau is an independent, voluntary association that represents 24,000 farmers and ranchers. According to its website, Farm Bureau “provides an organization in which members may secure the benefits of united efforts in a way which could never be accomplished through individual effort.”

Amendment 49 will prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees’ paychecks and delivering the funds to special interests groups. These special interests use the money to lobby the same politicians who just delivered the cash to them.

“It’s unethical for government to be the banker, accountant, and collection agent for political special interests,” said Amendment 49 proponent Jon Caldara. “Government should be using our tax dollars and our civil servants’ time to provide crucial public services, not to funnel money to political organizations.”

Local governments across Colorado have set the pattern for the Ethical Standards Initiative. Twelve counties representing over half the state’s population—including Arapahoe, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, and Weld) have implemented this reform since 2007. Amendment 49 would follow their lead and clean up the patchwork of laws to provide consistently simple and ethical payroll standards for Colorado governments.

To learn more about the initiative, visit the Amendment 49 website:
EthicalStandardsNow.org

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Ethical Standards Now | P.O. Box 100512 | Denver, CO 80250

August 15, 2008 (719) 459-6065

Hank Brown Headlines Ethical Standards Ad
Former U.S. Senator: “Amendment 49 Keeps Lobbyists in Line”

ENGLEWOOD, CO – Proponents of a statewide ballot initiative to clean up government payroll systems have launched their November campaign with a major public endorsement.

Also known as the “Ethical Standards” Initiative, Amendment 49 received a boost this week as former U.S. Senator Hank Brown urged support from voters in radio ads covering major media markets across Colorado. “I don't think government should be the bagman for special interests,” Brown says in the ad. “That's why I am voting for Amendment 49.  Amendment 49 keeps lobbyists in line.”

Amendment 49 will prohibit governments from bundling money from public employees’ paychecks and delivering the funds to special interests groups.  These special interests use the money to lobby the same politicians who just delivered the cash to them.

“It’s unethical for government to be the banker, accountant, and collection agent for political special interests,” said Amendment 49 proponent Jon Caldara. “Government should be using our tax dollars and our civil servants’ time to provide crucial public services, not to funnel money to political organizations.”

Local governments across Colorado have set the pattern for the Ethical Standards Initiative.  Twelve counties representing over half the state’s population—including Arapahoe, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Mesa, and Weld) have implemented this reform since 2007.  Amendment 49 would follow their lead and clean up the patchwork of laws to provide consistently simple and ethical payroll standards for Colorado governments.

To listen to the radio ad and to learn more about the initiative, visit the Amendment 49 website: EthicalStandardsNow.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 24, 2008

“Ethical Standards” Question Approved for November Voters
Measure to Clean Up Colorado Government Clears Major Legal Hurdle, Becoming Fourth Initiative to Appear on Statewide Ballot

DENVER—Secretary of State Mike Coffman today certified petition signatures for the “Ethical Standards” initiative, which proponents say will close an unethical government loophole.

On July 8, Independence Institute president Jon Caldara and state senator Nancy Spence, R-Centennial, submitted to the Secretary of State more than 120,000 collected voter signatures in support of the Ethical Standards initiative, now dubbed Amendment 49. The minimum valid number of signatures for certification is 76,047.

“Thousands of Coloradans are sending a strong message that they want their governments providing them with essential services, not collecting money for special interest groups,” Caldara said.

Amendment 49 seeks to set a consistently simple and ethical standard: No state or local government agency can use payroll deductions to bundle and send money to groups that contribute to political candidates and lobby public officials. The conflict of interest goes deeper than just the act of deducting and bundling money.

“This is especially a problem when special interests fund candidates and lobby officials of the very same government that acts as their banker, accountant, and collection agent,” said Caldara.

Under the proposal, government workers preserve all their rights of association and may transmit dues payments and other contributions through convenient private banking arrangements.

Ethical Standards Now is a registered issue committee with the State of Colorado.

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P.O. Box 100512 · Denver, CO 80250

REPORTERS AND EDITORS:  Jon Caldara is available at the number listed above to talk about the details of the initiative, along with providing visuals of local governments’ performing free accountings for special interests.