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Archive for the 'term limits' Tag

Commissioner: Survey proves people were confused

July 6th, 2011, 12:13 pm by

El Paso County Commissioner Peggy Littleton said she set out to prove herself wrong in thinking that voters want another chance to decide whether to extend terms for the five commissioners and other elected county officials.

“I wanted to stand by my colleagues in thinking that people were not confused and understood what they were voting for and were happy with the vote and did not want to do it over.

“I found quite the opposite,” she said Wednesday.

Littleton has been handing out informal surveys she designed at political events she has attended recently. The survey asks respondents whether they thought last November’s ballot question was asking them to reduce or limit the terms or extend the terms from two to three, and whether they want to see the question worded differently and put to a revote on this November’s ballot.

The results of the unscientific, anonymous survey show that the majority of respondents want it back on the ballot, even if they knew they were voting to extend term limits, she said.

“People are concerned,” Littleton said. “They want a revote and they want to do it quickly.”

Littleton said voters also are indicating that they don’t want two commissioners who could run for a third term next year “grandfathered in,” and be allowed to run for a third term. Commissioners tossed around that option last week.

Littleton said she will hand out the surveys at a sixth event she’s attending Wednesday night and announce the results at Thursday’s board meeting, when commissioners are expected to decide whether to send the issue back to the ballot. Voters approved term extensions for the offices last fall by more than 60 percent but some say the question was unclear and misleading.

“I can’t say they had ill intentions,” Littleton said. “Butu the truth is not what is but what one perceives it to be, and the perception is people thought they were deceived. We need to take a bold stand as leaders to squelch and put to bed that particular thought.”

Two other local polls have been conducted on the term limits issue. A KVOR radio poll showed 69 percent of 755 respondents want a reworded question on the ballot, and 65 percent said they would support a revote even if El Paso County would bear some of the cost.

Thursday’s meeting starts at 9 a.m. at the county office building at 27 E. Vermijo Ave.

Results of Littleton’s first five event surveys:

Sunrise Republican Women Meeting

Responses: 34

No, don’t put it back on ballot: 3

Yes, put it back on ballot: 29

Undecided: 2

Of the 29 who want it back on the ballot, 14 said they understood the question was to extend term limits, 15 said they thought they had voted to reduce term limits

El Paso County Republican Women’s Picnic

Responses: 52

No, don’t put it back on ballot, 12

Yes, put it back on ballot: 37

Undecided: 3

Of the 37 who want it back on the ballot, 18 said they understood the question was to extend term limits, 19 thought they had voted to reduce term limits

Republican Meet-Up  

Responses: 16

No, don’t put it back on ballot: 5

Yes, put it back on ballot: 11

Undecided: 0

Of the 11 who want it back on the ballot, 5 said they understood the question was to extend term limits, 6 thought they had voted to reduce term limits

 Liberty on the Rocks Event

Responses: 22

No, don’t put it back on ballot: 2

Yes, put it back on ballot: 19

Undecided: 1

Of the 19 who want it back on the ballot, 6 said they understood the question was to extend term limits, 13 thought they had voted to reduce term limits

Pikes Peak Economics Club

Responses: 23

No, don’t put it back on ballot: 2

Yes, put it back on ballot: 20

Undecided: 1

Of the 37 who want it back on the ballot, 10 said they understood the question was to extend term limits, 13 thought they had voted to reduce term limits

This group also was asked if commissioners should be grandfathered in; 21 said no, 1 said yes.

Posted in: El Paso County • El Paso County Commissioners • term limits • • • | 4 Comments »

Second public forum on term limits Thursday morning

June 29th, 2011, 1:13 pm by

If you missed the first public forum on term limits, there’s another chance to voice your views. El Paso County commissioners will hear more public testimony during Thursday’s regular meeting, which starts at 9 a.m. at the county office building, 27 E. Vermijo Ave.

This issue has been a topic of debate since last November’s election, when voters approved three, four-terms for most elected county officials. Vocal protesters are calling for a re-vote, saying the wording was deliberately confusing.  

One of the most interesting developments is that this movement has become bipartisan. Democrats and Republicans have banded together to fight county government and get a question with clearer language on the Nov. 1 ballot.

The reason is simple, says Jeff Crank, a conservative radio talk show host and director of the Colorado chapter of Americans for Prosperity: “It’s not about term limits. It’s an issue of trust.”

Interestingly enough, voters who claim both GOP and Democrat affiliations also are fighting to let the outcome of last year’s ballot measure remain. Their point: every election is essentially a term limit and why should this ballot question be different from any other.

People who want a re-vote have a website: www.ElPasoCountyTermLimits.com.

Posted in: El Paso County • El Paso County Commissioners • elections • term limits • • • • | 3 Comments »

County explains cost of November election

June 27th, 2011, 2:54 pm by

The first public hearing on term limits will be held Monday night, at 6:30 p .m. at Pikes Peak Regional Development Center, 2880 International Circle. Because some El Paso County commissioners have raised the question of how much it would cost the county to put the issue of term extensions on the November ballot for a re-vote, the county released this statement:

“In response to citizen and media inquiries, El Paso County Budget Officer Nicola Sapp provided the following explanation of how the costs of a coordinated (off-year) election are allocated among the governmental entities which place issues on the ballot:

 “Each year, we designate a line item in the county budget for anticipated election costs, but that is contingent upon our municipalities, school districts, fire districts and special districts reimbursing those costs in the “off year election cycle.  If you just look at the expense budget and don’t look at the offsetting revenues, you might conclude that taxpayers countywide pay the full cost of the election no matter who puts questions on the ballot.

But state law recognizes that it wouldn’t be reasonable to ask all county taxpayers to foot the bill for an election in which only a few voters in a single school district or fire district could participate, therefore only governmental entities with issues actually on the ballot are asked to pay for the cost of a coordinated election.  Election costs come out of the county’s general fund budget, so when you are considering placement of a question on the coordinated election ballot you are spending money that could otherwise be spent to buy badly needed equipment for the coroner’s office, hire additional prosecutors in the district attorney’s office, put more sheriff’s deputies out on the street or provide longer service hours in county parks.”

The statement, from the county’s public information office, also said, “ The county is required to conduct general (even-year) elections and all voters participate in those elections. When the county is on the ballot election judges must be hired and voting machines set up and all polling places throughout the county must be open and staffed.  This is much more expensive than providing election services to a limited number of voters in a smaller district election. The Clerk and Recorder estimates it would cost the county $300,000 to be on the November ballot.”

Posted in: Clerk and Recorder • El Paso County • El Paso County Commissioners • elections • term limits • • • • | 3 Comments »

Rep. Looper: Voters “deserve clear and direct ballot language”

June 22nd, 2011, 10:53 am by

Politicos are joining the effort to sway El Paso County commissioners to place another term extension question on the Nov. 1 ballot.

State Rep. Marsha Looper, a Republican from Calhan who represents the southeastern portion of El Paso County, is calling for voters to submit comments on her website, www.gomarsha.org, if they want “another opportunity to vote on extending the term limits” for certain elected officials in the county, including the  county commissioners. 

“Regardless whether voters support extending term limits or not, they deserve clear and direct ballot language!” she writes on her website.

Looper notes that last fall’s county ballot language to extend terms was markedly different from the 2006 version:

2006 Ballot

“Shall the voters of El Paso County, Colorado, have the right to elect the Clerk & Recorder of El Paso County to a third consecutive term beyond the current limitation of the two consecutive terms …

2010 Ballot

“Shall persons elected to the officer of County Treasurer, Clerk & Recorder, Assessor and County Surveyor be limited to serving three (3) consecutive terms, a modification of the current limits …

And a group called Americans for Prosperity Colorado announced Wednesday that it will ” use all the activists and resources at its disposal to convince undecided commissioners that putting the question back on the ballot is the right thing to do.”

State Director Jeff Crank, who twice made a run for Colorado’s 5th Congressional District Seat, said the group will launch radio ads, action alerts to activists and generating comment at two upcoming public meetings to urge commissioners to give voters a second chance at deciding whether terms for some of the county’s elected officials should be extended from a possible eight to 12 years. Crank also hosts an 8 a.m. Saturday morning talk show on KVOR 740 AM and has discussed the issue on his program.

Voters approved extended term limits last fall, but some claim that the wording of the question was misleading and are calling for a revote. Opponents say such an action would set a precedent that whenever people don’t like the outcome of an election, they can get a second chance to vote.

Two commissioners, Darryl Glenn and Peggy Littleton, said while they were running for office last fall that they oppose extended terms. Sallie Clark and Dennis Hisey, who would benefit from the vote as it stands because they could run for another term next November, have not taken a stand. Neither has commission Chairwoman Amy Lathen. Only commissioners can refer another question to this November’s off-year election.

Two public meetings will be held next week for the commissioners to gauge public sentiment:  Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Pikes Peak Regional Development Center, 2880 International Circle, and Thursday, June 30, at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Building, 27 E. Vermijo Ave.

Posted in: El Paso County • El Paso County Commissioners • term limits • • • • | 7 Comments »

County to hold public evening meeting on term extensions

June 16th, 2011, 4:39 pm by

At Thursday’s regular meeting, El Paso County Commissioners agreed to hold an evening public meeting on Monday, June 27, at a time and location to be determined. The purpose: To gauge public sentiment about the term extension ballot measure that passed last November but that some voters now say was misleading.

At the board’s June 30 and July 7 meetings, commissioners will consider whether to put a reworded question on the Nov. 1 ballot, regarding whether time-in-office should be extended from a potential eight years, or two terms, to 12 years, or three terms. The public again can attend and voice their views at those meetings.

Commissioner Darryl Glenn offered suggested wording for three different options, and if he fails to get a majority three votes of the five commissioners for this November’s ballot, he said he will try again for the November 2012 ballot.

Voters approved three terms last year, which mean current Commissioners Sallie Clark and Dennis Hisey could run for a third term next November.

Posted in: El Paso County • El Paso County Commissioners • elections • term limits • • • • | 1 Comment »