Look out, Jack Abramoffs of Colorado.
They’re celebrating over at Coloradans for Clean Government, where organizers for an initiative to ban lobbyist gifts to public officials yesterday turned in 108,421 signatures, enough to qualify for the November ballot.
If approved by voters, the initiative would oulaw gifts from professional lobbyists to elected officials and government employees; create a two-year “revolving door” restriction before a legislator or statewide elected office; and create an independent, bipartisan ethics commission.
The initiative campaign is spearheaded by co-chairs Pete Maysmith, until recently executive director of Colorado Common Cause (he recently got a promotion in the national ranks of the organization) and philanthropist Jared Polis. Maysmith was one of the leaders who helped pass amendment 27, a 2002 campaign finance reform initiative that included contribution limits, voluntary spending limits, and full disclosure of campaign cash in Colorado.
