Tag: John Morse

ON WEDNESDAY, Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s office signed off on ballot language for the state’s first-ever lawmaker recall election, where Democratic state Senate President John Morse will effectively face Republican City Council Member Bernie Herpin.

On Tuesday the Colorado secretary of state’s office certified ballot language for the recall and special election targeting Colorado State Senate President John Morse. Ballots are scheduled to land in voter mailboxes as early as August 20.

In the storm of passions that erupted this spring in Colorado around proposed state gun-control laws, The Pueblo Chieftain made little attempt to hide its opposition and blasted Pueblo Democratic Senator Angela Giron for supporting the measures.

With just moments to go before the decision deadline and the launch of the holiday weekend, the Secretary of State’s office announced its opinion that the petitions triggering a recall of state Senate President John Morse are constitutional.

“I know this puts you in a tough position,” attorney Mark Grueskin said to Deputy Secretary of State Suzanne Staiert last Thursday in the closing statement at a hearing on the legitimacy of petitions submitted to recall state Senate President John Morse for his support of gun-control legislation last spring.

With just weeks to go before the tightest gun controls in the West take effect — required background checks on firearms, with performance fee paid by the buyer or seller and a ban on high-capacity magazines — Morse’s potential recall from his El Paso County District seat has made Colorado a political battleground for a nationwide debate. Much the fight taking place in cyberspace isn’t just about who gets guns, but also who’s getting heard.

Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler appears to have had himself audited. In a witness list he sent Tuesday to the parties involved in an investigation of his discretionary spending last year, Gessler included the name of accountant Kevin Collins.

The economy and the environment “both won” in Colorado's legislative session this year, according to an annual scorecard that a leading state environmental group released Thursday.

The Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) has been part of life in Colorado since 1992. Today TABOR was tested in court for the first time in Kerr v State of Colorado. Today's hearing--on a motion by the state to dismiss the suit--may be the end, or it may be the first step in a long hard road.

The Colorado Senate just voted to pass its own version of the annual rules bill and reject the House version sent over this morning with the "payday payback" amendment attached. The vote was cast on party lines except for Durango Republican Senator Ellen Roberts, who voted with the Democrats against the measure, reportedly because she agreed with lawmakers who have said the rules bill is no place to rehash controversial payday loan industry regulations.