Ritter report card – how is he doing?
by Mr. Bob | 11:35 am, July 10, 2009 | Comments Off
#redco #tcot #ritter
Face the State has a good report on the ever growing Ritter administration’s “Colorado Promise”. Hat tip to Complete Colorado
A few highlights (or low lights)
During the state’s hiring freeze, in effect from October 2008 through April, the state realized a net gain of 511 employees. Senate Republicans estimate at least 2,500 employees have been added to the state payroll under Ritter’s watch. Recently, the governor came under harsh criticism for hiring Don Elliman as the state’s first Chief Operating Officer, as well as bringing on a minority outreach coordinator, an $80,0000 position for which the funding source is “unclear.”
The Colorado Promise states Ritter would “Institut[e] state government performance and financial reviews that have generated savings of as much as 6 percent in other states.” In the 2009 legislative session, Ritter worked with lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 228, a repeal of the 6 percent growth cap on general state spending. After signing the bill, which was opposed by budget hawks who said it would grow the size of government, Ritter said it was key to giving Colorado lawmakers more flexibility to manage the budget and to make “wiser investments with existing resources.”
Ritter led fellow Democrat lawmakers and the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission on the creation and implementation of strict oil and gas regulations that faced bipartisan opposition. Rural legislators are especially critical of the new rules, saying they are likely to cause increased utility rates and decreased oil and gas production across the state.
Rep. Laura Bradford, R-Grand Junction. “If this is his idea of promoting alternative energy, he has done it by throwing the baby out with the bathwater by making the state so unfriendly to the oil and gas industry.”
Last November, Ritter backed a ballot initiative, Amendment 58, that would increase the state’s severance tax, raising the cost of energy for both producers and consumers. It was rejected by nearly 58 percent of voters.
