ProgressNow supports 1A

Michael Huttner of Progress Now urges support for ballot initiative 1A.

We need experienced district attorneys to prosecute criminals and protect the public. Question 1A will allow the Denver District Attorney to serve three terms, the same as all other Denver elected officials.

Question 1A is supported by Governor Bill Ritter, the Denver Bar Association, the Denver Firefighters, the Denver Police Protective Association, leaders of the Democratic and Republican parties, and thousands of your friends and neighbors.

"The Denver Bar Association supports Denver measure 1A, which will make the term limits for the Denver district attorney equal to the terms of other elected officials in Denver. All city officials, including the mayor, City Council members, auditor and county clerk, are allowed to seek three consecutive terms in office. Measure 1A would extend this provision to the district attorney, a position currently limited to two terms.

The job of district attorney is incredibly important to the safety of citizens, and is a job that requires expertise and knowledge. Allowing district attorneys the opportunity to serve three terms in office will promote justice and continuity in the prosecution of crimes in Denver. We urge voters to consider a "yes" vote on 1A."
-Paul H. Chan, President, Denver Bar Association

“As Denver's District Attorney for over a decade, I know that more experience leads to a more effective prosecutor. The people of Denver will benefit by allowing the district attorney the opportunity to seek three terms in office, like other elected officials in Denver. I am proud to join law enforcement leaders in supporting 1A.”
-Governor Bill Ritter

A partial list of Question 1A supporters:
Governor Bill Ritter
Speaker Andrew Romanoff
Representative Joel Judd
Senator Chris Romer
Representative Alice Borodkin
Representative Jerry Frangas
Representative Mike Cerbo
Councilman Michael Hancock
Auditor Dennis Gallagher
Denver Police Latino Organization
Former State Republican Party Chair Bruce Benson
Former State Senator Penfield Tate
Former State Senator Paul Sandoval
Josh Hanfling
David McReynolds

Please visit http://fairtermlimits.com for more information.

POLL: Ballot question 1A (District Attorney term limits)

Shall the elected office of the District Attorney in and for the Second Judicial District of Colorado (the Denver District Attorney) be limited, as are the offices of the Mayor of Denver and the members of the City Council of Denver, to no more than three consecutive four-year terms, thereby lengthening the term limitation set forth in the Colorado constitution by one term, for any District Attorney elected or appointed on or after January 1, 2001?

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Rocky supports ballot initiative 1A (DA term limits)

This year's ballot initiative has drawn virtually no attention, so many folks wouldn't even know that the proposition is debatable. I, for one, have not yet read any opposition. So it's helpful to see that today's Rocky Mountain News describes the initiative, even as it urges a 'Yes' on Denver 1A. Below is an excerpt:

...why are we endorsing Denver Referred Question 1A, which would allow the Denver district attorney to serve three terms instead of the present limit of two?

Because every other office in Denver - including the mayor and city council - is allowed three terms, thanks to voters' decision seven years ago extending the limit from two to three. The district attorney wasn't included at the time in part because there was lingering debate whether term limits even applied to that office, although no such doubt exists today.

To be sure, Colorado voters rejected a referendum in 2002 that would have lifted term limits across the state for DAs. But Denver's 1A would not eliminate term limits. It would simply give the DA the same latitude enjoyed by other city office holders. A decade ago Denver voters likewise refused to simply eliminate all term limits.

For the record, we opposed three terms for city officials and still doubt the wisdom of the voters' decision. Without open offices created by retiring incumbents, elections tend to be listless affairs, with most races uncontested. That's precisely the sort of election that's occurring right now in Denver, where the mayor, auditor and most council members face only nominal competition, if any at all.

Official Ballot for 2007

The official ballot for the mail-in May 1, 2007 municipal elections will include the following candidates:

MAYOR
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Danny F. Lopez_____
John Hickenlooper_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

AUDITOR
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Bill Wells_____
Dennis J. Gallagher_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

CLERK AND RECORDER
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Jacob Werther_____
Stephanie Y. O’Malley_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBERS AT LARGE
(Vote for Two/ Vote por Dos)
Carol Boigon_____
Doug Linkhart_____
Carol E. Campbell_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 1
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Rick Garcia_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 2
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Jeanne Faatz_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 3
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Antoinette Alire_____
Paul D. López_____
Niccolo Casewit_____
JoAnn Phillips_____
Kathy Sandoval_____
Mark Roggeman_____
Ben Romero_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 4
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Peggy A. Lehmann_____
Ike Kelley_____
Bill Rutherford_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 5
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
R.J. Ours_____
Marcia Johnson_____
Mitchell Poindexter_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 6
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Charlie Brown_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 7
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Shelly Watters_____
Dennis Smith_____
Chris Nevitt_____
Julie Connor_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 8
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Darrell B. Watson_____
Carla Madison_____
Sharon Bailey_____
Greg Rasheed_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBER DISTRICT 9
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Judy H. Montero_____
Waldo Benavidez_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBER DISTRCT 10
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Jeanne Robb_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

COUNCILMEMBER DISTRCT 11
(Vote for One/ Vote por Uno)
Michael Hancock_____
(Write-In/Otros nombres)_____

BALLOT QUESTIONS:

Referred Question 1A
Shall the elected office of the District Attorney in and for the Second Judicial District of Colorado (the Denver District Attorney) be limited, as are the offices of the Mayor of Denver and the members of the City Council of Denver, to no more than three consecutive four-year terms, thereby lengthening the term limitation set forth in the Colorado constitution by one term, for any District Attorney elected or appointed on or after January 1, 2001?

_____YES _____NO

For the exact (and possibly updated) wording of the ballot, please visit the Denver Election Commission.

The following candidates either dropped out or never submitted the requisite number of signatures to appear on the May 2007 ballot:

Mayor: Dwight Henson
Clerk & Recorder: Kevin Slevin, Don Henderson, Kim Sayers, Sharron Klein
District 1: Gerald Styron
District 3: Donald Sandoval
District 6: Steven Frank
District 7: Andy Archuleta, Jan Belle, Ari Harrison, Jake Schroeder
District 8: Lynn Smith, Donna Davis, Roger Cobb, Joshua Mitchell

Ballot question on DA term limits passes

As reported by Denver's Channel 8 television:

Council did vote to refer to the voters on the May ballot a question regarding term limits for the District Attorney.

Council Bill 100 asks voters whether or not to lengthen the term limits for the District Attorney to no more than three consecutive four-year terms.

The measure, if approved, would bring the DA in line with all other elected City officials, and would lengthen the time in office by one four-year term.

District attorney's term

On Monday, March 5, Denver City Council will decide whether to extend the current 2-term limit for the District Attorney's office.

This topic was recently reported by the Denver Daily News, and the full text of Ordinance 100 series of 2007 may also be reviewed online.