Rocky Mountain Voice

Menu

Complete Colorado

Democratic Socialists Claim Local Victories in Colorado School Board Races
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Democratic Socialists Claim Local Victories in Colorado School Board Races

By: Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado FORT COLLINS – An unusual twist on candidate support appears to have paid off for the Fort Collins chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) – an overtly extreme left-wing organization. The socialism advocacy group officially “endorsed” just one candidate, Zoelle Lane in Fort Collins City Council District 5,  while “recommending” two dozen others in local races around northern Colorado the DSA said “represent our chapter’s best advice to voters,” including a pair of Republican school board candidates in Greeley. Although their lone endorsement lost her bid for city council, the group’s recommendations were successful in 15 out of 22 other races, including clean sweeps on both the Greeley Evans School District 6 and Poudre Schools b...
Read More
Colorado Democrats Eye New Map Powers as Weiser Calls for Constitutional Change
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Democrats Eye New Map Powers as Weiser Calls for Constitutional Change

By: Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado DENVER–Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser recently becomes the first statewide elected official–and the only candidate for governor–to announce his support for a constitutional amendment allowing Colorado to redistrict congressional seats mid-cycle in his efforts to “Trump-proof” Colorado. Weiser gave a nod to partisan gerrymandering to favor Democrats first on a 9news interview Oct. 23, with his gubernatorial campaign following up with a statement soon after. “When states like Texas and North Carolina redraw their maps to stack the deck in favor of Republicans, Colorado must be prepared to respond,” Weiser says in his statement. If elected governor in 2026, Weiser says he will support a mid-cycle map redrawing before th...
Read More
Colorado’s Competitive Edge Fades Under High Taxes and Regulation
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado’s Competitive Edge Fades Under High Taxes and Regulation

By: Nash Herman | Complete Colorado The non-partisan Tax Foundation just published its 2026 edition of the State Tax Competitiveness Index. Colorado — already in the bottom half of states for tax competitiveness — continues to slide in the rankings, and the current political trajectory will only exacerbate the situation. Colorado losing its edge  In last year’s index, Colorado placed 32nd in overall tax competitiveness, worse than all of the state’s immediate neighbors.  According to its subcategories, Colorado ranked 10th in corporate taxes, 18th in individual income taxes, 37th in sales taxes, 36th in property taxes, and 39th in unemployment insurance taxes.  This year, Colorado’s rank dropped to 33rd ...
Read More
Telluride Voters Weigh New Lift Ticket Tax to Fund ‘Free’ Gondola
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Telluride Voters Weigh New Lift Ticket Tax to Fund ‘Free’ Gondola

By: Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado SAN MIGUEL COUNTY—Voters in Telluride are deciding several tax and debt related measures on the November ballot, including a lift ticket excise tax to fund gondola transit, a debt package to subsidize housing, and a hotly debated citizen-initiated charter amendment mandating voter approval for big-ticket town projects. Telluride is a ski town of around 2,600 year-round residents in San Miguel County, located in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. A lofty lift ticket tax If approved by voters, Ballot Issue 2A slaps a 5% excise tax on Telluride Ski & Golf Resort lift ticket purchases. The revenue will go to improvements, maintenance, and rebuilding of the town’s year-round public gondola system by pledging the reven...
Read More
Jeffco Teachers Union Retracts Endorsement After Candidate’s History Emerges
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Jeffco Teachers Union Retracts Endorsement After Candidate’s History Emerges

By Savana Kascak | Complete Colorado LAKEWOOD–The Jefferson County teachers’ union has withdrawn an endorsement for a highly favored school board candidate after a sexual offense committed as a juvenile came to light. Michael Yocum is running for Jefferson County School Board in District 1, originally as part of a teachers’ union-backed slate, along with fellow candidates, Peter Gibbins and Tina Moeinian. The Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA) referred to the trio as “the cleanup crew.” The JCEA endorsed the slate on Aug 8, presumably without knowledge of Yokum’s criminal history (his name has since been removed from the endorsement). Both the JCEA and the Colorado Education Association (the state teacher’s union) are his top campaign contributors. Juvenile adjudicat...
Read More
Colorado’s “Budget Crisis” Rings Hollow Amid EV Giveaway Surge
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado’s “Budget Crisis” Rings Hollow Amid EV Giveaway Surge

By: Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Colorado’s governor just made this statement “The market has made it clear, EVs (electric vehicles) are here to stay.” I agree with him. Electric cars, unlike 8-track tapes and rotary-dial phones, will continue to be available to consumers for a long, long time. Cool. But why he made the statement puzzles me. He did so while touting his decision that the state will increase one of its subsidies to buy a new EV from $6,000 to $9,000. Wait a second. Which one is it? Has the market made clear electric vehicles are “here to stay”? Or do we need to increase the EV subsidy by a third to keep its market alive? And it begs another question: If the state is in a budget crisis, why spend our very scarce money buying people cars instead...
Read More
Progressive Activists Target Northern Colorado Elections in Local Power Push
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Progressive Activists Target Northern Colorado Elections in Local Power Push

By: Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado FORT COLLINS ­— One of the state’s most extreme left-wing political organizations is back on the campaign trail, endorsing candidates for public office in various local races during this off-year election, including a significant focus on northern Colorado The Colorado chapter of the Working Families Party (WFP), which touts itself as a “multiracial party that fights for workers over bosses and people over powerful,” has endorsed multiple candidates in non-partisan school board and city council races across Greeley, Fort Collins and Longmont. In the past, WFP has endorsed such controversial officials as former Denver School Board Member Tay Anderson, who was accused of sexual misconduct with students; Rochelle Galindo, the former House District...
Read More
Aurora Voters Face Packed Ballot with Proposal for New Downtown Authority
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Local

Aurora Voters Face Packed Ballot with Proposal for New Downtown Authority

By Sherrie Peif | Complete Colorado AURORA–Voters in the the City of Aurora will decide on multiple charter amendments and city council seats this November, along with a referred measure asking residents to create a new tax-financed Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Aurora, which borders Denver to the east, is Colorado’s third most populous city at a little over 414,000 residents, made up of portions of Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties.    The DDA is a government entity whose purpose is to revitalize the downtown-area including businesses, infrastructure, and events. A governing board appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the city council would include one council member and 4-10 residents within the district.   Aurora City Council approv...
Read More
Why Ditching the Flat Tax Would Be Colorado’s Biggest Mistake
No Comments
Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

Why Ditching the Flat Tax Would Be Colorado’s Biggest Mistake

By Jake Fogleman | Commentary, Complete Colorado The battle over Colorado’s future tax system has officially begun, and the stakes for families, businesses, and the state’s economy couldn’t be higher. Backed by a coalition of advocacy groups that consistently push for higher taxes as the solution to Colorado’s challenges, the Bell Policy Center submitted proposed language for the 2026 ballot that would overturn nearly four decades of sensible tax policy by abandoning Colorado’s flat-rate income tax and adopting a graduated tax system. Under their proposals, Colorado taxpayers would be forced to confront a new five-bracket tax system with marginal rates up to 9.5 percent, among the highest in the country. The proponents claim it’s about fairness, equity, and making t...
Read More