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CPW Commission Rejects Public Comment Restrictions in Narrow 6-to-5 Vote
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Colorado West News Magazine, Approved, State

CPW Commission Rejects Public Comment Restrictions in Narrow 6-to-5 Vote

By Brian Porter | Colorado West News Magazine LA JUNTA, Colo. – It’s the dysfunction of the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission, and not the public, causing marathon meetings that derail agendas, Commissioner Dallas May said Wednesday. He successfully opposed a plan by Chairman Jay Tutchton that would have significantly changed public commenting during the two-day meeting at Otero College in La Junta, minimizing the perspective of public officials and not absolutely guaranteeing anyone the opportunity to comment. “Our elected representatives speak for thousands of constituents,” May said, supporting an existing policy which allows them priority in sequence and for added time of five minutes. An example is Merrit Linke, who spoke to the Commission in July. H...
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What democracy is: An open letter to Jay Tutchton
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

What democracy is: An open letter to Jay Tutchton

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project I wrote recently (see the first link below) about how a political agenda has hijacked the CPW Commission and they're really not bothering to hide the ball anymore. I mentioned to someone in the comments on that post that I'd heard Commissioner Jay Tutchton had remarked about the nature of the commission's votes and democracy. The second link below is to a Yahoo reprint of a 9News article which has the quote I couldn't find for the commenter. Quoting from that piece: "Yesterday was 6-5, today was 6-5. I'm happy with democracy working," said James Tutchton, the commission's chair." Said another way, Mr. Tutchton, somewhat resignedly, commented that the vote going the way he wanted on the day prior vs. the da...
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What Would Colorado’s Declaration Of Independence Say Today?
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Complete Colorado, Approved, Commentary, State

What Would Colorado’s Declaration Of Independence Say Today?

By: Jon Caldara | Commentary, Complete Colorado Happy 250th Birthday, America! You look fabulous. As all the cool countries are saying, “250 is the new 230.” The Declaration of Independence wasn’t merely an announcement of war against a tyrant. It was the most revolutionary political document ever written. The Declaration was a landmark in human development, perhaps the landmark of all human history. For the first time government was no longer affirmed sovereign. The individual was. That simple idea changed the world. You rule yourself. Your life belongs to you. Your liberty belongs to you. Your happiness is yours to pursue as you define it. Your property belongs to you. Government exists not to rule over you, but to secure your&n...
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Colorado wants your input on where affordable housing tax credits go
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado wants your input on where affordable housing tax credits go

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project The Colorado Housing and Finance Authority is accepting public comment on proposed changes that will help determine how affordable housing tax credits are awarded across the state. In the commentary below, Cory Gaines argues Coloradans should pay closer attention to the Qualified Allocation Plan, the document that guides those funding decisions and influences which housing projects receive state-supported financing. Colorado Housing and Finance Authority wants comments on where they distribute housing money I do a weekly sweep of public notices for my town and often share them. This one actually applies to the whole state, so I'm sharing it as a full on post. Before looking at what this is in friendlier, l...
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Colorado’s dirty voter roll: Getting off isn’t so easy
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Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, State, Top Stories

Colorado’s dirty voter roll: Getting off isn’t so easy

By Mike O’Donnell | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Getting onto Colorado's voter rolls is only half the story. In Part 2, Mike O'Donnell examines how names come off the rolls—and why he argues the current process often leaves outdated registrations behind. Centenarian Registrants in Colorado The 2026 World Population Review estimates that there are 890 centenarians (people aged 100 or older) currently living in Colorado.  According to the public Colorado voter roll, the state is home to 1,569 centenarians. Different local news sources identify that three 109 year old individuals potentially and currently share the title of the oldest Coloradan alive today. But according to the public Colorado voter roll, there are thirty-four registrants who are older, t...
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Who’s guiding Colorado’s Medicaid Commission? A closer look at the panel shaping future policy
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Who’s guiding Colorado’s Medicaid Commission? A closer look at the panel shaping future policy

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project Meet the Medicaid Commission and their newly-hired advisor. Medicaid is a big line item in the state’s budget. It’s gotten so big, and eaten up so much of our state’s money, that our legislature has gathered up a commission. SB26-187 (linked first below) creates a (quoting from the bill summary): “… commission on Medicaid (commission) to develop recommendations regarding implementation of new federal Medicaid policy changes that go into effect in 2026, 2027, and 2028 and to support Coloradans impacted by those policy changes.” This commission will meet a few times and prepare a report to be used by the legislature in the 2027 session. Quoting from the bill’s fiscal note: “Between May 13, 2026, and December...
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Who will shape Colorado’s 2030 census? Nonprofit funding raises questions
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Who will shape Colorado’s 2030 census? Nonprofit funding raises questions

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project And a nonprofit shall lead them.... The Sky Hi article linked first below details how the State of Colorado plans to get out there ahead of the 2030 census to make sure we get all the “hard to count” residents we can. The census is critically important to our state. So many things from political representation to federal money to state programs run off the data the census produces. It’s probably not a surprise, then, that the state wants to get out there and make sure we count as many people as possible. And as you can see by checking a nearby calendar, we’re starting early. These counting efforts are not new. I wrote a newsletter back in 2025 (see the second link below if you want the context), covering h...
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Colorado air board approves $13.5 million in new fees as regulatory mandates grow
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Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Colorado air board approves $13.5 million in new fees as regulatory mandates grow

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project This is another older, but still relevant article. The first link below is to a Sum and Substance article from late May that details how the unelected Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) doubled the amount businesses that have emission permits will have to pay for the pleasure of submitting reports to the body and being regulated by them. Quoting: “Emissions-producing Colorado companies from oil-and-gas drillers to manufacturing firms will see some of their reporting fees double over the next year, as state officials seek to make industrial leaders pay more for enforcement of the regulations that govern them. Members of the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission on Friday approved more than $13.5 mill...
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