All You Need to Know About Mesa County Politics, All in One Place

In Mesa County, things are little backwards. The candidates are the biggest signs are the ones NOT to vote for.

Mesa County rule of thumb: Vote AGAINST the candidates with the biggest, most professionally-made signs

Have you been so busy trying to make ends meet, putting food on the table and raising your kids that you haven’t had time to bone up on local politics? There’s an election is coming up this November. How will you know who to vote for?

It’s simple.

The one thing you need to know is that the same party has been in charge of everything here for decades: the Mesa County Republican Party, which some call the “Old Guard Republican Establishment” (OGRE). They’ve had a lock on local elected offices for a very long time.

So have they done a good job? Judge for yourself:

1) Mesa County’s unemployment rate is one of the highest in the state;

2) Our local wages are among the very lowest in the state;

3) 13.4 percent of people in our area live below federal poverty level ($23,550 for a family of four),

4) Our suicide rate is among the highest in the U.S.;

5) Mesa County was the drunkest county in Colorado in 2013 (based on the average blood alcohol concentration for arrested drunk drivers);

6) Forty one percent of School District 51 students qualify for free and reduced-cost lunches at school, and Kids Aid, an area nonprofit that provides backpacks of food to hungry students so they can get through the weekends without starving, sends 1,800 District 51 students home with backpacks full of non-perishable food home each WEEK.

Yes, you read that right. Eighteen hundred Mesa County school children are food insecure every week.

Sheriff Candidate Benita Phillips Pledges to Investigate Local Corruption, Asks Other Candidates to do the Same

Benita Phillips is Mesa County's only woman candidate for Sheriff. She and her husband live in Palisade.

Benita Phillips is Mesa County’s only woman candidate for Sheriff, running as a write-in. She and her husband live in Palisade.

Benita Phillips, Mesa County’s first female candidate for Sheriff, has pledged — and asked her opponents to pledge — that if elected they will conduct a public investigation into corruption in the Sheriff’s Office, and take steps to prevent future corruption and preferential dealing.

Her challenge comes after the local GOP’s top candidate for sheriff, State Senator Steve King, was charged with three felonies and two misdemeanors for allegedly falsifying time cards while working at the Sheriff’s office, embezzling public property and failing to report all his sources of income — a requirement for state legislators. King stepped down from the race after the charges were made.

Phillips specifically asked all sheriff candidates to pledge to openly review and amend any policy of the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office that supports what she calls “a culture of double-dipping.”

State Senator Steve King worked at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) at the same time he worked at the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office. An investigation revealed that he occasionally billed both entities for the same time he worked.

Ray Scott Tanks Club 20 Debate

Ray Scott may be running out of gas in the legislature, after not really getting anywhere anyway

Ray Scott may be running out of gas after several terms in the state legislature, after not really getting anywhere anyway in trying to  pass bills since January, 2011

Things aren’t going very well for poor Ray Scott, the incumbent Republican candidate for Colorado Senate District 7. The senate seat he is after will soon be vacated by longtime Mesa County GOP favorite son, Steve King, who currently is facing multiple misdemeanor and felony charges for theft and failing to report income as required by legislators. King’s fate may not be directly tied to Ray Scott in any way, but it certainly doesn’t help the beleaguered local GOP, which has put forth a truly embarrassing long string of inept and/or discredited candidates for office.

Ray Scott faced off with Democrat Claudette Konola in the recent Club 20 candidate debates, where he took a real hit.

Claudette opened the debate by linking Scott and his party with some of those truly bad candidates, including Steve King and former congressman Scott McInnis, who got his buddies in Congress to name a federal wilderness area named after himself in violation of congress’ House Rules, and who stepped down in disgrace from the 2010 race for governor amid allegations of massive plagiarism.

Scott opened at the debate by saying he probably wouldn’t even have gotten up that morning if it hadn’t have been for the debate. Not exactly the level of enthusiasm an incumbent legislator should project with an election just weeks away.

CO Senate District 7: Claudette Konola vs. Ray Scott, the Club 20 Debate in Full

Many Mesa County residents noticed the almost complete lack of local media coverage of the Club 20 debate between the candidates for Colorado’s State Senate District 7, Claudette Konola (D) and Ray Scott (R). The Daily Sentinel offered only one short quote from each candidate, and the local television stations ignored this important debate completely. In the interest of helping western Colorado citizens get adequately informed about the Senate District 7 candidates, we offer a two-part video (credit: Bill Hugenberg) and a transcript of the Senate District 7 candidates’ debate.

Chamber Supports Amendment 68, Takes Mesa County Down Another Primrose Path

Dunce capThe Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce apparently loves some vices, but not others, and the “sins” the chamber backs don’t seem to match the desires of Mesa County citizens. Once again the chamber adds to its long list of disastrous political moves and fails to consider the big picture in their election-year endorsements.

The chamber recently announced it supports Amendment 68, which will pave the way for horse racing and large-scale video lottery terminals in Mesa County. Amendment 68 requires 34 percent of the gambling proceeds go to support schools.

Diane Schwenke, president of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce, said whether or not the local community wants gambling was the most important criteria for their support.

“As long as it’s up to the local residents, the local leadership,” she said. “That’s of paramount importance to us.”

But the chamber doesn’t really care about what the local residents think.

Congress Suspended Rule to Rename McInnis Canyons

Reposting this article, because it bears repeating.[Update: 2/5/16 – Scott McInnis is now a Mesa County Commissioner

In 2004, a handful of members of the U.S.House of Representatives engineered the suspension one of its own House Rules to pass HR 4827, which renamed the 122,000-acre Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area (NCA) in western Colorado after then-sitting Colorado Congressman Scott McInnis. Ironically, the rule they suspended was one another Colorado Congressman had lobbied to put in place.

The House of Representatives’ House Rules (pdf) were created to reduce corruption in Congress and, ensure order and prevent Congress members from misusing the political process for their own personal gain and glorification. Among the House rules, for example, are ones putting a maximum value on gifts members of Congress can accept from lobbyists, and prohibiting members from accepting reimbursement for transportation, lodging or other trip expenses unless certain specific criteria are met.

Rule XXI, Clause 6 specifically bans House members from naming public structures after themselves. Public structures includes public works and publicly-owned lands like beaches, parks and national forests. In order to rename Colorado Canyons NCA after Scott McInnis, then, Congress had to circumvent the rule. To that end, a few House members managed to purposely suspend Rule XXI Clause 6, so the McInnis renaming bill could pass.

The rule, found on Page 35 of the House Rules book, states:

Designation of public works

6. It shall not be in order to consider a bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report that provides for the designation or redesignation of a public work in honor of an individual then serving as a Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner or Senator.

Congressman Tom Tancredo of Colorado, McInnis’ home state, was the one who fought to put this rule in place, to stop an epidemic of sitting members of the House renaming federal structures after themselves. In arguing for House Resolution 343 during the 107th Congress (2001-02), Tancredo urged Congress to act more transparently and eloquently pointed out the dangers and hubris of such self-renaming activity. Tancredo likened members of Congress renaming structures after themselves to putting themselves on “an almost god-like level”.

He said:

“Individuals who have had an impact on America will forever be remembered, and should be remembered, and waiting for the full impact of their public service to be realized is not too much to ask. By waiting a few years to reflect on their accomplishments, we are doing them, and the integrity of this Congress, a great service.

Federal structures all across the nation, including within my Congressional district are named after former Members of Congress. Members who have seen their names placed on post offices, federal buildings and highways are undoubtedly great men and women who served their nation. However, we need to draw a great distinction between honoring our retired leaders, and placing current leaders on an almost god-like level.

We are all given a great honor to serve within our nation’s Congress. We impact the lives of millions of Americans on a daily basis, and many of us will inspire our constituents to levels of achievement that are beyond anyone’s expectations, and they will do likewise for us. Yet we must remember that we are serving them for the good of the whole, the good of the people and we should be thankful for the opportunity.”

This photo shows how empty the chamber was on the day Congress voted to suspend House Rule XXI, Clause 6 and rename "Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area" after then sitting Congressman Scott McInnis (R-CO)

The House chambers were practically empty on the day Congress voted to suspend House Rule XXI, Clause 6, so they could rename “Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area” after then sitting Congressman Scott McInnis (R-CO). The rule prohibits sitting members of Congress from renaming public works after themselves.

But serving in the House for the good of the people and being thankful for the opportunity to do it wasn’t enough for Scott McInnis and his friends in Congress who engineered the passage of the “McInnis-as-god” bill.

The House suspended House Rule XXI, Clause 6 before the McInnis bill came to the full house, effectively blocking any other Congress members from being able to object to it due to the fact that it violated the rules.

McInnis-As-God Bill Introduced

After the “McInnis-as-god” bill was introduced on July 13, 2004 as HR 4827, it was referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources, the committee that considers legislation pertaining to public lands.

The only problem was, the Committee never considered the bill. Somehow it sailed through its committee assignment without ever being heard.

On September 28, 2004,  just two members of Congress spoke very briefly in favor of the bill. Neither of them were from Colorado. One was a representative from California and the other was the representative from Guam. No Coloradans were notified about the bill’s existence or invited to weigh in on the change. Then, in a nearly empty chamber, Chairman Darrell Issa took a voice vote which was completely inaudible on C-SPAN (and which was non-recorded, so we don’t know who voted for or against),  pronounced the “yeas” as a two-thirds majority of those present, and declared the bill passed.

In yet another irony surrounding this moment, in his invocation that day House Chaplain Reverend Thomas Spence said  “Teach us what it means to be humble in a world where we take ourselves too seriously.”

Congress does indeed need to learn to be humble. They have hubris down pat.

Resources:

C-SPAN clip of the vote

CSPAN recording of the full house session on September 28, 2004

Rules of the House of Representatives (pdf) – Rule XXI, Clause 6 regarding Designation of Public Works is on Page 35, at mid-page

Congress Suspended Rule to Rename McInnis Canyons

Petition to revert McInnis Canyons back to its original name, “Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area”

Petition: Change the Name of “McInnis Canyons” back to Previous Name

NoMcInnisCanyonsA new Change.org petition asks to revert “McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area” back to its original name, “Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area.” The federal land was renamed in 2005 for then-sitting Congressman Scott McInnis. Prior to that time, no federal conservation area was ever named for a person. Under U.S. tradition, they have been named only after geographic features.  The area was also previously known as the Black Ridge Wilderness Study Area, after Black Ridge, the highest point above the Colorado National Monument.

When the change of name happened in 2005 it was a surprise to most Coloradans. It came about after an Oregon congressman mysteriously introduced a bill to change the area’s name to honor McInnis in 2004. The bill’s only co-sponsor was another congressman from California. Coloradans were unaware that the bill had been introduced. Neither of the congressman who sponsored the bill sought the opinion or consensus of Coloradans for the change. No one knows why these two out-of-state Congressmen initiated the change, and Coloradans remain unclear why it happened.

Study: Daughters Bear Biggest Burden of Caring for Aging Parents

WheelchairA new research paper shows that daughters spend more than twice as much time caring for their elderly parents than sons, and when daughters are in the picture, sons tend to reduce what little caregiving efforts they make and leave the burden to the sisters.  The study, titled “When Gender Trumps Everything: The Division of Parent Care among Siblings,” will be presented today at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

The study found that daughters provide an average of 12.3 hours of care to elderly parents per month, compared to just 5.6 hours of care provided by sons.

The study’s author, Princeton sociology doctoral candidate Angelina Grigoryeva, concluded that by pushing most of the duties of caring for aging parents onto their sisters, brothers also shift the financial burden and physical and mental stress of providing that care onto their sisters.

Grigoryeva’s research found that women tend to base how much time they spend caring for elderly parents on competing concerns, like how much time they need to devote to their own families and careers, while men base the the amount of caregiving time they spend on whether or not they have a sister or sisters who can handle those responsibilities.

Canal Roads and Conflicting Policies

A purposely-built pedestrian path in the Summer Hill subdivision north of town leads walkers onto the Grand Valley Highline canal bank maintenance roads for a stroll, even though the canal roads are supposedly "no trespassing" zones. Despite the "no trespassing" status, no one has been  cited for walking on the canal banks in at least 28 years.  Former Mesa County Sheriff Stan Hilkey said that reports of people walking on the valley's canal banks roads are the "lowest possible priority" misdemeanor to area law enforcement authorities

A landscaped foot path in the Summer Hill subdivision north of town leads walkers onto the beautiful Grand Valley Highline Canal bank maintenance roads for a stroll, even though these roads are supposedly “no trespassing” zones. Not one person has been cited for walking on the canal banks in almost three decades, however. Former Mesa County Sheriff Stan Hilkey said he knows of no one who has ever been prosecuted for walking on the canal roads, and that violations of the canal bank “no trespassing” rule are the “lowest possible priority” misdemeanor for area law enforcement authorities.