Dear Editor,

Surrounding oneself with the power and influence of oil and gas executives can lead to over-confidence, and a severely clouded and disconnected view of Colorado’s communities. This is what Gov. John Hickenlooper has accomplished with his most recent comments regarding a potential 2016 ballot initiative dealing with intrusive oil and gas development. The governor believes that political power cannot come from actual people, and that any decision-making our state engages in has to be the extension of corporate interests. While this may be true of his own political career, it falls short of American history and the nature of all social movements. The people of Colorado will build a ballot initiative that answers our governor’s dismissal, and codifies our fundamental rights against corporate power. Look for the Colorado Community Rights Amendment on your 2016 ballot, and get ready to legalize democracy in the place it matters most — where we live.

Cliff WillmengColorado Community Rights NetworkLafayette, Colorado