Ten Years Ago this week in The Colorado Statesman … The fur was positively flying in the fight between Republican gubernatorial candidates Marc Holtzman and U.S. Rep. Bob Beauprez. The Holtzman crew had hired a former FBI agent to “fortify” its headquarters, said campaign manager Dick Leggitt. “We’ve installed video cameras, had an ADT alarm system installed and we’ve moved some of our exposed electronic transmission lines to where they can’t be tapped into.” Leggitt was taking the counter-espionage moves after charging that Holtzman’s electronic list of 6,500 contacts had been purloined and somehow landed in the possession of the Beauprez campaign. “The list was stolen, and Beaupreaz has it, and we’ll let the authorities find out how it happened,” Legitt said. Holtzman campaign attorney John Zakhem asked the Denver district attorney’s office to open a criminal investigation into the missing list of potential campaign contributors. “People literally around the world received an email by Bob Beauprez asking for them to contribute,” Leggitt said, “and that’s when we realized the list was in their hands.”

The Beauprez camp was having none of it. Campaign coordinator John Marshall called Holtzman a “liar” and branded the talk of a criminal investigation “grasping at straws.” “This is a guy who has crossed the line,” Marshall said. “He will say and do anything to get elected, but this time he has gone too far — he has crossed over the line. Every time he opens his mouth, it’s a lie.” The Beauprez list was obtained legally in a list-sharing agreement brokered by Phase Line Strategies, a common practice among politicos, Marshall maintained. Phase Line’s Sean Tonner confirmed that the Beauprez campaign had purchased lists of supporters of Gov. Bill Owens and former GOP Senate candidate Pete Coors. What’s more, Tonner and Beauprez campaign attorney Mike Norton contended, the four far-flung contacts Holtzman said could only have come from his list were in fact on the Owens list. “Some go back to 1998,” Tonner said. None of those names were unique to Mark Holtzman’s Rolodex. One of the first things a politician asks for is, ‘Can I mail your list?’ That’s Campaign 101.” Leggitt countered that the four names initially offered as evidence of a stolen list were but the tip of the iceberg. “Well, we’ve got literally hundreds of names. We’ve produced hundreds of names of people who don’t know Bill Owens from Adam’s house cat.” Marshall scoffed: “As Mike Norton pointed out, why would we want to steal anything from a failing campaign like his? Thank you, but no thanks.” …

Twenty-five Years Ago this week in The Colorado Statesman … Republican gubernatorial candidate John Andrews rallied the faithful at the crack of dawn for a “Read My Lips — No New Taxes” rally at a meeting of the Arapahoe County Republican Men’s Club. Mort Marks called it “disgraceful” that Andrews was drawing the support of only 25 percent of Arapahoe County voters in his race against incumbent Gov. Roy Romer. The GOP was desperately in need of young faces, Marks argued, introducing Andrews. The peppy Andrews led the “normally staid” men’s club in a round of cheers, including, “Read our lips — brand new Congress!” and “Read our lips — tax limitations!” Then Dick Dittemore led the group in song, belting out “Romer the Red-Faced Gov’nor” to the tune of everyone’s favorite reindeer song. “Romer, the red-faced gov’nor,” they sang, “his temper he cannot compose … That’s why you’ll likely hear him, swearing on the radio!” Then Andrews spoke directly to presidential son Neil Bush, a regular attendee at the Men’s Club meetings. Andrews was disappointed that President George H.W. Bush had caved to Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and hoped he would be able to stay “stiff of backbone” on the budget talks. “What has happened to the ’80s vision of no-new taxes?” he asked. Republicans and Democrats were threatening to merge into one enormous tax-and-spend Incumbent Party, Andrews warned, but Colorado voters could show ’em otherwise by throwing the bums out. …

… The push was on for Amendment 5, which would establish term limits for elected officials throughout the state. Dubbed the Phil Donahue of Colorado politics, State Sen. Terry Considine, the sponsor of the ballot initiative, had some suggestions for a “snappy slogan” for the measure at a forum he cohosted with fellow state Sen. Bill Owens. “Come Alive with Amendment 5,” he suggested. How about “No More Jive with Amendment 5”?

— ernest@coloradostatesman.com