Thirty Years Ago This Week in The Colorado Statesman: A former state legislator from Denver and cabinet member for Gov. Richard Lamm reigned supreme in a key race in the city and county of Denver. Wellington Webb defeated his opponent, Bill Schroeder, in the Denver auditor’s race.

“I was always optimistic that I had a great opportunity to win, because I felt the people of Denver were looking for a new direction in the auditor’s office,” Webb told The Statesman. He added that his considerable experience in management and politics “fitted the bill.”

“People were looking for a new program. The auditor shouldn’t be a captive to the mayor or the city council. We need an agenda for cooperation. The margin of victory was a mandate that the voters of Denver agreed with the program that I outlined in my campaign.”

It was an economical campaign, Webb was quick to point out.

“We had a budget of $104,000, and we spent a little more than that. But our bills are all paid. We’re in the black.”

Webb received a great deal of support from the Democratic Party in the race. The Denver Democratic Central Committee had even stepped out and endorsed him, contributing $2,500 to his campaign.

“It is interesting to note, though, that from early December on, I had considerable support from party figures like Congresswoman Pat Schroeder and former Governor Dick Lamm. But I also had some support from people in the Republican Party, too, like Bill Daniels and Bob Lee.”

Webb acknowledged that his presence on the ballot might have helped newly elected Denver mayor Frederico Peña’s cause by bringing out the minority vote in Northeast Denver.

“That’s where I live, that’s where I was raised, that’s the area I represented in the Legislature. It’s the area my wife represents now, and she’s been in office longer than I was in the Legislature. By virtue of the Webb name being on the ballot, it increased voter turnout, and increased interest in the mayoral election as well as the auditor’s election.”

Webb also insisted that he did not, at the time, harbor any ambitions for the mayor’s office.

“I did in 1983,” he admitted. “I’m just concerned with getting sworn into the auditor’s office. I have attempted to serve the people of Denver and I’m very pleased they have selected me for this job. My only ambition is to be the best city auditor that Denver’s ever seen.”

Ten Years Ago: Filmmaker Michael Moore was promoting his new health care documentary, “Sicko,” in the Mile High City on the steps of the state Capitol.

His provocative documentary underscored what Moore believed to be the root problem of the health care crisis: money.

“The pharmaceutical companies and the health insurance companies have a vested interest in keeping us sick. That’s the only way they can make any money, is to not provide any real care to us when we are ill.”

Moore shamed the U.S. by pointing out that even Ghana had recently joined the ranks of countries like France, Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Greece, Poland, the Czech Republic, Brazil and El Salvador in enacting universal health care.

… In other news, Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier filed the first right-to-work ballot initiative in over 50 years with the Colorado Legislative Council for the 2008 ballot. If passed, Colorado would have joined the ranks of 22 other right-to-work states. The initiative would have meant that any worker in a unionized shop would no longer be required to pay the union restitution, or “agency fees,” for legal representation.

“The basic aim is to say that a worker does not have to join or belong to a labor union in order to hold a job,” said Denver-based attorney John Berry, who filed the initiative on behalf of Frazier and Golden resident Julian Jay Cole.

The right-to-work initiative faced severe opposition from a number of state legislators. But Berry said his proposal had precedence nationally, having been modeled after a similar bill in Oklahoma. That bill had passed in 2001. Berry stated that the intervening years had shown that the Oklahoma law worked as both a salary enhancement and stimulating the economy.

Colorado AFL-CIO Political Director Carolyn Siegel strongly disagreed.

“What research shows is that workers earn more in free bargaining states, more workers have insurance and pensions, and there are fewer accidents on the job,” Siegel said.

State Sen. Ted Harvey, R-Highlands Ranch, countered that another concern was attracting new businesses to Colorado. He said the top two questions he heard from businesses looking to relocate were: does Colorado have a business property tax and is Colorado a right-to-work state?

“We’re wrong on those two major issues when businesses are determining whether they’re going to relocate here,” Harvey said. “All the states around us except New Mexico are right-to-work states, so we automatically lose out to Western states around us that are right-to-work. It’s certainly bringing in new companies, new jobs and new taxpayers.”