Author: Lynn Bartels
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BARTELS | Enough with the rockets’ red glare, people
June could be a perfect month with its warm days and long, light-filled evenings, but unfortunately it is marred by thoughtless jerks who set off fireworks all night long. Folks who follow me on Twitter know I am relentless — well, OK, obsessed — about problems with fireworks and what seems to me a lackadaisical attitude regarding…
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LYNN BARTELS | Shirley Chang’s dedication at TECO bridged political divides
Colorado says goodbye this week to an extraordinary advocate for Taiwan, Shirley Chang, who works for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Denver. Among the office’s duties is the promotion of cooperation in trade, investment, culture, education and tourism between Taiwan and the six U.S. states in its jurisdiction. Consular Chang works alongside Director…
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LYNN BARTELS | In political coverage, it’s all about the people
Part of the joy of covering politics is getting to know politicians as elected officials but also as people who have families and lives outside the buildings they work in. I was thinking of that as I drove to Colorado Springs recently for a reception to honor Nick Stephens and his wife, Brittany, who were…
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LYNN BARTELS | A change of heart is in the bag
Paper or plastic? I’ve often answered that question from grocery store clerks and other cash register rangers with a wisecrack: “I paid with plastic so let’s be consistent.” But my habits might be about to change, courtesy of the Denver City Council. It supports a measure that would require retail stores to charge customers 10…
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BARTELS: Take Your Child to meet Secretary of State Wayne Williams
The kids who came to the Colorado Secretary of State’s office for Take Your Child Day made their choices for president known: eight votes for Hillary Clinton and four for Ted Cruz. In addition to participating in a mock primary and general election, the children — ranging in ages from 17 to 7 — enjoyed a pancake breakfast,…
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BARTELS: Folks call her Nancy Pelosi, but wrong party, wrong state, wrong pronunciation
When your name’s Nancy Pallozzi and you’re involved in Colorado politics, you’re bound to get asked about Nancy Pelosi, who’s involved in DC politics. “Every day I get asked about it,” said Colorado’s Pallozzi, who is running for state House District 28 in Lakewood. Hat tip to retired lobbyist Frank DeFillipo, who pointed out…
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BARTELS: Sometimes Secretary Wayne Williams has to deliver bad news
A tough part of the Secretary of State’s job is occasionally crushing the dreams of a candidate by telling him or her the campaign came up short in collecting enough signatures to make the ballot. Democrat Michele Fry got the bad news last week. The Denver state House candidate turned in her signatures on …
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BARTELS: Big Rick Enstrom takes a big fall at the Republican assembly
At 6-foot-5, Jefferson County Republican Rick Enstrom was trying to get in the back row when supporters for Sentate candidate Jerry Natividad took the stage at the Colorado Republican assembly Saturday. Enstrom took a step backward to the stage curtain but discovered there was no stage left. He went straight down 4 feet — missing a pole by…
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BARTELS: Mesa County Clerk Sheila Reiner raves about Dominion after Tuesday’s municipal elections
(An earlier video from the Mesa County clerk’s office about Dominion.) After tabulating the results of four municipal elections Tuesday night, Mesa County Clerk Sheila Reiner has even more good things to say about Dominion Voting Systems. “In 2012 and 2014 we tabulated and tested for the same four municipalities but didn’t pull out…
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BARTELS: A record-setting 20 candidates try to petition onto the primary ballot
The 20 candidates who turned in petition signatures to get on the June 28 primary ballot appear to have set a record for recent elections. A hat tip to Jake Ryan, a reporter and producer at KVNF who called to say 20 sounded like a lot and did we have numbers for previous elections.…