Author: Miller Hudson

Miller Hudson Denver’s newly elected Mayor Mike Johnston has launched a series of community meetings across the city, in partnership with Denver City Council members, running through the middle of August. Although there are no apparent limits on what can be discussed, the Montclair Recreation Center meeting, scheduled early on a recent Saturday morning drew…

Miller Hudson Usually, I would hesitate to share my snail mail with strangers, but last week’s solicitation from Ronna Romney McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, deserves wider distribution. For reasons which mystify me, Ms. McDaniel harbors a belief I am a lapsed sustaining member of the RNC. Truth be told, the only donation…

Miller Hudson It wasn’t my intention to pen another screed grumbling about the American proclivity for resorting to governance by lawsuit. Alas, last week’s newsfeeds report a pair of jurisdictional disputes which have sent Colorado governments trotting off to court. Before attending to the specifics of these conflicts, I should confess to having had a…

Miller Hudson Pundits, politicians and attorneys are prone to pointing out that America is a nation of laws rather than a nation of men, or women for that matter. Whether this was the original intention of our revolutionary founders, America has proven proficient at generating laws, not to mention regulations, ordinances, codes and standards. While…

Miller Hudson It’s not uncommon for newly elected Colorado executives – mayors and governors – to organize pre-inaugural hearings intended to measure public opinion regarding the challenges they expect to face. For that purpose, Mike Johnston’s 28 public forums are not unusual. Their breadth, scope and number are surprising, however. The good news is they were even…

Miller Hudson For the better part of the past two decades, perhaps three, voter support for higher education funding has declined in surveys of public budget priorities in Colorado. In many respects, this gradual yet steady erosion of enthusiasm can be traced back nearly 60 years. Following the second World War and the subsequent economic…

Miller Hudson Scooting through Hooper last week in the San Luis Valley, I whizzed past the UFO Watchtower erected in the year 2000. One of America’s roadside curiosities, only to be outdone southbound by the Colorado Alligator Farm, the Watchtower incorporates a longstanding belief the Valley constitutes an inland Bermuda Triangle attractive to alien visitors.…

Miller Hudson When Gunsmoke’s Marshal, Matt Dillon, advised problem citizens they should “Get out of Dodge,” this advice carried the implicit warning that a failure to comply could result in a quick trip to the Boot Hill cemetery. After nearly three years without a vacation and only a few visits to Colorado’s ski runs, it…

Miller Hudson Though a nearly universal recognition exists that the overwhelming majority of Coloradans loathe, even revile, the tangerine terror seeking re-election as president, few offer a theory for why this is the case. I would suggest a comparison of the widespread affection for Nikola Jokic and his championship basketball team may provide a clue.…

Miller Hudson The din in the great hall at Union Station drowned out everything but shouted conversations on election night. The expected mayoral winner, Mike Johnston, had moved his watch party from the boutique Maven hotel on Wazee where he hosted his reception following the first round of voting. Homeward bound Colorado Rockies fans trooped…