Difference between revisions of "Broomfield"

Revision as of 14:28, 29 October 2017

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broomfield,_Colorado

Broomfield Overview

(CR = Colorado Resistance Target Race)

• City Council: (5 Republicans, 5 Democrats)
• Mayor: Rep
• County Commissioners:
• School Districts: Adams 12 Five Star Schools (also known as Northglenn-Thornton 12), Boulder Valley RE-2, Brighton 27J, JeffCo Public Schools, Saint Vrain Valley RE-1J, Weld County RE-8
• State Reps: HD 33 (Dem) (CR)
• State Senators: SD 17 (Dem) (tiny portion of Broomfield); SD 23 (Rep) (most of Broomfield)
• US Rep: CD 2 (Dem)

Broomfield Demographics

Broomfield City Council

Mayor is every 2 years, with max 3 consecutive terms. Pro-Tem, bolded, is elected by the Council.

Council is 4-years, with max of 2 consecutive terms.

Compensation as of 11/14/17 will be:

• Councilmembers: $800.month
• Pro-Tem: Additional $100/month
• Mayor: $1,100/month

Email the Mayor and the entire City Council: council@broomfieldcitycouncil.org

See http://recallstokes.com/

Special Interests

The Broomfield Way - PAC

• Registered Agent: David Milender, on the Broomfield Planning & Zoning Committee
• Stated Purpose: "To encourage and support or oppose candidates based upon accountability and responsiveness."

Citizens For Broomfield - PAC

• (TRACER Listing)
• Stated Purpose: Support Conservative and oppose Progressive minded candidates for elected office.
• Registered Agent: Benny Vagher (registered Republican); Designated Filing Agent: Joseph Martin Robinson (registered Republican)
• Registered 8/24/17.
• Joseph Martin Robinson was on the formal protest filed against the recall of Greg Stokes in 2017. The protest of the recall alleged that canvassers for the recall effort to gather signatures said to residents "Councilman Kreeger and Jazierski want to put more progressives on council," implying that it was politically motivated, specifically for Democrats. The protest against the recall was rejected and the recall election proceeded.

Crestone Peak Resources

• O&G Operator
• Applied for 44 wells on either side of I-25 in June of 2017.
• 95% owned by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (Canadian government); 5% by the Broe Group, a Denver-based group which "directs a multibillion-dollar portfolio of real estate, transportation, energy, and investment assets that span North America". (Source)
• Formed after Encana (also Canadian, but not the government) sold their interests in the Denver-Julesburg Basin.
• Tony Buchanon (Email) is Crestone's CEO and is on the Colorado Oil & Gas Association Board of Directors. He was previously CEO of Denver-based Bonanza Creek Energy Inc., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2017. Bill Barrett Corporation, also Denver-based, has expressed an interest in purchasing. Bill Owens, Colorado's former Republican governor serves on the board of directors for Bill Barrett Corp. Bonanza was ultimately purchased in August 2017 by Divisar Capital Management LLC, an asset management company.
• Chairman of the Board Avik Dey has previously worked for Deutsche Bank (which was ultimately fined $425M for laundering $10B for Russian investors. No telling if Dey himself was involved directly or indirectly).
• Board member Robert Huang is a Principal at Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and teaches at the University of Colorado Leeds School of Business.

Definers Public Affairs

• Pro-Oil & Gas
• Virginia-based.
• Co-Founded by Matt Rhoades, former campaign manager for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential run.
• Co-Founded by Joe Pounder, former RNC Research Director and a senior advisor to Marco Rubio's 2016 presidential run.
• Used Colorado Open Records Act (via Nicholas Zanetti) to obtain emails between council members and specific people who were listed on the signatures for recall.
• Nicholas Zanetti previously worked as Deputy "War Room" Director at America Rising, a PAC that specializes in opposition research against Democratic candidates.
• America Rising PAC was also founded by Matt Rhoades. Another co-founder, Raj Shah, currently works in the Trump administration and previously built up an extensive anti-Hillary Clinton portfolio for the use of America Rising and the RNC beginning in 2012.

Western Energy Alliance

• Pro-Oil & Gas
• Claims they had not contracted with either Definers Public Affairs or America Rising (as of 6/23/17).
• Claims they have no involvement in Broomfield politics, citing their concentration on the Bureau of Land Management (Colorado-specific) and the EPA (Colorado-specific).
• Wrote several hit pieces on an environmentalist (Andrew J. O'Connor) who alluded to (and others aside from the WEA argue he also advocated for, including Kyle Clark of 9News) violence in a Boulder Camera editorial. The focus soon became about communications each with Council Member Kreeger and State Rep. Mike Foote by O'Connor, with those communications obtained through the Colorado Open Records Act. A grand total of 10 articles were written in the span of nearly as many weeks. A week after the controversy first began, O'Connor doubled down and said to ColoradoPolitics.com that "I wouldn't have a problem with a sniper shooting one of the workers", effectively giving the WEA 9 more weeks worth of material in an effort to use the extreme views of one person as a means to bring down an entire movement.
• Since Jared Polis' announcement of his gubernatorial run, Western Wire has ratcheted up hit pieces on him, as his announcement speech featured his plan for 100% renewable energy by 2040. Oddly, they hit him by presenting him as pro-oil and gas, rather than touting him; yet his "pro" bona fides are actually him being pro-progress in the renewable energy sector. Western Wire ended the article with "Polis boasts a 90 percent lifetime score from the League of Conservation Voters." What was intended as a hit piece instead became a glowing review in the opposite direction than they aimed, especially once reader discovered Western Wire is Western Energy Alliance.

Notable Individuals

Sheryl Fernandez

• Trump Supporter. (Also.)
• Owner of Sheryl Fernandez Strategies LLC, which does opposition research, GOTV, consulting, fundraising, canvassing, etc.
• Broomfield GOP Chairwoman
• Husband Rick Fernandez is the former chair of the Broomfield GOP and is running for the open Ward 3 seat. (Source)
• Has served as Legislative Aide for Representative Cindy Acree HD-40 and Representative Libby Szabo HD-27.
• Aide for State Sen. Vicki Marble (SD-23), who is now embroiled in an ethics probe. Sheryl Fernandez is mentioned in the filed complaint, which claims that the event in question was actually a pro-O&G advertisement (with questions pre-written by attendees and then chosen by Sheryl Fernandez herself), attended by Brain Cain, the media relations spokeperson for Extraction Oil and Gas LLC. Allegedly Cain picked up the check for the event that had a buffet and alcoholic beverages.
• Wrote an editorial in the Broomfield Enterprise that was posted the day before the recall election asking why people don't talk about the connections liberals have to environmental groups the way conservative connections to O&G are spoken of, purporting they were equitable offenses.
• Fernandez responded to John Anderson's editorial in the comments section, suggesting his wife's connections to the involvement of health and safety in terms of energy extraction (as president of Broomfield Clean Air and Water--BCAW) is disqualifying in his run to succeed Greg Stokes, had he been recalled.

2017 Recall Election

It was Broomfield's first-ever recall election. It was against Pro-Tem Greg Stokes. The recall election took place July 18th, 2017. Some saw it as a waste of resources, especially due to Stokes being termed out of his position only months later. Proponents defend that it sends a message against the interests of Oil & Gas interests. Colorado Public Radio offered it was a "proxy fight".

A Broomfield Enterprise article stated that several councilmembers expressed concern about voter fraud, via not requiring IDs. Mike Shelton, registered Republican, is the only one mentioned by name. City and County Attorney Bill Tuthill (registered Democrat) worried this would prevent some Ward 4 residents from voting.

Turnout for the off-month recall election was 39%. Ward 4 saw the same turnout for their regular municipal general election in 2015.

Results

Successor

Running to replace in the event of recall were Jason Anderson and Brian Devine. Had Stokes been recalled, Devine would have taken the seat. Both Anderson and Devine are running for the open Ward 4 seat in November 2017.

A total of 2135 votes were received to vote for a successor. Compare to a total of 4542 who voted in the recall itself. Therefore 47% of those who voted in the recall also voted for a successor.

Special Interests

Against Recall (Primary Source)

• Western Energy Alliance, and it's publication Western Wire
• Definers Public Affairs (Nicholas Zanetti)

2017 Election

Broomfield Webpage

Mayor is elected every 2 years. Council members are elected for 4 year terms, 1 from each of 5 districts every 2 years.

Candidates

Find your Broomfield Ward Map

City of Broomfield 2017 Candidate Page

Campaign Finance

PACs / IECs / Issue Committees

Citizens for Broomfield - Political Action Committee

• 10/17/17 Campaign Finance Filing
• (TRACER Listing)
• Stated Purpose: Support Conservative and oppose Progressive minded candidates for elected office.
• Registered Agent: Benny Vagher (registered Republican, who is on the Board of Trustees for the Colorado Contractors Association; Leadership Program of the Rockies 2013 alum); Designated Filing Agent: Joseph Martin Robinson (registered Republican)
• Registered 8/24/17.
• Joseph Martin Robinson was on the formal protest filed against the recall of Greg Stokes in 2017. The protest of the recall alleged that canvassers for the recall effort to gather signatures said to residents "Councilman Kreeger and Jazierski want to put more progressives on council," implying that it was politically motivated, specifically for Democrats. The protest against the recall was rejected and the recall election proceeded.

Broomfield for a Stronger Economy - Independent Expenditure Committee

• Registered Agent: Katie Kennedy, who is the registered agent of scores of conservative groups within Colorado: TRACER Search (Editor's Note: Unfortunately a direct link is not possible, so enter in "Kennedy" in Last Name, "Katie" in First Name, and select Status to preference to see past and present listings.)
• Kennedy is an employee at Strategic Compliance LLC and has also used an email from Stand for Children, an education reform group.

Broomfield Health & Safety First - Issue Committee

• Campaign Finance Files
• Registered Agent: Alexis Marsh, wife of Broomfield City Council Ward 1 candidate, James Marsh-Holschen.
• Stated Purpose: "Broomfield Home Rule Charter Amendment Initiative"

Vote No on 301 / Don't Let Them Divide Broomfield - Issue Committee

• Campaign Finance Files
• Registered Agent: Karen Nelson, Republican who ran in 2016 for HD 33.
• Stated Purpose: "To oppose ballot issue efforts to divide Broomfield."

Citizens for a Safe and Healthy Broomfield - Issue Committee

Ballot Measures

301 - Health & Safety--Fracking

This will appear on the ballot via citizen ballot initiative. The petition signatures required were 2,435 valid signatures. 3,074 were gathered, with 2,847 of those accepted.

The Martinez case served as inspiration for this initiative.

Ballot and Charter Language

The Ballot Language reflects the Charter language.

"Shall section 2.1(b) "Powers, Rights, and Liabilities" of the Broomfield Home Rule Charter be amended to add the following language:

With regard to oil and gas development near the City's populated areas and within the City's boundaries, such powers shall include but not be limited to plenary authority to regulate all aspects of oil and gas development, including land use and all necessary police powers. As such, Broomfield shall condition oil and gas development permits to require oil and gas development to only occur in a manner that does not adversely impact the health, safety, and welfare of Broomfield's residents in their workplaces, their homes, their schools, and public parks in order to protect the public's health, safety, and welfare and to safeguard the environment and wildlife resources."

Arguments For

Daily Camera endorses Yes on 301.

"When detractors argue that Broomfield should reject the ballot issue and continue negotiating a memorandum of understanding that would mandate setbacks slightly larger than existing state minimums, they are surrendering to the notion that large, dangerous industrial operations belong near homes and schools. In our view, they clearly don't."

Arguments Against

Denver Post Editorial Board came out against 301, stating:

"While Question 301 definitely is not a ban, it confers authority in Broomfield’s home rule charter that could be challenged in court with an unclear outcome."