Face The State Staff Report
With a Denver district court judge’s recent ruling that a mill levy freeze amounts to an unconstitutional tax increase, Republicans are hoping the decision will bode well for GOP candidates this November who can point to the fact that all Democrat incumbent lawmakers voted in favor of the tax hike. The mill levy freeze is a particularly sensitive issue in Mesa County, where county commissioners signed on as lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
BradfordSpecial to FTS
The county is home to House District 55, where Republican Laura Bradford is gearing up to challenge popular Democrat incumbent and Joint Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Bernie Buescher of Grand Junction. Bradford plans to make her opponent's support of the mill levy freeze, now regarded legally as an unconstitutional $3 billion tax increase, a major focus of the race.
“The property tax increase hit our county pretty hard,” said Bradford. “I was personally affected, and that has become a big issue for me.”
Bradford says she believes in the state's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, a state constitutional amendment approved by voters requiring all tax increases to go first to a vote of the people for approval. She adds that she was appalled that Democrats, including Buescher, tried to sidestep the law by labeling their mill levy proposal as a “freeze.”
In the race, both Bradford and Buescher will play up their business backgrounds and experience relating to economic policy. Buescher's incumbency advantage and budget experience will be met with Bradford's top notch credentials as a leading small business owner and former member of the Colorado Women’s Economic Development council, appointed to the post by former Gov. Bill Owens.
“There’s no question that Bernie is a tough incumbent, but Laura is a really, really strong challenger,” said Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction, who is one of Bradford's strongest supporters. Penry’s Senate District encompasses all of Mesa and part of Garfield Country.
Penry believes that Bradford’s has a strong shot despite Buescher's popularity in the district, and says that her passion for education will have broad appeal as both candidates vie for the district's nearly 33 percent of unaffiliated voters. Traditionally, the district has been strong GOP territory, with Republicans still boasting a 22 percent registration advantage. A dirty Republican primary in 2004 gave Buescher the edge he needed to take the seat. With state Rep. Andrew Romanoff now term limited, he is now rumored to be the next Speaker of the House.
As of May 26th, the end of the last candidate campaign finance reporting period with the Secretary of State, Bradford had $17,527.58 in her campaign arsenal, while Buescher boasted an impressive $58,314.90. As Face The State has previously reported, such numbers rarely provide a complete picture of a race's financial matchup, with independent political committees and union money playing an increasingly important role - and one that has benefited Democrats - in hotly contested districts.
According to Penry, Bradford is the perfect underdog. “The first thing you realize when hear [Bradford's] personal story, is this lady has got moxie big time," he said.
Buescher did not respond to a request for an interview.