Just in case you haven't heard lately how much Gov. Bill Ritter likes to ride his bicycle, his office sent out a Friday press release detailing his recent visit with local cyclist Ryan Van Duzer, who is embarking on a cross-country ride.
COLORADO'S FRONTPAGE
Face the State
Welcome to the Face The State Reading Room
Explore the wonderful world of primary source documents in the Face The State Reading Room. Here you'll find a broad collection of data, memos, e-mails, video and audio from Colorado's public institutions - and some not-so-public politicos who would prefer anonymity. Poke around and see what you uncover for yourself.
Know of a juicy public record we should add to our collection? Write us at:
newstips@facethestate.com.
Primary documents
Colorado fundraising totals at a glance
July 17, 2009Campaign finance reports for the second quarter of 2009 are in, and the numbers offer early clues about candidates’ prospects in the primary and general elections.
CSU prez, chancellor contracts worth over $3.75m
July 16, 2009Newly hired CSU Chancellor Joe Blake has promised to put transparency at the top of his agenda and in that spirit, Face the State is publishing employment contracts for Blake and President Tony Frank.
More details on state elections director hiring process
July 15, 2009In May, Face The State published applications for the position of state elections director, which we obtained through the Colorado Open Records Act. The director is tasked with overseeing the state's election and campaign finance reporting processes in conjunction with county clerks. As we later learned, the most revealing part of the application - a "narrative exam" - wasn't released.
51 bills raised fees $560+ million for FY 2009
July 1, 2009A number of new laws take effect today, with others slated to phase in over the rest of the year. Many increase the cost of government services, the most high-profile being a hike to vehicle registration fees. Face the State has obtained a spreadsheet (available here) from the state's Legislative Council detailing 51 fee increase bills and their impact on the state's bottom line: over $562 million in the fiscal year starting today.
Update: Ritter calendar details a busy legislative session
June 11, 2009How did Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, occupy his time during this spring as lawmakers argued over the state budget? What parties did Colorado's top executive attend to celebrate President Barack Obama's inauguration? And what was Ritter doing in Silicon Valley hobnobbing with tech sector heavyweights? It's all in Ritter's calendar, a copy of which was obtained through the Colorado Open Records Act.
Solar rays bend Denver's rules
A Face the State Staff Report
August 3, 2009Nearly a year has passed since a $13 million, 7.5 acre solar panel project was dedicated at Denver International Airport. A Face the State Investigation reveals a project marred by a lax bidding process, missing records, lack of oversight and and bureaucratic finger pointing for those shortfalls.
RTD General Manager contract gets sweeter every year
A Face the State Staff Report
March 31, 2009
Recent documents obtained by Face the State show that RTD General Manager Cal Marsella has a base salary of $290,286, nearly a three-fold increase from his original base pay of $107,500 in 1995. In addition to his salary, Marsella's bonus in 2008 was $33,707, up nearly eight times from his original bonus of $4,456.
FTS on the air: CU salaries out of control
March 18, 2009
Documents obtained by Face the State were the basis for the Independence Institute's recent call for salary caps at the University of Colorado. Now, Face the State's reporter behind the story, Kate Melvin, will appear on this Friday's episode of Independent Thinking with Jon Caldara to further discuss the details of CU's excessive salary system.
RTD charges dinner cruise, beachfront hotel to taxpayers
A Face the State Staff Report
February 19, 2009According to records obtained by Face the State, the RTD board of directors spent more than $54,000 on travel in 2008, including a trip to China, nights in a beachfront hotel and a dinner cruise. Records also indicate that members avoided RTD buses and light rail, opting instead to charge taxpayers for taxi rides and airport parking. Some of the spending may be in conflict with the board's own policies.