Documents: Public input mattered little in SoS appointment

Documents obtained by Face The State reveal that public comments regarding Gov. Bill Ritter's secretary of state appointment overwhelmingly favored term-limited Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver. Despite this, Gordon was passed over for the post in favor of ousted state Rep. Bernie Buescher.

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State of Colo.

Ritter, who went out of his way to solicit feedback about the appointment, chose Buescher, D-Grand Junction, to take the post vacated by current office holder Mike Coffman, elected in November to represent Colorado's 6th Congressional District. The documents also reveal that Buescher received the least amount of public support of Ritter's three named finalists.

To receive the feedback, Ritter's administration utilized a new e-mail address that allowed constituents to provide comments about his three named finalists, which in addition to Gordon and Buescher, also included term-limited House Speaker Andrew Romanoff. Ritter received approximately 660 constituent e-mails, in addition to 2,620 comments that were submitted through the liberal advocacy group, ProgessNow. The responses were overwhelmingly in support of Gordon, who received 1,815 votes on a ProgressNow informal online poll. Romanoff came in second with 632 votes,while Buescher trailed with 173 votes. Of the nearly 100 e-mails made public by Ritter's administration (constituents must specifically waive their right to confidential communication), nearly 90 percent favored Gordon.

Ritter's spokesman, Evan Dreyer, maintains Ritter was genuine in seeking public feedback. "That feedback was one element of a comprehensive input process," Dreyer wrote in a e-mail to Face The State. "Keep in mind that this was not an e-mail election to determine who would be the next Secretary of State. Just because more e-mails came in expressing more support for one person over another, doesn’t mean anything. Perhaps one candidate solicited their supporters to e-mail the Governor expressing support. Perhaps others did not"

Gordon, who ran unsuccessfully against Coffman for the post in 2006, actively sought support through an e-mail he sent to supporters. Romanoff, on the other hand, remained largely quiet publicly, and Buescher was floating his name for any open position in government, including the chancellor position at Colorado State University. "I'm disappointed, but I think Bernie will do a good job," said Gordon, who was hesitant to comment further.

Among notable e-mails made public:

Geoff Bruce writes, “OK Governor Ritter. You were elected to make some bloodly (sic) difficult choices... Ken on the other hand has not only made the noises but has walked the walk., (sic) metaphorically and physically.”

Richard Schneider, former reporter for the Rocky Mountain News, writes, “[Gordon] has already lost one election for Secretary of State. Appointing him to the post would be a slap in the face to Colorado voters. I have included an article I researched and wrote on the issue...”

Rev. Judith Clausen writes, “I’m not saying Ken Gordon is old, but he’s at the other end of his career track, and besides, I hear that Andrew Romanoff is a candidate for something or other in the Obama administration, so he may not be available.”

Loraine Masterton was one of the more formal and politely worded e-mails in the bunch. She addressed her comments to “Honourable Sir.”

Howard Pomranka writes, “Having personally never met any of the three distinguished candidates for Secretary of State, I nevertheless distinguish among them.” He proceeds to cite Gordon’s “keenest sense of humor” as the quality that distinguishes him from the competition.

While the pile overwelmingly supported Gordon, there were a few nods to Romanoff and Buescher. One of Gordon’s constituents, Charlotte Robinson, expressed her support for Buescher. She writes: “I am in Ken Gordon’s district — he was rude to me at the Denver County Convention (even though I knew him when he was a public defender), and he sends me 'campaigning' e-mails almost weekly."