City hall or union hall?
You think I'm exaggerating the influence of Big Labor on Denver elections? Allow me to connect a few dots for you.
The huge, glowing dot in the center is attorney Mark G. Grueskin of Isaacson Rosenbaum.
Grueskin is a registered statehouse lobbyist for AFSCME, Colorado AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union and Teamsters Local Union No. 435.
Grueskin represented Denver City Councilwoman Carol Boigon, chair of the General Government Committee, when her council candidacy was challenged in 2003 because she failed to obtain enough petition signatures. The whole story is fodder for another post. For now, suffice it to say that Boigon would have been disqualified if not for Grueskin and two choice Election Commission appointments made by former Mayor Wellington Webb.
Grueskin provided legal services for union organizer and now-Councilman Paul Lopez when his candidacy was challenged in 2007. (See campaign disclosure, page 11.) This is a story for another post, too -- in a nutshell, Lopez's opponent complained that Denver election officials had not checked Lopez's voter registration to confirm that he lived in Council District 3 before putting him on the ballot for that district's council seat. On his signed voter registration form, Lopez listed as his residence an address in District 2, making him ineligible to run in District 3.
The complaint about Lopez was directed to Clerk and Recorder Stephanie O'Malley, who also happens to be a client of Grueskin's firm. One of her campaign disclosures (page 5) states that she, like Lopez, paid Isaacson Rosenbaum for legal services during the 2007 election cycle. UPDATE: A reader notes that O'Malley did not pay for the legal services, rather she accepted the services as a gift in kind. Niice.
At the time, an attorney for the city said Clerk O'Malley could not remove Lopez from the city ballot; only the courts could do that. And, after conferring with Grueskin, the city attorney's office suddenly had no legal definition for the word "residence" -- despite the fact that the word appears dozens of times in the municode -- effectively derailing any court challenge against Lopez.
The city of Denver has hired Isaacson Rosenbaum in the past as special counsel, paying $76,000 for legal services in 2001 and 2002, when Wellington Webb was mayor. The firm advised and represented the city in Avalos v. Davidson, a suit related to redistricting and the creation of Colorado's 7th Congressional District.
Connect the dots. Labor lobbyist Grueskin, Isaacson Rosenbaum, the city attorney's office and key election policymakers all share a cozy network of mutual support in which they exchange advice, services and funds. (Yes, I know that O'Malley is Mayor Webb's daughter, but that's totally beside the point.)
So you can see why Councilwoman Jeanne Faatz's proposal to block groups like unions from going door to door to "help" Denverites vote and collect ballots has zero chance of surviving the General Government Committee. O'Malley's office has reservations about the proposal, not surprisingly, and doesn't see third-party ballot collection as a problem. Committee members Boigon, Lopez and union activist Councilman Chris Nevitt likewise have no problem giving union organizers the green light to influence city elections.
Denver is a rogue's playground for powerful special interests seeking to mold the city's election rules to their purposes. Because of home rule status, Denver can turn up its nose at state election law when it comes to municipal elections. You don't need Kathy Sabine to tell you how the wind blows.
Also: Denver Forgotten Communities Examiner Richard Taylor remembers a visit from a union organizer wanting to "help" him vote in 2007.
Related articles:
Labor fights Denver election reform
Union gravy train can coast through Denver election rules
Comments
Lisa; I hope to encourage dialoge on your excellent investigative reports. You are doing a better job than our traditional media, even if I am a bit biased in my analysis. Who else would bring these legitimate concerns forward? You are definitely recommened reading for anyone interested in Denver politics. Jan
Bigger Problems
Denver residents who voted early in the past November election are now getting letters from the Denver Election Division that they will be dropped from the voter rolls because they did not vote.
Anybody who gets these letters and did vote should immediately file a complaint with the Denver Elections Division and the Secretary of State. An audit must be made to ensure that the number of ballots cast match the number of voters who showed up to vote.
The system Denver used last November, is the same system bogging down the Senate vote in Minnesota
Where is City Attorney David Fine? Is the Clerk and Recorder negotiating with the unions behind Fine’s back? Did Fine hire Mark Grueskin? Where is the mainstream media on this?
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