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Blake: Spradley cuts it close

Published May 17, 2006 at midnight

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Manager Dick Leggitt may be gone, but the tradition of - let's call it disinformation, since we're feeling generous - lingers on at Marc Holtzman's campaign for governor.

Holtzman's running-mate, former House Speaker Lola Spradley, has sent out a three-page letter to delegates slated to attend Saturday's state Republican assembly in Colorado Springs. On the first page these sentences appear in boldface: "A lot of people are talking about 'electability' in this race. Let me tell you, I know something about electability, because I am the only Republican candidate who won a Statewide election in 2004."

She won a statewide election in 2004? My memory must be going. I was under the impression that term limits forced her out of the House in 2004 and she didn't run for any office that fall. What is she talking about?

"I was co-chair of Amendment 37," she explained over the phone. "That was a statewide issue campaign. Amendment 37 did pass. Now I'm a candidate for lieutenant governor and so I am the only (GOP) candidate who won a statewide election in 2004 - by being co-chair of Amendment 37."

You can't slice the truth much thinner than that.

Nowhere in the letter does she mention Amendment 37. There may be a reason for that. It was the initiative that commands large private utilities like Xcel Energy to use renewable energy sources for 3 percent of their output by 2007, and raises the mandate to 10 percent by 2015. Because renewable energy costs more than coal, the drafters included a cap on how much extra consumers may pay each month.

Spradley, who thought wind farms might help the economy of her central Colorado district, tried several times to get the legislature to pass similar bills, but failed. She did co-chair the 2004 drive, worked hard and did win. Amendment 37 passed 53-47.

But if she was loath to give details about the amendment in her letter, it may have been because her allies were mostly enviros. Conservative Republicans, the kind that attend state conventions, tend to believe that the government - even in the form of the electorate at large - has no business telling private companies how to do their jobs.

Leggitt, in whose footsteps Spradley seems to be walking, left the campaign 10 days ago after confessing that he had made up poll results purporting to show how much Holtzman had boosted his name identification by campaigning against Referendums C and D last fall.

By the way, there was a single Republican candidate who won a statewide election in 2004, although he was not acknowledged by Spradley. It was Steve Bosley, a banker who founded the Bolder Boulder road race back in 1979. He was elected to an at-large seat on the University of Colorado board of regents, narrowly defeating Democrat Jennifer Mello, which segues nicely to the next item . . .

Hickenlooper takes sides: Mayor John Hickenlooper has decided to intervene in the three-way Democratic primary in Senate District 32.

He and wife Helen Thorpe are hosting a fundraiser for Chris Romer, son of the former governor, at their LoDo digs Friday evening. "Contributions limited to $400 per person," cautions the invitation.

Romer is petitioning onto the primary ballot. His rivals, Mello and Rep. Fran Coleman, were put on the ballot during the Denver Democratic Assembly in April.

How often does a Denver mayor take sides in a legislative primary?

Former Mayor Wellington Webb said Tuesday he couldn't remember doing that. "But after you're out of it for a while, it all kind of fades away," he admitted.

According to Hickenlooper aide Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, young Romer was one of those who early on approached "Citizen Hickenloooper" and urged him to run.

"He was by far the most persistent in getting him to run," she said. "They have a personal history." Her boss has nothing personal against the other Democrats, she noted.

Andrew Hudson, who served as Webb's spokesman, confirmed Lent's story - and noted he was right there with Romer.

"Chris and myself were the ones who talked him into running for mayor," Hudson said, even though "everyone was calling Chris and me silly."

Maybe the mayor will also endorse Hudson should he choose to run for the legislature some day . . .

"No, I'm running from the legislature," said Hudson, the spokesman for Frontier Airlines.

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