Improving Colorado

John Rebchook, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 19, 2006 at midnight

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Democrat Bill Ritter and Republican Congressman Bob Beauprez, the state's leading candidates for governor, faced off this week for their first public forum on economic development issues.

The forum was at a breakfast meeting sponsored by the Jefferson and Aurora Economic Development Councils, the Denver Regional Council of Governments and the West Chamber and attended by some 375 business and civic leaders.

Among the topics covered were how the candidates would make Colorado more competitive, toll roads, traffic solutions along west Interstate 70, education and infrastructure funding, health care, and water.

Ritter emphasized his support for Referendum C, which voters approved last year. Referendum C allows the state to keep about $4 billion in state tax dollars that otherwise would have been refunded, which Beauprez said was a short-term fix, not a solution.

Here are some of the questions posed at the forum and a summary of the candidates' responses.

Meet the candidates

Bob Beauprez

• Age: 57

• Family: Wife Claudia, four children

• Bio: Two-term congressman, 7th District

• Key strengths: Business success, experience inCongress and tenure as former state GOP chairman

Bill Ritter

• Age: 49

• Family: Wife Jeannie, four children

• Bio: Former Denver district attorney

• Key strengths: Served as a missionary in Africa,law-enforcement background

What would you do to make Colorado more competitive with otherstates?

Ritter: The money freed up as a result of Referendum C is fundamental for the state's ability to fund education and transportation needs. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson vowed to spend 20 percent of his time on economic development issues, which has had great results.

Beauprez: The state "has not been very aggressive," and it is not enough to say Colorado has a wonderful climate. "The game has changed. If you cannot make all the rules, you have to at least play by them." He would be "Colorado's salesman in chief" and get the word out about why companies should move and expand here.

Since three-quarters of all the new jobs in the U.S. over the next decade will be in the service sector, what will you do to bring more of those jobs to Colorado?

Ritter: The state needs to focus on the kinds of jobs it wants to lure to Colorado. High-tech industry executives say education is key. People at Fitzsimons in Aurora say Colorado is 50th in the nation as far as funding health science centers. He wouldcommit to expanding the bioscience industry and let everyone know that "Colorado is open for business."

Beauprez: The state needs to create the right infrastructure that will allow companies to thrive. The government doesn't create new jobs but can help private industry do so. He said the illegal immigration issue needs to be addressed but did not go into detail.

What would you do about the bottleneck on I-70 going west,especially since there does not appear to be money available for a full widening or adding a third bore to the Eisenhower tunnel?

Ritter: The state needs a "21st century," answer, and any solution should involve some sort of rail. There's a need to "unlock all funding options," since revenues from the taxes on gas are declining.

Beauprez: Long-term, Colorado needs to look at rail, not only to move people but "to move commerce." Regional airports also will become more critical. Declining gas tax revenues are good in some respects because it means people are driving less andtheir vehicles are getting better mileage. But it also means that the state needs a "new mechanism to fund our needs." The state should reform the entire process of how it allocates tax dollars.

Do you think toll roads are an answer to relieve congestion?

Ritter: Toll roads are one option. But he wants more local participation. Some cities and counties feel left out of the process. A toll road, for example, might cause more people to get off the highway and drive on local arterial streets, causing traffic toincrease in residential neighborhoods.

Beauprez: It's one tool, and he is reluctant to "take limited tools out of the tool box." Toll roads can work, "but maybe it is the last resort." He wants to see more community involvement before a toll road is built.

Water is the lifeblood of Colorado. What would you do to ensure we have enough water for our needs?

Ritter: There needs to be more reuse of water, more conservation, and water can't be taken from one community at the expense of another. In wet years, aquifers should be recharged with water. There probably also is a need for a limited number of small water-storage facilities.

Beauprez: Colorado's water strategy has been, "we hope it doesn't get dry again. . . . That is not a very good bet to take." Conservation is important, but not enough. The state is letting a million-acre feet of water-the equivalent of four Dillon reservoirs-leave the state when it could legally stay in Colorado. Keeping it here is "not stealing it from anyone."

What would you do to improve the educational system?

Ritter: You have to "look at the world as it really is, and not how you would like it to be." Some parents are working two or three jobs to make ends meet and don't have the same opportunities as others. Such people deserve a "hand up" from the government. His mother was on food stamps for a year after his father left home, andhe couldn't have attended Colorado State University without financial aid. If Referendum C hadn't passed, the amount of money flowing into early childhood education would have been dramatically cut, and 11 of the 13 community colleges were in danger of being closed.

Beauprez: (Beauprez's wife) Claudia will launch an initiative that will target children from birth to about 20, with plans for improving literacy and other educational skills. She would tap faith-based organizations, YMCAs and businesses to get them involved with schoolchildren, especially those who are high-risk.

Comment on the state legislature in May taking $19 million in gaming revenues to fund Colorado tourism, as well as the statewidevote in 1992 to repeal the state tax on tourism.

Ritter: A year after the 1992 vote, out-of-state skiing visits in Colorado dropped dramatically. Every dollar spent on tourism generates another $10 to $15, so it is a smart investment. The state needs to target the "clusters" it wants to attract. Investing in tourism demonstrates what we need is "not bigger government, but smarter government."

Beauprez: He learned a long time ago as a businessman and entrepreneur that anytime you can invest $1 today and later receive $10, that is a great investment. The state needs to "reinvigorate marketing the Colorado tourism industry."

Boeing chose Chicago for its world headquarters over Denver a few years ago. What would you tell a CEO from a company like Boeing?

Ritter: There have been a lot of "missed opportunities" in the state during the past seven or eight years. People have stopped Ritter on the 16th Street Mall to tell him about Colorado losing a company to Texas, because people there pitched Austin asthe place to be. The state lost a chance to land a manufacturing facility for a wind energy operation. The governor should become involved in a "very deep way" marketing the entire state.

Beauprez: He quipped that his wife was born in Chicago and had the "good sense" to leave the Windy City for Colorado. The state needs to do a better of job of telling its story to attract headquarter companies. He remembers 40 years ago when IBM opened an office in Boulder County and how much that helped the local economy.Fitzsimons will be "enormously valuable" in growing the state's bioscience sectors.

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