The self-proclaimed Reform Team
The Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs and the political arm of the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce were the major donors of a 527 political organization that worked to prevent Douglas Bruce and two allies from ending up on the City Council.
The political organization, which calls itself Save Colorado Springs Now, received $35,000 from the HBA and $20,000 from the chamber’s political action committee, according to a campaign finance report filed with the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office.
The group campaigned against Bruce, Ed Bircham and Richard Bruce, who ran as a slate of at-large council candidates along with Helen Collins and Gretchen Kasameyer.
The self-proclaimed Reform Team promised to, among other things, derail the Southern Delivery System, a 62-mile pipeline that Colorado Springs Utilities is building to pump water from Pueblo Reservoir to Colorado Springs.
“With Bruce, Bircham & Bruce, we’re pretty much sunk,” the group said in one of its campaign flyers.
While campaigning against Bruce and Co., the group threw its support behind incumbent Jan Martin, Merv Bennett and Tim Leigh. All three won election.
The group, whose registered agent used to be the chief of staff at the union-friendly Colorado AFL-CIO, raised nearly $94,000 total.
Other big contributors included:
Core Services, Inc., $10,000
Hill Development Corp., $7,500
GE Johnson Construction Co., $5,000
Chuck Murphy of Murphy Construction, $2,500
Phillip Lane, $2,500
M.L. Lane, $2,500
Katherine Loo, $2,500
Colorado Springs Police Protective Association, $1,000
The group spent nearly $77,000.
Expenses included:
Denver-based Rocky Mountain Voter Outreach received more than $48,000 for canvassing
Ikon Public Affairs, also based in Denver, received $28,000 for mailing, phone calls and printing.
Doug Bruce is a loser who has been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. All he does is push the blame on someone or something else. Someone who thinks so much of himself should take the resposibility to accept that he has done wrong and admit it. What’s the old saying. “If you point the finger at someone else you have three pointing back at you”
Now we know who to hate even more.
I trust the developers alot less than I do Mr. Bruce.
This city is bought and paid for by developers.
They do not want to cut off money to their cause of making millions,
that is why they put in so much into strong mayor at the tune of
$677,000. they will get their money back easily by putting in a bought
and paid for mayor. Also the taxpayers and ratepayers of Colorado Springs are getting ready to foot the bill on the southern delivery system at the tune of 2.3 billion dollars.
No longer can city government be trusted.
Doug Bruce is the most destructive man in COLO and we should always find a way to prevent his disastrous schemes from becoming reality.
The developers are a convenient boogeyman for a lot of people, but the truth is our own City Council can control sprawl with proper zoning and other steps, and do so without destroying our state via TABORs.
The City Council “can” control sprawl, but so far have not done it. Keep in mind that the developers were behind the “strong mayor” campaign. I wonder who they are supporting for Mayor?
Funny thing…..no money from the “springsaction” crowd, even though they profess to oppose Doug Bruce so much.
Guess they only want to put OTHER PEOPLE’S money where their mouths are………
How much did you contribute, “oldcrank?”
Colorado Springs Police Protective Association, $1,000
Setting aside the usual fighting about which candidate(s) are more EEEvil, etc…WHAT is with a fund-raising group like the Police Protective Association doing donating to political causes like this? Are there ANY groups left that don’t have their hands or dollars stuffed in the political cookie jar!?! People donate to groups like this thinking their money is going to help what that cause is – not to have their money end up in yet MORE political pockets…sheesh!!! ()
Another great reason to vote for Richard Skorman for Mayor!
Unless you want the same old same old, Skorman is the obvious choice. He is for the people of Colorado Springs.
Donations made to the CSPPA do not go out the door for political contributions. There is a seperate PAC that members contribute to. I would recommend that anyone who donates money to any organization do a little research first. Of course we all know that people give for the window sticker, AKA “See, I love cops. Don’t write me a ticket”.
pokerstars…
[...]Anti-Bruce political organization funded primarily by HBA, chamber – City Desk : Colorado Springs Gazette, CO[...]…