When City Councilman Bernie Herpin joked Wednesday that Richard Skorman’s ashes could be spread at the coal-fired power plant downtown when he died, some people laughed.

Others thought it was in poor taste.

So, what did Skorman think?

Skorman said Friday that he thought Herpin’s remark was funny.

“I didn’t take it seriously. I knew he was doing it in jest,” Skorman said.

“I didn’t laugh because I was too involved in what I was talking about, but I thought it was a pretty good joke,” he added.

Former Vice Mayor Richard Skorman attended Wednesday’s Utilities Board meeting.

He told the board that he appreciated that it was moving ahead with a study of decommissioning the Martin Drake Power Plant downtown but that it was “closing the door” on retiring Drake in the near future because the board had already decided to invest millions of dollars in an emissions control technology.

He said the community would probably have to live with Drake in downtown for the next 30, 40 or 50 years and that he wouldn’t live long enough to see it decommissioned.

“We’ll spread your ashes at Drake,” City Councilman Bernie Herpin told Skorman, generating both laughs and gasps.

Here’s video of the meeting:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The city of Colorado Springs was featured on the CBS Evening News on Monday.

The  segment included Mayor Steve Bach and businessman Richard Skorman, a former city councilman who ran against Bach for mayor.

The central issue was taxes.

“I don’t think we’re in a crisis,” Bach said. “But we’re headed toward a crisis.”

Skorman said he thinks the city will have to raise taxes.

“I know it’s a sin to use those words in Colorado Springs,” Skorman said.

CBS said Bach, who signed a no-tax pledge when he ran for mayor, is having second thoughts.

“I hope the citizens, somewhere in the future, will decide that we should have more stable revenue, which does mean property tax revenue,” Bach said.

Here is video of the segment:

Click here to view the embedded video.

NY congressman allegedly bared naked torso

“You could also say that it would take an Anthony Weiner-like lapse in judgment for a perceived liberal candidate to beat a conservative one in a Colorado Springs’ mayoral race.”

– Josh Dunn, a political science professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Dunn said “it would have taken something close to a miracle” for Richard Skorman, who is registered as unaffiliated and was portrayed as a tax-and-spend liberal leading up to the May 17 mayoral runoff election, to have beat Republican Steve Bach.

Robin Rogers

“We all want the same thing, which is a great community, so we’re going to be working with him as best we can, and I’m sure he feels the same way. You play the politics and you move on.”

– Robin Rogers, executive director of the Colorado Springs Police Protective Association, which campaigned against Mayor-elect Steve Bach in the hard-fought mayoral runoff between Bach and Richard Skorman.

Rogers said the PPA is putting the campaign behind.

“We campaign for the candidate we feel is best. But in the end you have to work with what you’re given. It is what it is, and we are going to work with him for the best of the community. Like I said, we all have families here. We all live here. It’s important for all of us.”

“Well, like my Grandma used to say, ‘It takes two to tango.’ From what I have read, both men need to grow up.”

– Mark Shellhammer wrote today in the City Desk blog about the ongoing dispute between Jeff Crank and John Weiss.

Crank is a radio personality on KVOR and the state director of Americans for Prosperity, which clogged the airwaves with television and radio ads that portrayed losing mayoral candidate Richard Skorman as a tax-and-spend liberal.

Weiss is the publisher of the Indy. Weiss took a leave of absence to work on Skorman’s campaign. After election results were announced Tuesday night, Weiss called KVOR and asked Crank to reveal his donors.

“He has not said where this money came from,” Weiss said on the radio. “Now that the election (is) over, as part of the healing process, would he say, ‘Hey, I got this money from local people. I got it from national groups. I got it from the Ku Klux Klan.’ We don’t know where he got this money, where he spent it.”

Crank demanded an apology from Weiss over the KKK comment. Weiss said his comments were heated and a tad over the top, but he didn’t apologize.

Jeff Crank

The beginning of the end of the world is supposed to be tomorrow.

But conservative radio host Jeff Crank and Indy Publisher John Weiss are still going at it over “heated” comments that Weiss made on the radio Tuesday night.

Weiss, who worked on mayoral candidate Richard Skorman’s campaign, questioned whether a barrage of television and radio ads funded by Americans for Prosperity were funded by the Ku Klux Klan since Crank, who is the group’s state director, hasn’t revealed exactly where the money came from.

Crank demanded an apology from Weiss, who basically told Crank to go pound sand.

Just before 10 a.m., Crank sent an email to Weiss — and the City Desk blog — stating that Weiss “doesn’t have the decency to understand that this comments” were offensive to the members of AFP.

“John Weiss should have the decency to apologize to the members of Americans for Prosperity for his implication that they might be connected to the Ku Klux Klan,” Crank wrote in the email.

“If he can’t apologize to them, it shows a lack of character on his part and demonstrates the intolerance that he so often claims belongs to those with whom he disagrees,” he wrote.

Here’s the full text of Crank’s email to Weiss:

Unfortunately, John Weiss doesn’t have the decency to understand that his comments about Americans for Prosperity and the KKK were offensive to the 48,000 people who are Colorado members of Americans for Prosperity.  He should apologize to them for the implication.  John continues to repeat lies and untruths about the AFP ads.  Throughout the last month I have repeatedly asked John Weiss and Richard Skorman to provide specific examples of how these ads were untrue.  The silence has been deafening, and again, John makes no reference to how the ads which targeted Mr. Skorman’s record – not him personally -were untrue.  He can’t because they were true.

John’s comparison between the Christian Coalition mail that was run against me and the AFP issue ads doesn’t hold water.  One big difference between them: the truth.  The Christian Coalition ads run against me were untrue – by saying that I had personally endorsed Richard Skorman – something I had not, and would not, do.  The AFP ads are well sourced and accurate.

Finally, I have explained that these ads are legally defined as issue advocacy.  I have repeatedly made the point that the ads were funded with general support to Americans from Prosperity by freedom loving members throughout Colorado.  None of the funds used were from outside the state, yet John continues to make unfounded accusations.  The city clerk, the city attorney and AFP legal counsel have all indicated that there is no need to file any reports with the city of Colorado Springs.  In addition, the city has no form on which AFP could file for issue advocacy ads.  Conversely, the Colorado Springs Police Protective Association, which ran direct advocacy radio ads asking citizens to vote for Richard Skorman has filed no reports with the city of Colorado Springs despite the requirement to do so.  Any fair reporter – not interested in just smearing someone they disagree with – would report on the fact that the PPA has not filed the necessary reports.  But then, John Weiss, publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent, doesn’t appear to be a fair, impartial reporter.

John Weiss should have the decency to apologize to the members of Americans for Prosperity for his implication that they might be connected to the Ku Klux Klan.  If he can’t apologize to them, it shows a lack of character on his part and demonstrates the intolerance that he so often claims belongs to those with whom he disagrees.

Jeff

John Weiss/Photo by Cayton Photography

John Weiss, publisher of the Colorado Springs Independent, issued the following statement in response to Jeff Crank’s demands for an apology over Weiss’ comments on the radio Tuesday night.

Here is the full text of Weiss’ statement:

For a man who throws around lots of mud, Jeff Crank certainly has very thin skin.

Yes, my analogy was a tad over the top. While driving home last Tuesday night I heard Crank gloating on the radio about the election results. I called KVOR-AM to point out that Crank’s shadowy front group, Americans for Prosperity (for millionaires and billionaires), had just used Joe McCarthy-like tactics to flood the local airways with a $100,000 ad buy that unfairly smeared and distorted the record of a great man, Richard Skorman.

My comments, while heated, were 100% factually accurate. Why do I call Jeff Crank’s group shadowy? Because Jeff Crank’s refuses to inform the public where he gets his money.  Obviously, the people funding Jeff Crank do not want it known that they are spending big bucks to influence Colorado Springs elections. Thus, he runs a shadowy front group.

For all we know, Crank could have gotten money from a group who did not want a human rights do-gooder elected in Colorado Springs?  Or perhaps the billionaire Koch brothers?  Was he funded by Doug Bruce? Or some corporation seeking a mayor who might want to privatize Memorial Hospital?

As the great economist Milton Friedman stated: “He who pays the piper, call the tune.”

Who paid Crank to do their dirty work – and why is still wanting to hide who paid for his ads?

People of good will, of all political stripes, must challenge Crank to let the public know who paid for his attack ads. For if we remain silent, then this practice will expand in future local election cycles.  And that will be a sad state of affairs for the citizens of Colorado Springs.

This election is over. Like everyone from the Skorman campaign, I wish Mayor-elect Bach the very best. And I pledge to do my very best to help him move our city forward.

One last comment about Jeff Crank. When he ran for Congress, he vehemently denounced the very same independent expenditure committee ads paid for by secret out-of-state money. These TV, radio and print ads, paid for by now Congressman Doug Lamborn supporters, actually accused Crank of being a homo-loving, big taxer. No lie.  Now Crank turns around and uses the same tactics he once publicly deplored.

Jeff Crank is a hypocrite.

John Weiss
Publisher
Colorado Springs Independent

Conservative radio host Jeff Crank is demanding an apology from Indy publisher John Weiss, who questioned Tuesday whether Crank’s television and radio ads against mayoral candidate Richard Skorman were funded by the Ku Klux Klan.

Weiss was making a rhetorical point rather than accusing Crank of being backed by the KKK.

Still, Crank said Weiss’ comments were out of line.

“His rhetoric was uncalled for and beyond the bounds of civil discourse,” Crank said.

Crank is calling on Weiss to apologize to the members of Americans for Prosperity, a Republican advocacy organization that spent about $100,000 in TV and radio ads that portrayed Skorman as a tax-and-spend liberal. Crank is the group’s Colorado director.

After election results were revealed Tuesday, Weiss, who took a leave of absence from the Indy to work on Skorman’s campaign, called KVOR while Crank was on the air.

“I have a question for Jeff Crank,” Weiss said on KVOR.

“He has not said where this money came from. Now that the election (is) over, as part of the healing process, would he say, ‘Hey, I got this money from local people. I got it from national groups. I got it from the Ku Klux Klan.’ We don’t know where he got this money, where he spent it. Everyone else reported it.”

Crank said he’s already disclosed where he got the money.

“I have explained to (Weiss) and to others that AFP’s issue ads were funded by general revenue from AFP Colorado,” he said.

“Not only are we not supposed to file paperwork with the city clerk because it is an issue ad there is no form that the city has for AFP to file on,” Crank added. “The City Clerk’s Office has confirmed three months ago and again last week that there is no paperwork that AFP needs to file. The City Attorney’s Office confirmed as well. I have been very up front that we spent $100,000 on radio and television for the ad.”

Weiss is in a meeting but said he would call back to comment.

Crank called Weiss’ comment about the Ku Klux Klan “despicable.”

“Now, if a conservative had said such a thing, there would be mounting pressure for an apology and for John Weiss to step down or be reprimanded in some way,” Crank said.  “His behavior was not just out of line but pathetic.”

To listen to the comments on KVOR on Tuesday night, click here.

The mayor’s race smashed previous fundraising records for a city race, with Steve Bach and Richard Skorman collecting more than $866,000 in campaign contributions between them through May 12.

Expect that number to increase, possibly reaching the $1 million mark, after the two candidates file their final campaign reports with the City Clerk’s Office June 16.

So, where did Bach and Skorman spend their money?

Voters who watch TV and listen to the radio know the answer. The two candidates clogged the airwaves with campaign commercials that started as early as March, but they also spent big bucks on consultants and other staffing costs.

Bach raised nearly $382,000 through May 12, according to his latest statement of contributions and expenditures.

Highlights from Bach’s campaign filings.

Most of Bach’s campaign war chest went toward TV and radio spots, though his campaign statements don’t specify how much he spent at individual TV or radio stations. Bach paid Rock Chalk Media, based in Grand Junction, $228,480 for multiple media buys.

Bach employed eight consultants at a total cost of $67,020.

The top earner was Littleton-based Starboard Group, a strategic management and development consulting firm that was paid more than $18,000. Bach’s chief of staff, Laura Carno, earned nearly $17,000, and Springs-based Chuck Broerman Consulting pocketed $14,250.

Bach, who blanketed the city with campaign signs, invested more than $20,000 in signs and materials to post them up. Bach placed five separate orders for signs from the Victory Store in Iowa at a cost of nearly $14,000.

Skorman reported nearly $485,000 in contributions in his most recent campaign filing, but expect Skorman to break the $500,000 mark when all is said and done.

Highlights from Skorman’s campaign filings:

The local television market cashed in on the mayoral race.

Skorman aired his TV ads on several stations, spending nearly $43,000 with Comcast; $38,000 with KOAA; $32,000 with KKTV; $21,300 with KRDO; and $19,500 with Citadel Broadcasting. Skorman spent the least amount of money – $8,300 – with KXRM, which is the local Fox affiliate.

Skorman spent at least $10,300 on newspaper advertising, including $8,921 with the Independent newspaper. Indy Publisher John Weiss took a leave of absence from the weekly’s news and editorial departments to work on Skorman’s campaign.

Skorman forked over about $33,500 on wages for campaign workers, with Alex Cobell leading the pack with nearly $16,000 in earnings since January.

Consultants played a big role in Skorman’s campaign.

Blakely + Co., a Springs-based marketing and public relations firm, received about $43,852 through May 6. Bob Schaeffer pocketed $25,498, and Denver-based 3PG Consulting LLC, which helps candidates fundraise, earned about $15,500 for its work.

Skorman also spent a big chunk of money to gauge voter opinions. Springs-based Luce Research received more than $35,000 for polling and other research.