Backbone America distributed the following news release Thursday afternoon under the headline, "Republican county chairs shun Ref C; party leaders negative or neutral in 60 of 64 counties." Referendum C & D, the tax and borrowing proposal on Colorado’s November ballot, is getting a frigid reception from Republican county chairmen across the state, according to a survey taken last month.
When GOP chairmen in all 64 counties were invited to endorse passage of C & D, only four of them did so. The other 60 came in negative or neutral. Backbone America Citizens Alliance, a conservative group headed by former Senate President John Andrews, conducted the survey August 8-31.
The key question, among the seven that were asked, was whether a given Republican leader would agree that voters should approve Referendum C, a $3.6 billion increase in taxes and spending for the state budget. Results were as follows:
1. Agree with passing Ref C…………… 4
2. Disagree with passing Ref C………… 16
3. Formal position of neutrality………… 1
4. Did not answer survey…………… 43
“Other than the first group that agreed, grassroots Republican leaders everywhere are indicating they want no part of this tax hike, either by their answer or by their silence,” John Andrews said.
“It’s just what you’d expect from the more conservative of our two political parties, the party that generally wants to keep taxes down and TABOR strong,” Andrews added. “In contrast to the state Democratic Party endorsing C & D, the state Republican Chairman has stayed neutral on it – and now we see that most of his county chairs are also neutral or opposed.”
Comments by some of the chairmen accompanying their survey replies illustrated the wide range of opinions about the ballot issue. Typical were a statement in opposition by Routt County Chairman Jennifer Schubert-Akin, and one in favor by Gunnison County Chairman Rocco Santarelli.
If scheduled TABOR refunds are cancelled, Shubert-Akin wrote, “that is a new tax.” She added that many of the organizations supporting C & D have their “hand in the public till (so that) taxpayer money (is being) used to convince us to pay more taxes.” The referendum will lose, Schubert-Akin predicted, because “proponents have underestimated the intelligence of the voters, (who will) refuse to sign a blank check.”
Santarelli, in contrast, wrote: “I don’t like much of what is in C & D, but the reality is that we have to accept a compromise or do nothing.” The latter, he said, is not an option, since “our state government is about as lean as it can get.”
A full tally of survey results is below. Counties included as yes or no in the tally are Alamosa, Arapahoe, Chaffee, El Paso, Elbert, Garfield, Gilpin, Gunnison, Jefferson, Kiowa, Las Animas, Lincoln, Logan, Mineral, Montezuma, Ouray, Routt, Sedgwick, Summit, and Teller.
Backbone America Citizens Alliance, a project of the Claremont Institute, supports constitutional government, personal responsibility, and civic virtue through its activities in Colorado and across the country.
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FINAL RESULTS * TAX & BUDGET SURVEY FOR REPUBLICAN COUNTY CHAIRS
Please indicate your agreement or disagreement with the following positions, which have been advocated by some leading Republicans in the legislative
and executive branches of state government.
1. Referendum C, canceling all scheduled TABOR refunds for five years and authorizing $3.6 billion or more in higher spending, should be approved by voters.
Agree…………. 4 Disagree……… 16 Neither………. 44
2. Referendum D, authorizing some $2 billion in state debt in contrast with Colorado’s historic pay-as-you-go approach to roads and buildings, should be approved by voters. Agree…………. 2 Disagree……… 17 Neither………. 45
3. The transfer of billions of dollars from the private sector to government, if Referendum C passes, would not constitute a tax increase because tax rates wouldn’t change. Agree…………. 2 Disagree……… 15 Neither………. 47
4. State government faces a budget crisis, even though overall spending has continued to grow every year, even during the recession, and this year hit an all-time high. Agree…………. 6 Disagree……… 11 Neither………. 47
5. State government must get additional revenue from taxpayers, since it is out of options for balancing the budget on the spending side – even though Democrats increased general fund spending this year by 6.8%. Agree…………. 3 Disagree……… 13 Neither………. 48
6. Tax and spending restraints under the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, not mandated spending increases under Amendment 23, are the most urgent problem with our state budget. Agree…………. 4 Disagree……… 12 Neither………. 48
7. The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights in our state constitution is harmful to good government in requiring last year’s actual spending as a base for this year’s spending increases – so this constitutional provision should be changed by the statute known as Referendum C. Agree…………. 1 Disagree……… 14 Neither………. 49
(end of survey tally)