CONTENTS
Your County Commissioners are elected to four-year terms. Your Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) is an administrative and policy-making body established and empowered by the State of Colorado. As such your Board of County Commissioners has only such powers and authority granted it by the General Assembly of the Colorado State Legislature.
El Paso county government is a political subdivision of state government and exists to carry out the will of the state. Counties and municipalities in Colorado are not independent governmental entities that exist by reason of sovereign authority (Colorado Constitution, Article XIV and CRS 30-10-306).
Colorado counties having a population of 70,000 or more may have a three or five-member board of commissioners. In 1976 the voters of El Paso County chose to have a board of five commissioners, with each Commissioner elected to represent a district. A board of county commissioners may change the boundaries of commissioner districts, or create new ones, in odd-numbered years. In addition, this shall be done after each federal census of the United States to assure that such districts shall be as nearly equal in population as possible (CRS 30-10-306).
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THE CLAIM: "Michael will work for new incentives to help our small businesses grow and succeed." ... "As a state legislator, he pushed for more cost effective government, helping to trim the state budget by $3.5 billion - without sacrificing the things we care about and without raising taxes."
THE FACTS: These facts will help you understand why the Gazette has endorsed Peggy Littleton, someone who stands for less government, less taxes, less spending, ... a more realistic approach as taxpayers continue trying to survive ..." About Merrifield, The Gazette said, "Merrifield advocates a stronger, more active board of county commissioners (as in more county government) ..." More government means more taxes!
If you like big stimulus programs, anti-business policies, an avalanche of fees, and rampant government growth, then Mike Merrifield is your choice. That is what he did in the State Legislature. That's what he'll do as an El Paso County Commissioner, if you let him!
Fact is, Mike Merrifield voted for Gov. Ritter's "Dirty Dozen" tax bills in the 2010 legislative session. Those bills are hurting seniors, small businesses, consumers, farmers and ranchers, and employment. As the Pueblo Chieftan reported, " . . . Democrats have passed a state budget that's $399 million larger than last year's."
Mike Merrifield has voted to increase your taxes and fees. His oppressive tax burden hurts small businesses, seniors, jobs, farmers, ranchers, consumers. Below is a short list, a dirty dozen list, of some of those oppressive tax bills Merrifield helped pass in the 2010 legislative year alone.
See if you don't agree that these "dirty dozen" bills, all of which Mike Merrifield voted for in this 2010 legislative session, some of which Mike Merrifield shepherded to passage, all of which are now law, see if you think these support Mike Merrifield's claim to be small businesses friendly and to not raising taxes?
- December 14, 2009 article "End of Exemption Irks Some" explained that 19,119 El Paso County seniors will have paid nearly $10,000,000 in additional property taxes in 2010 as a result of legislation Mike Merrifield voted for. The Gazette quoted Mike Merrifield supporting the legislation that took a tax break away from qualifying seniors. On the other hand, an El Paso deputy county assessor said he would like to see the exemption put back in place, saying, "Seniors often live from payday to payday. And we feel this really hurts them.' Schleiker said.
- May 3, 2010 Gazette opinion piece "Revenue Killing Bill Needs to Die" discussing House Bill 1200 that Mike Merrifield voted in favor of and which is now law. The Gazette noted the loss of jobs from this legislation: "The anti-business bias among Democrats at the Colorado Statehouse has been made evident once more with House passage of a bill to limit enterprise zone tax credits." ... "While Democrats have scrambled to find new sources of income, ... they nevertheless have passed a state budget that is $399 million larger than last year's. When will enough be enough?"
- SB-190 Hurts seniors by suspending their property tax exemption.
- HB-1200 Hurts businesses by lowering the credit they may claim for enterprise zone investments. Jobs lost!
- HB-1199 Hurts Businesses by lowering the amount of net operating losses they can carry forward on tax returns. More jobs lost!
- HB-1197 Hurts everyone by lowering the amount taxpayers can deduct for conservation easement donations. Donors suffer increased taxes. Conservation suffers, because donors have less incentive to be generous. You have less open space.
- HB-1196 Hurts families and businesses by repealing the tax credit for certain qualifying high mileage vehicles. Businesses and lifestyles that don't comply with the "Green" police are thrown under the bus!
- HB-1195 Hurts farmers and ranchers by removing long-established sales tax exemptions on various agricultural items vital to their operations. Puts those family operations in jeopardy!
- HB-1194 Hurts us all by imposing sales taxes on takeout containers and other restaurant supplies. Prices go up. Jobs are lost as fewer families can afford to eat out.
- HB-1193 Hurts us all by imposing sales taxes on purchases from out of state internet retailers. Higher purchase costs for us all. Jobs lost as we can afford fewer purchases.
- HB-1192 Hurts small businesses hardest by classifying software, downloaded from the internet or manually installed on a computer, as tangible personal property making it subject to sales tax. Ever more jobs lost as operating costs climb ever higher!
- HB-1191 Hurts us all by extending sales tax to candy and soda. Nanny state intrusion into personal choice. More jobs lost!
- HB-1190 Hurts us all by increasing operating costs to the businesses that supply us with light, heat, the energy we use to live our lives. Places sales taxes on critical items used in energy industry operations. Lots of jobs lost! Higher costs to you!
- HB-1189 Hurts direct mail sellers by imposing sales taxes on direct mail advertising. Small businesses face higher advertising costs in local markets.
In a stunning development, The Gazette's endorsement of Hickenlooper for governor noted, "He pledged to get rid of the "dirty dozen" tax increases approved by the Legislature last spring with blatant disregard for TABOR." Mike Merrifield was one of the Democrat legislators who showed blatant disregard for TABOR. Now, here comes Mr. Merrifield wanting you to believe that he didn't raise taxes? Balderdash!
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Mike Merrifield dramatically raised his Legislature per diem and allowances in 2007 and 2008 - see his YES votes on SB07-139 and HB08-1037. His walking piece says he'll cut his pay by 10%. Actions speak louder than words!
He knows, or should know, that county commissioners do not have statutory authority to do that! Now, if he wants to donate 10% of his income to charities, causes in which he believes, he's just joining the rest of us who already do that. Let him donate his money, not yours, to his causes. With Peggy Littleton, you retain the right to choose where your money is spent.
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THE CLAIM: "Michael Merrifield will bring new energy to turn our economy around."
THE FACTS: This is another set of reasons why The Gazette endorsed Peggy Littleton over Mike Merrifield. His vision is tax you and spend your money on his pet projects.
Additionally, Merrifield's walking piece claims that he will protect essentials like schools. Here, again, Mr. Merrifield does not know the law. The Board of County Commissioners does not have authority over schools. That mandate is shared by local school boards, the State Board of Education, and the State legislature. But, it is NOT a function of the Board of County Commissioners.
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THE CLAIM: "... the people's choice."
THE FACTS: "Mike Merrifield is the union's choice. He is relying on the union's money to get elected.
As reported by the online Gazette "Local campaigns top $1 million", October 13, 2010, "To win the hotly contested District 5 ... (Commissioner's) ... seat, Democratic State Rep. Michael Merrifield has raised about $47,800. . . . Merrifield's backers range from electric and pipe fitter unions to teachers' groups."
At this writing, here is the complete list of 18 endorsements shown on Michael Merrifield's website, of which only two are from private individuals, the rest from unions and PACs, indicating to whom it is he'll listen. In other words, not quite "the people":
- American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME Council 76)
- American Federation of Teachers (AFT Colorado)
- American Postal Workers Union
- Colorado Conservation Voters
- Colorado Dental Political Action Committee (CODPAC)
- Colorado Education Association
- Colorado Medical Political Action Committee (COMPAC)
- Colorado Professional Fire Fighters
- Colorado Springs Area Labor Council AFL-CIO
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) - Colorado State Conference
- Jan Martin, Colorado Springs City Council At-Large
- National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
- Richard Skorman, former Colorado Springs City Councilman and Small Business Owner
- Service Employees International (SEIU)
- Sierra Club-Rocky Mountain Chapter
- United Association of Plumbers Local #3
- United Food & Commercial Workers #8
- United Transportation Union
Note that Jan Martin endorses Mr. Merrifield. Ms. Martin, you recall, tried to raise our property taxes last year. You voted that very bad idea down last year, and now is your chance to vote no on more of the same ideology.
By comparison, view Peggy Littleton's endorsements here, Real People Endorsing Peggy Littleton. The list is so long you'll have to scroll down the page. Notice that Peggy's list of endorsments INCLUDES Mike Miles, former Democrat candidate from Colorado for the United States Senate. Mr. Miles won the Democrat Colorado state convention in 2004. So, it is clear who is really the "people's choice".
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You may have caught KKTV 11 News' item about vandalized candidate signs Political Signs Vandalized. You should notice that Democrat's signs are NOT being vandalized, in that all or nearly all of the signs shown in that piece were for Republican candidates.
You might not know that those signs were placed with the consent of the land owners. People put those signs in their front lawns, or otherwise on their property, to make a statement. Vandalizing or removing those signs is denying those folks their free speech rights, it's not just electioneering destructive one-upmanship. It's another way of shutting you up and shutting you out of the process.
Mike Merrifield should publicly apologize and condemn this activity. If Democrats won't respect the election process, what confidence can you have in their assurances that they'll respect you? Actions speak louder than words, don't they!
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