Letter: Initiatives and information

I went online to do some research on the candidates for the Pitkin County District 3 commissioner’s race. Early in the process, it began to seem really strange that there was no mention in either local newspaper of any other county political contests.

It might be an ancient or erroneous memory, but I’m pretty sure it used to be a biennial tradition for the papers to run an article explaining which offices would be decided in the upcoming election as well as how and when any interested candidates would need to qualify to be on the ballot. I searched back to February and could not find any such article.

The Pitkin County website wasn’t any help, even after going through several months of legal notices.

As nearly as I can tell, every incumbent elected official in Pitkin County has won re-election by virtue of having no opposition. Though I am quite happy to be wrong, the fact that I spent about an hour reaching this conclusion suggests there is a public-information problem.

Getting back to the original quest, I couldn’t tell the candidates apart. Perhaps I can help to create a distinction.

The Pitkin County charter prohibits the circulation of citizen initiatives on matters of taxation. This provision is in direct violation of the state constitution, as determined by our own District Court. Which, if any, of the commissioner candidates favor placing a constitutionally valid charter amendment on the next available ballot so that voters can reclaim the full initiative power reserved to them in the state constitution?

And while we’re at it, which, if any, would favor adding an election notice — timely and informative, for the purpose of aiding candidate participation — to the list of official business that must be run as a legal notice in area newspapers?

Sorry I can’t make it to Squirm Night, but perhaps someone can pose these questions on my behalf.

Jeffrey Evans

Basalt