My sincere thanks to those of you who were able to join us this morning for our All Member Meeting where we discussed what the 2012 elections mean to Colorado's business community and why it is important for our leaders to engage in state candidate elections.
As you know, Colorado Concern - as an exclusive alliance of top executives with a common interest in enhancing and protecting the Centennial State's business climate - has three areas of focus: legislative advocacy, which was at the forefront over the last five months while the General Assembly was in session; statewide ballot issues, both promoting measures we believe are of benefit to the state and fighting those we deem harmful; and raising and spending resources in state candidate elections.
It seems evident that candidate elections are the starting point of our work together and directly impact the tone and the tenor of how we engage in our other focus areas. When we work to elect state policy makers who understand and embrace the ideals of the business community - be they Republican or Democrat - other efforts we support to move our state forward come more easily. When candidates who do not align with a business friendly philosophy are in office, our stance is often more defensive, and our tasks more difficult.
Today, in Colorado, checks and balances exist in state government. The legislative branch is divided with one chamber in the hands of each political party. This divided control has been effective in limiting anti-business legislation. We support balance going forward, whether as it exists today or in another configuration. Will this be possible? We will work diligently to that end. Reapportionment of legislative districts has created highly competitive races, and efforts by groups such as ours will be critical.
Colorado Concern utilizes both a Political Action Committee (PAC) and a 527, The Business Opportunity Fund, in support of candidates who align with sound business principles. Our messaging is pro-business and pro-Colorado. We work with other like-minded organizations and individuals to ensure a strategic and wise use of resources.
We need your help to ensure our efforts are successful. Click here for a pledge sheet to contribute to The Business Opportunity Fund. Simply fill it out and return to us using the contact information on the sheet. No limits exist on the size of financial contributions our 527 can accept, and no legal restrictions are placed on who may contribute.
If you are interested in participating, but would like to learn more, please do not hesitate to contact me at (303) 860-1201 or [email protected]. Know that your support will make the difference.
Warm Regards,
Tamra J. Ward
President and CEO
Colorado Concern