COULD DEMOCRATIC LINES OPEN FLOODGATES IN 6TH CD?

Lots of chatter lately about the prospects of a wide-open primary on the Dem side for the chance to take on Republican Mike Coffman in next year’s redrawn 6th CD.

Seems Denver Democrat state Rep. Joe “No Boundaries” Miklosi will likely have a clear shot at the nod if the judge draws the 6th similar to the way it looks now — across the metro area’s southern suburbs — because there aren’t a lot of elected Democrats down that-a-ways. Plus, he’ll have a head-start on fundraising since declaring his intentions to run for the seat a couple months ago.

But if the judge goes with a map that looks more like the one the Democrats — that’s right, the Democrats — submitted in the redistricting lawsuit currently on deck, encompassing all of Aurora and stretching north a ways, then all bets are off. That’s because in their efforts to make Coffman’s home district a lot more competitive than it is now (Coffman is the fourth representative to hold the seat since its creation following the 1980 Census, all Republicans, and they’ve never had to break a sweat in the general elections), the Dems have suggested a district with, well, lots of Dems within its borders. In other words, if the Democrats get what they want, there will be no lack of bright prospects ready to take on Coffman, and that’s got tongues wagging.

The most prominent names mentioned as possible candidates belong to the last two Democrats to wield the speaker’s gavel, Andrew Romanoff and Terrance Carroll. Either of them would bring legions of fans, plenty of money and a note of serious intent to a Coffman challenge, but, though both have recently moved within Denver, word has it neither is paying much heed to the barrage of suggestions they pick up and move again to Aurora.

State Senate wunderkind Mike Johnston is also the recipient of some urging that he take a gander at the race if the district winds up favorable for Democrats, especially if its borders include the MESA campus where he made his reputation as an education reformer with results. He’s got his eye on the prize, but it’s a good question whether representing Aurora in Congress is a part of that vision.

The elephant in the room — that is, if Democrats could be elephants, and not donkeys — is Morgan Carroll, a ferocious campaigner and polarizing figure who sets Democratic hearts aflutter and drives Republicans frothing mad. A 6th CD centered on Aurora, and with enough Democrats and swing voters to make the race worthwhile, could be a powerful draw for the lawmaker, whose name gets mentioned for nearly every office above her current rank.

And then there’s Rhonda Fields, a freshman lawmaker whose name is being floated by king-maker Wellington Webb’s organization as the natural heir to the nomination, should the 6th CD include her address.

Miklosi has been campaigning hard and raising money — his initial totals will be released next week — so would be a formidable contender in any configuration. But early promises of truly heart-stopping fundraising, by all accounts, appear to have been premature, so the notion he will scare off all other Dems could be overblown. He faces a conundrum: If the 6th CD winds up looking like it always has, the place where Democratic dreams go to wither, he’ll be welcome to the nomination. But if Democrats have a good shot at it, Miklosi might have a real fight on his hands for the nod.

Of course, no one knows where the district might fall, and it might be a mystery for another couple months. A judge hears twin lawsuits from both state parties in Denver District Court starting on Oct. 17.

MAYBE THEY OUGHT TO START CALLING BALMER KING DAVID

What do term-limited state representatives do after finishing up their legislative stints in the House? They run for higher office, silly!

And that’s just what Rep. David Balmer plans to do as soon as he finishes up his eight years in the state house representing parts of Arapahoe County. He plans to run for the senate seat being vacated by term-limited Sen. Nancy Spence.

And to send the Republican on his merry way to the other chamber, Balmer held the guest of honor at a “little” fundraiser last week that was all but small. The honorary co-chairs included: Former U.S. Senator Bill Armstrong; State Treasurer Walker Stapleton; former First Lady Frances Owens; former Congressman Tom Tancredo; House Speaker Frank McNulty; former Senate President John Andrews; Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp; Sen. Ted Harvey; Rep. Spencer Swalm; and Speaker Pro Tem Kevin Priola.

And the co-hosts? This will take awhile, but at least the list is in alphabetical order. It includes lots of current and former elected officials, plus lobbyists galore, including a couple former Democratic lawmakers who have moved over to the lobbying corp: Ruth Aponte, Wil Armstrong, Guy Arnold, Lacee Artist, Arapahoe County Commissioner Rod Bockenfeld, former Treasurer Susan Bockenfeld, Clark Bolser, Irv Borenstein, Patrick Boyle, Jenifer Brandeberry, Debbie and Bret Brown, Dick Brown, Michelle and Hai Bui, Christine Burtt, Edie Busam, Buzz Calkins, Barb Card, District Attorney Carol Chambers, Nathan Chambers, Nolbert Chavez, Mike Ciletti, Terry Considine, Lynne and Bo Cottrell, Chris Davis, Stephanie Danaher, Sean Duffy, Steve Durham, John Franzman, Micki Hackenberger, General Jim Hall, Kathryn Hammerbeck, Don Hicks, Morgan Honea, Linda and Gary Hoover, Jason Hopfer, Chris Howes, Larry Hudson, Dave Hyatt, Betty Iverson, Jason Jordan, Mayor Pro Tem Dave Kerber, John Kliegel, Sally Kline, Sherri and Buz Koelbel, Melissa Kuipers, Dave Kulmann, John Kunkle, Corky Kyle, Jay Ledbetter, Shayne Madsen, Edie and Mort Marks, John McCormick, Julie McKenna, Richard Meehan, Jennifer Mello (D), Cindy Sovine-Miller, Noah Miller, Dianna Orf, Robert Orozco, Alan Peppers, Stephanie and Jim Piko, Terry and Bob Pomeroy, Greenwood Village Mayor Ron Rakowsky, Bennett Raley, Brooks and Karen Rarden, David Reitz, Jack and Suzanne Robinson, Gil Romero (former Dem legislator), Stu Sanderson, Jude Sandvall, Mark Schulz, Rob Schwartz, Arapahoe County Commissioner Nancy Sharpe, Joe Smith, Fire Board Member Rich Sokol, Kris Staaf, Gary Tobey, Chuck Ward, Councilman Ron Weidmann, Jeff Weist, Carl Williams, John Zakhem, Jake Zambrano and Lindsey Zimmerman.

Held at the private home of Mark and Natalie Johnson, the $200/person cocktail reception on Sept. 19 helped fill the campaign coffers of Balmer, a supreme fund raiser himself for fellow legislators.

HAPPY NEWS FOR HAYNES

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock endorsed Allegra “Happy” Haynes in her bid for Denver Public Schools’ Board of Education at-large seat this week. The seat is currently held by Theresa Peña, who is term-limited. The election will be held on November 1st, 2011.

“Happy will make every decision based on the answer to one overriding question: Is it best for kids?” Hancock said.

“Throughout my campaign for Mayor of this great city, I heard time and again that residents and businesses want our schools to improve. As the parents of two DPS students Mary Louise and I want that too. Electing Happy Haynes is a strong step in the right direction.” Hancock wrote in his email.

Highlighting the opportunities DPS gave him to triumph over adversity, Hancock emphasized Haynes’ experience on Denver’s City Council and her passion for kids.

“I am so gratified to Mayor Hancock for his friendship and support. I know how deeply committed he is to Denver's kids and to public education. His leadership and vision to engage the entire community in partnership with Denver Public Schools is incredibly important. I look forward to working with Mayor Hancock to make DPS a model of excellence,” said Haynes in response.

Haynes is a Denver-native and an East High School graduate. She received her B.A. from Barnard College and a M.A. in public affairs from the University of Colorado. She served on Denver City Council from 1990-2003 and as president from 1998-2000. Haynes joined Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s administration as liaison to City Council from 2003 to 2005 prior to joining then Superintendent Michael Bennet as Assistant for Community Partnerships. In 2008, Haynes was appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter to the Colorado Comm. on Higher Education.

KILGORE NOT SO HAPPY ABOUT HAYNES’ ENDORSEMENT

At-large candidate for the Denver School Board, Roger Kilgore, calls Mayor Michael Hancock’s endorsement of one his opponents “a foregone conclusion more about political alliances than the kids.”

Kilgore cited Hancock’s stated reason for his endorsement of Allegra Haynes as “being best for the kids” with the claim that she would make every decision based on that assertion.

“You might think the Mayor asked every candidate what would provide the best education of students in the Denver Public Schools,” says Kilgore. “But I have not been invited by the Mayor to talk about education or any other topic.” According to news media accounts, Kilgore said, the Mayor also has not met with any of the other at-large candidates in the School Board race.

“For any endorser (and voter), it is better to look closely at the options and make a decision based on facts and to answer the important questions such as: what strategies and tools are the best approaches to improve our schools?” says Kilgore. “The Mayor has made his choice without considering the options. I ask the voters of Denver to evaluate candidates fully before making their choice. That is in the best interest of our kids.”

Kilgore points out that he has put forth several such strategies in his “Plan for Sustainable Educational Excellence” for the Denver Public Schools. They include a revamp of the DPS administration putting the schools at the top and the administration in a supporting position. Kilgore’s plan also emphasizes more clearly the role of the Denver School Board which has the responsibility for educational policy. Neither the Mayor nor city administration has that authority, the candidate reminds voters.

COLORADO PHYSICIANS HONOR DOC MICHAEL MUFTIC

Colorado Physicians honored the distinguished career of Michael Muftic, MD, celebrating his 50th anniversary of graduation from medical school, at the annual meeting of the Colorado Medical Society.

In 1961, Muftic graduated from the University of Basel, Switzerland, with a M.D. and Ph.D. He interned at St. Claire’s Hospital, New York City, and was chief resident at General Rose Memorial Hospital Denver from 1962-1966. He has been licensed to practice medicine in Colorado since 1965 where specialized in obstetrics and gynecology and delivered more than 12,000 babies.

“Michael is a compassionate person who understands the issues that are most important to the common folk and he helped to give them a voice,” said former Colorado state Sen. Polly Baca, who has known him for 30 years.

Muftic has been actively involved in organized medicine throughout his career and served as a member of the Board of Directors, the Ethics Committee, and the Government Relations Committee at the Denver Medical Society and he was a delegate to the Colorado Medical Society.

Other professional positions included Assistant Clinical Professor in OB/GYN CU Medical Center; Chairman of the Peer Review Committee, Colorado Foundation for Medical Care; Chairman Dept. of OB/GYN Mercy Medical Center; Associate Professor of Nursing, University of Northern Colorado; Member of the Executive Board of Denver General Hospital.

Currently, he volunteers for the 9Health Fair and serves on the statewide 9 Health Fair Medical Advisory Committee. In Colorado, selected community service leadership positions include Trustee of the University of Northern Colorado (1999-2003); Board of Directors of the National Sports Center for the Disabled (2000-2004); Board of Directors of the Mental Health Association of Colorado, where he chaired the physician panel; Board of Directors of Samaritan Institute of America and Japan; Board of Directors Regis College; Chairman of Physicians of Colorado for the United Way; Vice President, UNICEF; President, Opera Colorado; President, Denver Teacher’s Awards (1998-2000); Board of Directors, Denver Rotary Club, #31; Board of Directors, Colorado Women’s Cancer Control Initiative.

Statesman readers probably remember Muftic as a former member of the Democratic National Committee from Colorado, which is why we thought this of interest.

ANOTHER FORMER GOP STATE REPRESENTATIVE IS HONORED

The Colorado Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division is looking for nominations for the 2011 Gary McPherson Award for Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year. Each year the YLD recognizes a young Colorado lawyer for his or her outstanding contributions to the legal profession and the community. The winner will be honored at a dinner hosted by the YLD Executive Council in December.

The award is presented in honor of Gary McPherson, a Colorado state representative who was killed in a plane crash at the age of 37. McPherson was a devoted public servant who was active in the bar association and the Young Lawyers Division. A memorial published by the state House of Representatives recognized that “Representative McPherson loved politics and serving this state, and he will be remembered as one of the General Assembly’s most highly regarded and popular members; . . . [he] was an honorable, hardworking public servant who was respected by both Republicans and Democrats.”

McPherson was named Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year in 1993. After his death in 2000, the award was renamed in his honor.

Eligible persons are those who are members in good standing of the CBA, and who are 37 years or younger or who have been practicing law fewer than three years.

Deadline for submitting nominations is Oct. 14. For more info, go to http://www.cobar.org/index.cfm/ID/20113/CYLD/Young-Lawyers-Division/.