Well, we are getting a little more interesting down here. The The Colorado Springs Gazette (a fairly right wing paper) online edition covered a little 'disagreement' between Anna Lord and Bob Gardner.
The online version of the Gazette published the Accusations fly in House race. The basis of the issue is simple. As the Gazette itself start its article:
A Democrat running for the state Legislature is questioning whether the Republican incumbent should make his living by advising clients about how to spend taxpayer money and get laws changed.
Bob Gardner is a sitting member of the legislature (former Chair of the El Paso County Republican Party). He also maintains a personal law firm (no d/b/a or PLC or LLC registration att he Secretary of State).
The firm solicits clients to assist them in securing government contracts, representation in front of governmental agencies, campaign strategy and ballot initiatives and creation of lobbying strategy. The website states Bob has "members of the Colorado General Assembly" as clients.
More below:
Anna recently sent a mailer to District 21 voters in the district. The mailer pointed that the Bob Gardner's professional website creates a perception of and potential for conflict of interest.
In addition, a widely distributed weekly, Cheyenne Edition carried a letter to the editor from Anna in its last paper outlining the issues. The LTE carried a headline "Lord questions Gardner's Web site legality.". On Friday, Anna sent a letter to both the Cheyenne Edition and Bob Gardner specifically requesting that the Cheyenne Edition retract the headline as the campaign had, in no manner, questioned the legality of the activities of Mr. Gardner. Anna has stated she can not speak to the legal issues regarding conflict of interest.
The Gazette article publishes, in part, Mr. Gardner's response:
"Lord has clearly engaged in a course of character assassination," Gardner said in the statement. "The half-truths and innuendo in her mail pieces and her letter are calculated to cause the voters to conclude that I am doing something wrong or even illegal.
Apparently, she has belatedly realized that her own baseless accusations could rise to the level of slander and, if she is not careful, become criminal themselves."
The campaign rejects Mr. Gardner's statements completely. The campaign has made the following assertions:
- Mr. Gardner maintains a law firm website that solicits clients regarding securing government contracts, creating lobbying strategy, representation in front of regulatory agencies and campaign issues;
- The website has a 2008 copyright - indicating that Mr. Gardner has continued to solicit clients for these services during his tenure as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives;
- In no way has Anna accused Mr. Gardner of illegal acts - she has accused him of creating perception of and potential for conflicts of interest. She still believes that is true. Mr Gardner's own response to the Gazette has stated that he has had to seek legislative legal counsel on questions of potential conflict of interest in the past;
- The campaign has always directed voters to Mr. Gardner's personal law firm web site to determine for themselves whether the activities listed on the website are the activities they want their legisltor engaged in for clients.
The campaign believes all these points about the website to be factual and the opinions expressed to be reasonable in light of the content of the website. In the end, it is the decision of the voters about this issue - after being presented facts, not bluster - that will decide the issue.
Bob's corporate web site is
here - we have no issue if it moves up on the Goggle msearch list.