Big Sky Hearing Cancelled Rescheduled for November 29, 2019 at 10:00 am

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BUY AN ELECTION? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Final campaign finance reports (before the election) came out today. Surprise – another $350,000 magically appeared to support the Adam Paul forces.
Déjà vu – another half-million-dollar PR campaign.
Despite the so-called “campaign finance reforms” the outside special interest money is pouring in as much as ever. The use of the independent expenditure committees not only allow the special interests to get around the $800 limit but permits this activity to remain cloudy.
The gyrations include one I.E.C. giving some of the money it raised to another I.E.C. in a clear case of coordination. Bowman’s Protect Lakewood Parks and Open Space donated $25,000 to Zakhem’s Business & Labor Together for TV ads.
Disclaimer –Data below is being relayed from what was reported on the city website. Since some numbers don’t add up, verification of those reports’ accuracy is not a given.
The Bowman I.E.C. groups were fronts for the National Association of Realtors which was the sole donor to each of Bowman’s four groups supporting:

Adam Paul – $95,000; supporting deGruy $15,000; supporting Gutwein – $15,000;
supporting Hollender – $15,000
Total – $140,000 from Nat. Assoc. of Realtors
One of the National Realtors / Bowman I.E.C. groups – (Protect Lakewood Parks and Open Space) supporting Adam Paul reported receiving $95,000 from the National Realtors five days ago (on Oct. 25):
(1) $25,000 was spent on door to door canvassing,
(2) $25,000 was transferred to another I.E.C. (Business & Labor Together) supporting Adam Paul, run by John Zakhem, to run TV ads.
Disclaimer – their four reports don’t add up so there are clearly reporting errors but data in those reports makes it impossible to figure out the problems with the information provided.
Other Bowman I.E.C. groups – funding for each group was solely provided by the National Realtors (NO state or local funders):
(1) DeGruy group (Save the Foothills) – $15,000 from the National Realtors, spent $8,000 on professional door to door canvassers.
(2) Gutwein group (Lakewood for a Better Environment) – received $15,000 from the National Realtors; spent $3,000 on the internet ads, and $10,000 on professional door to door canvassing.
(3) Hollender group (Lakewood Neighbors for Open Space) – also received $15,000 from National Realtors; spent $3,000 on the internet, and $10,000 on professional door to door canvassers
Business & Labor Together – registered on Oct. 24. This group is represented by attorney John Zakhem, whose father Sam Zakhem recently suffered a rejection of his proposed re-zoning of a property in Ward 3.
Reported receiving $250,000 from one donor – RMDCS Coop Fund Issues Committee located at 1391 Speer Blvd. #450 in Denver. They spent $155,057.56 on advertising.
360 Strategies – an international campaign management firm, whose local agent is Lynea Hansen, registered two I.E.C. groups which raised a combined total of $79,139.19
(1) Protect Lakewood – $75,139.19
a. Marijuana Groups
i. Responsible Lakewood (industry trade group) – $9,139.19
ii. Healing House (10712 W. Alameda Ave.) – $7,000
iii. Jet Black Enterprises (Denver) – $5,000
iv. TDM (Denver) $8,000
v. Sweetwater Partners (Denver) $5,000
vi. Compassion Pain Mgt. (Louisville) $7000
TOTAL $41,139.19
b. Development groups
i. Cardel Homes (Rooney Valley) $10,000
ii. CDN Red Rocks (Rooney Valley) $10,000
iii. Renaissance Solutions (contractor) $5,000
iv. Apartment Assoc. of Denver $9,000
Total $34,000
Expenditures – $63,000 for internet ads and $5,000 for “texting”
(2) Vote Lakewood – raised $4,000 from two marijuana businesses and spent $4,000 on Strategies 360.
The seven I.E.C. supporting the Adam Paul/establishment candidates raised a total of nearly half a million dollars – $469,139.19
National Realtors – $140,000.00
Marijuana interests – $41,139.19
Development interests – $25,000.00
Unknown interests – $250,000.00
$469,139.19
There is one I.E.C. that is opposing Adam Paul – Save Our Lakewood
Over five filings they report receiving $5,609 from 47 Lakewood residents. They spent $5,601 on a mailer.

The anti-Paul forces are outspent by the pro-Paul forces by about 83 to 1.

2 thoughts on “Big Sky Hearing Cancelled Rescheduled for November 29, 2019 at 10:00 am”

Larry D Gardner says:

October 30, 2019 at 7:39 pm

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BUY AN ELECTION? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Final campaign finance reports (before the election) came out today. Surprise – another $350,000 magically appeared to support the Adam Paul forces.
Déjà vu – another half-million-dollar PR campaign.
Despite the so-called “campaign finance reforms” the outside special interest money is pouring in as much as ever. The use of the independent expenditure committees not only allow the special interests to get around the $800 limit but permits this activity to remain cloudy.
The gyrations include one I.E.C. giving some of the money it raised to another I.E.C. in a clear case of coordination. Bowman’s Protect Lakewood Parks and Open Space donated $25,000 to Zakhem’s Business & Labor Together for TV ads.
Disclaimer –Data below is being relayed from what was reported on the city website. Since some numbers don’t add up, verification of those reports’ accuracy is not a given.
The Bowman I.E.C. groups were fronts for the National Association of Realtors which was the sole donor to each of Bowman’s four groups supporting:

Adam Paul – $95,000; supporting deGruy $15,000; supporting Gutwein – $15,000;
supporting Hollender – $15,000
Total – $140,000 from Nat. Assoc. of Realtors
One of the National Realtors / Bowman I.E.C. groups – (Protect Lakewood Parks and Open Space) supporting Adam Paul reported receiving $95,000 from the National Realtors five days ago (on Oct. 25):
(1) $25,000 was spent on door to door canvassing,
(2) $25,000 was transferred to another I.E.C. (Business & Labor Together) supporting Adam Paul, run by John Zakhem, to run TV ads.
Disclaimer – their four reports don’t add up so there are clearly reporting errors but data in those reports makes it impossible to figure out the problems with the information provided.
Other Bowman I.E.C. groups – funding for each group was solely provided by the National Realtors (NO state or local funders):
(1) DeGruy group (Save the Foothills) – $15,000 from the National Realtors, spent $8,000 on professional door to door canvassers.
(2) Gutwein group (Lakewood for a Better Environment) – received $15,000 from the National Realtors; spent $3,000 on the internet ads, and $10,000 on professional door to door canvassing.
(3) Hollender group (Lakewood Neighbors for Open Space) – also received $15,000 from National Realtors; spent $3,000 on the internet, and $10,000 on professional door to door canvassers
Business & Labor Together – registered on Oct. 24. This group is represented by attorney John Zakhem, whose father Sam Zakhem recently suffered a rejection of his proposed re-zoning of a property in Ward 3.
Reported receiving $250,000 from one donor – RMDCS Coop Fund Issues Committee located at 1391 Speer Blvd. #450 in Denver. They spent $155,057.56 on advertising.
360 Strategies – an international campaign management firm, whose local agent is Lynea Hansen, registered two I.E.C. groups which raised a combined total of $79,139.19
(1) Protect Lakewood – $75,139.19
a. Marijuana Groups
i. Responsible Lakewood (industry trade group) – $9,139.19
ii. Healing House (10712 W. Alameda Ave.) – $7,000
iii. Jet Black Enterprises (Denver) – $5,000
iv. TDM (Denver) $8,000
v. Sweetwater Partners (Denver) $5,000
vi. Compassion Pain Mgt. (Louisville) $7000
TOTAL $41,139.19
b. Development groups
i. Cardel Homes (Rooney Valley) $10,000
ii. CDN Red Rocks (Rooney Valley) $10,000
iii. Renaissance Solutions (contractor) $5,000
iv. Apartment Assoc. of Denver $9,000
Total $34,000
Expenditures – $63,000 for internet ads and $5,000 for “texting”
(2) Vote Lakewood – raised $4,000 from two marijuana businesses and spent $4,000 on Strategies 360.
The seven I.E.C. supporting the Adam Paul/establishment candidates raised a total of nearly half a million dollars – $469,139.19
National Realtors – $140,000.00
Marijuana interests – $41,139.19
Development interests – $25,000.00
Unknown interests – $250,000.00
$469,139.19
There is one I.E.C. that is opposing Adam Paul – Save Our Lakewood
Over five filings they report receiving $5,609 from 47 Lakewood residents. They spent $5,601 on a mailer.

The anti-Paul forces are outspent by the pro-Paul forces by about 83 to 1.
Roger Ball says:

October 29, 2019 at 3:06 pm

Thanks for all your work on this John

Comments are closed.

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Big Sky Hearing Cancelled Rescheduled for November 29, 2019 at 10:00 am

2 thoughts on “Big Sky Hearing Cancelled Rescheduled for November 29, 2019 at 10:00 am”