Dark money enters fight over at-large City Council measures
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A contentious but low-profile Denver ballot measure is drawing support from a dark money group known for backing moderate Democrats.
The big picture: Political mailers funded by One Main Street backing Referred Question 2G, a measure to create separate races for the two at-large seats on Denver City Council, arrived at Denver homes this week.
- One Main Street doesn't disclose most of its donors.
State of play: Supporters say the new rule would produce fairer results, simplify the election process and ensure a majority vote secures a seat.
- "There's nothing about 2G that brings more big money than would happen without it," proponents and Council Members Kevin Flynn and Darrell Watson wrote in an op-ed in Westword last week.
The other side: The measure's opponents say 2G could boost big money influence in local races by gaming the system to favor more established candidates.
- The proposal would "rig" local elections to benefit corporations over people, Wynn Howell, who works for the opposition group Hands Off Denver Elections, said in a press statement.
- The measure could affect grassroots candidates' ability to compete with better-funded campaigns, potentially kneecapping progressive contenders, 9News reports.
Between the lines: One Main Street made news recently after allegedly agreeing to pay $25,000 for a hotel room block for a Vail retreat earlier this month involving Democratic lawmakers, the Colorado Sun reported.
What we're watching: It's unclear whether 2G is drawing widespread attention among voters, with one registered voter telling Denverite, "Nobody's chatting about it over coffee."