Message from Colorado AFL-CIO on Governor Ritter

Brothers and Sisters,

As many of you know through media reports, Governor Ritter announced this morning that he will not stand for re-election in 2010. I attended the press conference at the State Capitol this morning and heard the announcement first hand. I have attached his statement so you can read it for yourselves.

As surprising as this all is, Governor Ritter will be still there through the 2010 legislative session and the end of the year. As always, the Colorado AFL-CIO will continue to do our best to work with Governor Ritter, the House and Senate leaders to advance issues for working families. We are encouraged by bills in 2010 to expand protections in the Colorado worker’s compensation system and on several bills to promote better wages, benefits and training standards for jobs in the “green” sector of our economy. It is our hope that this announcement will not tarnish those efforts and we hope to proceed as planned to pass good legislation this session. We will be talking with Governor Ritter’s staff in the coming days to keep people informed about next steps.

What is most clear is that the 2010 Election is no longer about Governor Ritter, but it is about making sure that Scott McInnis is never Governor of Colorado. With ten months left until Election Day there is a very tight window to find a replacement that can step-in and succeed in November. We will be talking to allies and elected officials in the coming days and will update our affiliates as we learn more. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Congressman Ed Perlmutter and Former State House Speaker Andrew Romanoff are all rumored to be weighing a run for Governor. Of course, we don’t know just yet how this will shake out.

As the situation evolves over the coming days and weeks, please feel free to register with me your thoughts, concerns and opinions about potential candidates or how this situation impacts our 2010 electoral or legislative programs.

Some of you may be contacted by the media for your reaction. I would ask all leaders and affiliates to be thoughtful in their remarks to the media as we are still trying to understand the full implications of this new development on the state and on the Colorado Labor Movement.

As I know more, you will know more.

In Solidarity,

Mike Cerbo
Executive Director
Colorado AFL-CIO