Earlier Developments
June 21, 2001
(Montrose, CO): Prominent members of the Democratic and Republican
parties
are playing significant roles in the Western Slope Libertarian Party
(WSLP)
effort to repeal the smoking ban imposed on businesses in the city of
Montrose
through the efforts of Montrose Citizens for Clean Indoor Air (McCIA).
"The Western Slope Libertarian Party is happy to announce its
petitions for
the rescinding of the illegal anti-property rights ordinance are prepared
and
ready for circulation," WSLP Co-chairman Tim Jacobs said Wednesday.
Self-described union Democrat Bob Ray and former state senator
Republican
Ben Alexander, both local community activists, are providing much
appreciated
logistic and strategic support for the emerging party.
The effort to repeal the smoking ban may be the first tri-partisan
political
effort ever launched on the Western Slope. Like all good libertarians, Ray
and
Alexander are acting as individuals, but their support verifies that when
it
comes to establishing liberty on the Western Slope, Libertarians have many
allies in the major parties.
"It's heartening to see the leadership of both the local
Democrat and
Republican Party join with the Western Slope Libertarian Party in our
fight
for property rights," Jacobs said.
"We're proud to have Bob Ray spearhead our petition drive, and
we're honored
to tell the public that Ben Alexander will be one of our petition
circulators.
"This petition drive in no way precludes the legal actions
being taken by
the WSLP and CPPR in filings with the Colorado Attorney General's Office
and
the Colorado Secretary of State. The WSLP, acting on the advice of our
legal
council, will fight this battle against this illegal and unconstitutional
ordinance on every front possible."
Ray, whose credentials include membership on the Democratic Party's
county
executive committee, is coordinating the WSLP petition drive to place the
"Property Rights Restoration Ordinance," which would repeal the
McCIA smoking
ban, before the Montrose City Council.
Ray is serving as one of two proponents' representatives on behalf
of the
Committee to Preserve Property Rights (CPPR), the WSLP standing committee
which has carried the fight against McCIA and its outside money. WSLP
media
coordinator Lane Mills is Ray's co-representative.
Senator Alexander will serve the community in the rights
restoration
effort as a petition circulator.
Alexander's efforts at the state level helped establish Colorado's
college
tuition savings program which helps hundreds of the state's working
families
save for higher education. His efforts locally with the Voice Of The
Electorate (VOTE), a grassroots educational group, resulted in a number of
civic improvements, including compliance with Open Meetings Law provisions
by
the Montrose Board of County Commissioners. VOTE sponsored many
educational
programs for the public on a variety of important issues.
Along with fellow former state senator Arch Decker, counsel for
WSLP,
senator Alexander spoke on behalf of WSLP to Montrose City Council in May,
urging council to exert its legal authority to repeal the McCIA smoking
ban,
which has divided our once peaceful community of tolerant citizens and has
already forced one restaurant out of business.
Jan's Kitchen will close its doors June 29. Owner Jan Jensen said
the McCIA
smoking ban drove her county customers away. The anti-smoker crowd has not
filled the gap in the market, as it all but promised it would while
peddling
the smoking ban to voters.
A survey of compliance with the signage section of the smoking ban
verified
that downtown restaurants are generally failing to display the mandated
signage.
Failure to comply with any
section of the smoking ban is $300.
Ray and Alexander helped with the CPPR campaign against the smoking
ban in
April, which McCIA won with a mere 54 percent, Ray coordinated the
door-to-door flyer campaign which was a major element of the CPPR effort.
Alexander's experience helped CPPR form its strategy.
But time was the worst enemy of all. WSLP formed in late February
and
assigned its standing committee, CPPR, to tackle the smoking ban as its
first
order of business in early March. Six weeks later, McCIA won its five-year
effort to pass the smoking ban based entirely on emotional appeals.
During the new round against the ban, Ray said he is calling on the
local
medical establishment to verify with solid science its emotional assertion
that second hand smoke is carcinogenic, which was the entire appeal to voters,
whom were also misled by McCIA about the foreseeable negative impacts of
the
smoking ban.
"It's obvious some issues transcend party politics,"
Jacobs concluded.
"The fight for rights calls for a concerted effort by all
freedom-loving
Americans."
CPPR faces the well-financed McCIA, an organization which receives
90
percent of its money and all of its logistical support from organizations
and
persons from outside Montrose. Grand Junction resident Anne Lindeman of
the
American Lung Assn., the American Cancer Society and GASP of Boulder, all
of
which receive big tobacco money to pay for "educational"
programs against
tobacco use in Colorado, provided money and support for McCIA in imposing
the
rights-stealing ban.
Ironically, the "big tobacco" money being used to
influence this most local
of all issues is being used by McCIA to snuff out individual liberty and
responsibility in Montrose.
CPPR receives money and assistance only from local resources as a
matter of
principle. Check the record.
Ray said he will conduct a petition circulators seminar Tuesday,
June 26 at
7 p.m. at Jojo's Windmill Restaurant, 2133 E. Main St. at Montrose prior
to
the regular WSLP meeting. Ray said he anticipates beginning collection of
signatures Wednesday, June 27.
CPPR needs about 470 signatures to approach city council with its
Property
Rights Restoration Ordinance. CPPR will begin returning petition sections
after Aug. 3, in order to avoid forcing a special election. Council may
adopt
the ordinance or place it on the ballot for the scheduled November
combined
election, which will take place with or without the CPPR petition.
Public servants praised
City and county clerk employees and staff were very efficient in
complying
with requests from CPPR for various services and support. As an example,
WSLP
requested a voters list from the Montrose County Clerk and Recorders
office by
fax Sunday, June 17. Our representative was contacted Monday, June 18 at
9:30
a.m. and was told the materials were ready to go.
The city staff was equally pleasant and supportive; helping CPPR to
avoid
time consuming errors. The city complied with the party's request to use
the
Internet to submit its notice - which may also be an historical first for
Western Slope politics.
"With the prompt attention and courteous professionalism of
the civil
servants of both the city and county of Montrose, the petitions and other
materials were prepared in near record time. The WSLP and CPPR thanks the
city
and county employees for their help and patience in this endeavor, and for
the
expeditious manner in which these tasks were accomplished," Jacobs
said.
More News; WSLP members attend meeting with
County Commissioners and Planners.
Contact
Us:
WesternSlopelp@yahoo.com
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