Government Affairs

2008 ELECTIONS - REALTOR® INVOLVEMENT
Election Season has arrived! REALTORS® across Colorado have been hard at work getting to know the candidates running for local, state, and national offices – ultimately endorsing those who not only share our vision for the future of real estate, but will also keep it a high priority. Through this process, and with the aid of our Political Survival Fund dollars, we are able to build lasting relationships with our leaders at all levels of government who are willing to work for, and on behalf of, REALTOR® interests.

The following is a list of candidates who have been endorsed by the
Colorado Association of REALTORS®:

(Click on a candidate's name to visit campaign website)

U.S. House
CD 1 – Diana DeGette
CD 2 – Joan Fitz-Gerald**
CD 3 – John Salazar
CD 4 – Marilyn Musgrave
CD 5 – Doug Lamborn
CD 6 – Mike Coffman**
CD 7 – Ed Perlmutter

State Senate:
SD 04 – Mark Scheffel (DERA)

SD 10 – Bill Cadman

SD 12 – Keith King
SD 14 – Matt Fries
SD 27 – Nancy Spence
SD 35 – Joyce Foster    (DBR)

State House:
HD 02 – Mark Ferrandino   (DBR)
HD 06 – Liz Adams   (DBR)
HD 08 – Matt Bergles    (DBR)
HD 14 – Kent Lambert
HD 15 – Mark Waller
HD 16 – Larry Liston
HD 17 – Catherine Roupe
HD 19 – Marsha Looper

HD 20 – Amy Stephens
HD 21 – Bob Gardner

HD 28 – Jim Kerr (SMDRA)
HD 48 – Glenn Vaad
HD 51 – Don Marostica
HD 52 – Bob McCluskey
HD 60 – Tom Massey
HD 62 – Randy Jackson

El Paso County Board of Commissioners:
District 2 - Amy Lathen
District 3 - Sallie Clark
District 4 - Dennis Hisey

Weld County Board of Commissioners:
At-Large - Sean Conway
District 1 - David Long
District 3 - Barbara Kirkmeyer

Rio Grande County Board of Commissioners:
At-Large - Dennis Murphy Jr.
At-Large - Doug Davie

Larimer County Board of Commissioners:
District 2 - Steve Johnson
District 3 - Tom Donnelly

(As of August 1, 2008)

* Endorsements from the Colorado Association of REALTORS® are based, in part, on recommendations made from interview teams comprised of REALTOR® Members who represent local boards and associations within the relevant State House and Senate Districts. Official endorsements of federal candidates are made through the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). NAR conforms to a friendly-incumbent policy.

** Indicates an open seat.

From a legislative perspective, REALTORS^® had good success in 2007 on both the state and national levels. We successfully lobbied Congress for reform of the FHA, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. As we try and climb out of the hole created by the sub-prime meltdown, these reforms were needed badly. On the state level, as part of our effort to protect property owners we strongly supported the legislation that required Mortgage Brokers in Colorado to be licensed and regulated.

For 2008, the top legislative priority in Colorado will be to fight a proposed statewide real estate transfer tax which would provide another barrier to home ownership, particularly for first time buyers who were responsible for almost a third of all home purchases this past year. We will also evaluate legislation concerning water, land use, business and taxation, housing, and regulatory issues affecting REALTORS^® and the communities in which we live and work. Nationally, keeping banks out of real estate will remain a top priority.

And how is all this successful lobbying accomplished? Our success rests on three very important pillars – the personal connections that some of our fellow REALTORS® have with legislators at every level of government (municipal, county, state and national), the time volunteered by other REALTORS® to testify before legislative committees and lobby on our behalf, and the sound financial base provided by our voluntary contributions to the annual REALTOR® Political Survival Fund (PSF).

Your help is needed. If you personally know a city council member, a county commissioner, or any of our state or nationally elected representatives, please let me know. Your intervention on a critical issue might be key. When you hear of an issue about which you have expertise and would be willing to testify before a legislative committee, let us know about that as well. And last, and certainly not least, when you are asked to make a contribution to PSF, do so willingly and generously. Your future may depend on it.