Gov. Hickenlooper hurts usual allies; Budget proposal causes flare-up with unions, liberals, and raises possibility of tax hike

Peter Marcus
Denver Daily News

There's nothing like historic budget cuts to end a newly elected politician's honeymoon – that and a good snow storm.

Gov. John Hickenlooper already had his brush with public bitterness stemming from a blizzard in 2006 when he was mayor of Denver. This time around, he is dealing with bitterness stemming from a proposed $411 million in cuts to education, including a historic $375 million in cuts to K-12 education, and another $36 million from higher education.

His critics, however, are coming from the Democratic governor's usual allies – liberals. Tuesday afternoon following Hickenlooper's budget presentation to the Joint Budget Committee, and into Wednesday, Hickenlooper took a lashing from progressives. None of it was a surprise to the governor. He acknowledged on Tuesday when presenting the budget that he was proposing cuts that would "hurt," but asked Coloradans to share the burden.

"Ultimately the challenges that we face in this state are challenges we're all going to have to face, and I think the people of Colorado expect that collaborative effort and our willingness to face these challenges together," said Hickenlooper.

But for teachers' unions and education advocates, they don't want to see students and teachers facing the heaviest burden in the budget cuts. K-12 students are facing a nearly $500 cut per student, and college students are facing a nearly $900 cut per student.

Hickenlooper took a beating from these usually Democratic-leaning organizations, though many acknowledged the "impossible situation" the governor is in.

"This is plain wrong when you consider that we must provide our students with a 21st century education using fewer resources," Beverly Ingle, president of the Colorado Education Association, said in a statement.

"Coloradans expect better," Brenda Smith, Colorado president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a statement. "Instead of sacrificing our schools and our children, what we need is a responsible approach that invests in the future of our children and sustainable economic progress in our communities."

Many liberals are using the opportunity to push a proposed 2011 ballot question that would raise taxes to pay for education and create a steady revenue stream for the state. The Colorado Fiscal Policy Institute is proposing a ballot measure that would increase revenue and reform the state's tax system.

One proposal is to restructure the state personal income tax, establishing six income brackets with six rates.

ProgressNow Colorado made a plea on Tuesday for Coloradans to support such a tax increase and restructuring of the tax system in Colorado.

"All the easy cuts have been made. There's real pain in the cuts ahead," read an e-mail from the progressive coalition. "We must find a balanced approach to dealing with this pain. The options are clear. We can either continue to cut services or we can start to think about ways to raise revenue. In Colorado, only the voters can choose this option. But we are going to have to make a decision."

The Bell Policy Center, which has also been an ally of Hickenlooper's, was also critical of the governor's budget yesterday. The liberal-leaning think tank pointed out that in addition to the cuts to education, the governor's budget also proposes $57 million in cuts to health care and $17 million in cuts to human services.

Wade Buchanan, president of the Bell Policy Center, also made a plea on Tuesday to Colorado voters.

"The governor and lawmakers can balance the budget only through spending cuts," Buchanan said in a statement. "However, voters in Colorado can take a different approach. If we want to invest more in our children's education and the public services that underpin our economy, we can decide to increase revenues. The stark  reality of today's budget cuts can serve as the starting point for a conversation on a more balanced approach to addressing Colorado's budget."

Hickenlooper also received a lashing from state employees, who are facing a 4.5 percent pay cut as a result of a proposal by the governor to have state employees contribute 2 percent more to the state's retirement system, PERA.

Mike Cerbo, executive director of the Colorado AFL-CIO, issued a blistering statement about Hickenlooper's proposal.

"Today is a dark day for Colorado," he said. "While we appreciate the economic and constitutional constraints that influence these decisions, nobody should be pleased with Governor Hickenlooper's proposed cuts. There is no way that Colorado's working families will not be harmed. Particularly devastating are the cuts to public schools."

Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers yesterday heard the cries from Coloradans and responded with an amendment to a package of budget-balancing measures. The amendment would direct surplus general fund dollars to education.

"As a former teacher and father of three, I believe that there's nothing more important than funding education," Rep. Andy Kerr, D-Lakewood, who co-sponsored the amendment, said in a statement. "Any potential additional State Education Fund dollars would go toward more teachers, better classroom materials, and funding for our schools and our children."