Polis accepting outside money even after pleading independence from wealthy donors in campaign
Private dollars have flowed to the governor’s office for decades, but Polis’ embrace of the arrangement is particularly notable.
In his 2018 campaign, the wealthy technology entrepreneur and former congressman spent more than $23 million from his own pocket and limited campaign donations to $200 — all to demonstrate he wouldn’t be beholden to powerful special interests.
Taken together, private dollars are driving many of the Polis administration’s top priorities in the first 18 months of his term — all without disclosure to the public until now.
The donations operate outside the state budget with limited oversight and transparency, and continue a pattern from previous governors. At least three of the grants accepted by the governor’s office include confidentiality clauses that limit the information available, according to documents obtained by The Sun. And four donorsfunneled money for the grants through other organizations, hiding the true source.
The benefit to the governor’s office from such arrangements is easy to see: Polis gets money to hire an additional staffer who can help him reach the lofty goals he set in his campaign. And it comeswithout the scrutiny of Coloradolawmakers through the state budget process nor the political baggage from expanding the size of government.
Similarly, the advantages for donors are apparent:The money allows the advocates to give their issues a higher priorityin the administration through a position that advises the governor.
“That’s sort of the quid pro quo of philanthropy, and society is ultimately the winner,” said Bruce DeBoskey, a philanthropic strategist in Denver.
He added: “There’s nothing wrong with it inherently, in my view. But it needs transparency, so there is also accountability.”
To critics, the practice represents government-for-hire, and the donor-funded initiatives areripe for potential conflicts of interest. “The practice of allowing private interests to pay their way into positions of authority in state government offices does not serve the public interest,” Tiger Joyce, the president of the American Tort Reform Association, said in a statement.
Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers tell The Sun that the donations need more scrutiny.The bipartisan legislative budget committee is considering legislation to force more disclosure from the administration, a move that came in part from earlier reports by The Sun and CBS4 about spending in the governor’s office.
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https://coloradosun.com/2020/08/10/jared-polis-colorado-private-donors-climate-change-immigration/?utm_source=The+Colorado+Sun&utm_campaign=66797d0d46-Sun-Up&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2e5f9a0f1b-66797d0d46-54309101&mc_cid=66797d0d46&mc_eid=0809a48ed3