My Response to Baseless Accusations from Norma Anderson

Former Sen. Norma Anderson recently wrote a letter to the editor that was published in both the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post. Here is what the letter says:

It has come to my attention that a candidate running for Jefferson County commissioner is using my name on his brochure and website. I want to make it perfectly clear, I do not support Jason Bane for any elected office. I have never met the man.

When I campaigned, the unwritten rule was to always ask before using anyone’s name in any canpaign material. Integrity is extremely important for anyone running for office, and he is implying I would support him. I do not! It appears to me that he is prostituting on my reputation.

My support and vote will be for Kevin McCasky. He is experienced and educated on the issues facing the county. Kevin is his own person.

Remember, when voting, do you want someone who misleads the public?

Former Sen. Norma Anderson
Lakewood

These accusations are baseless and completely untrue, and as soon as I was made aware of these letters, I wrote a letter of my own that I sent to Ms. Anderson. Here, in its entirety, is that letter.

June 27, 2008

Dear Ms. Anderson,

I was disappointed to read your letter to the editor that appeared in “The Denver Post” on June 27, 2008, and I fear that you have been misled.

You apparently do not remember me, but we have actually spoken on several occasions. I interviewed you a number of times as a political reporter for "5280" magazine and other news outlets. I always found you to be a pleasant and forthright politician whenever we spoke, which is why I was so surprised to read your letter.

Please allow me to address some of the points in your letter:

“It has come to my attention that a candidate running for Jefferson County commissioner is using my name on his brochure and website… he is implying I would support him…It appears to me he is prostituting on my reputation.”

Your name does in fact appear on my website and on one of my brochures, but ONLY within the context of an article published by “The Columbine Courier” on February 27, 2007. If you do not possess this article, I would encourage you to ask for a copy at your local library. You are quoted several times in the piece, which you can read online here: http://www.coloradoforethics.org/node/24605.

Here is an excerpt:

The sheer volume of investigations and questionable behavior has led even longtime Jeffco political insiders to say something strange is afoot underneath the Taj Mahal’s glass rotunda.

“I have been trying to figure out what the problem is,” said Norma Anderson, one of Jeffco’s former Republican state senators and a fixture in Colorado politics. “(These scandals) have been going on for years and years.”…

…Whatever the reason might be for the unusual frequency of Jeffco’s high-profile problems, Anderson said observers outside the community are counting the headlines and their blessings at the same time.

“I think they laugh at us,” she said of the rest of the state. “I don’t know what the reasons are for it happening in Jefferson County.”

Anderson also suggested that the relentless cycle of scandal is taking its toll on regular “hard-working” and “dedicated” county workers.

The quote in bold is the only mention of your name on my website and brochure, and it is CLEARLY attributed as appearing in the Feb. 27, 2007 issue of “The Columbine Courier.” I took great care to make sure that this quote, and other excerpts from that same article, was included in the proper context and clearly identified in my materials.

There is absolutely no mistaking that this quote came from a newspaper article, and I am quite confident that no reasonable person would conclude “I think they laugh at us” to mean that you were endorsing my campaign for Jefferson County Commissioner.

In fact, I think anyone who read that story would find it odd that you would support the incumbent Commissioner Kevin McCasky—a man who has played a key role in the very scandals that you have so passionately spoken out against.

In the future, I would hope that you would contact me before making any accusations about my character. My contact information is readily available on my website, www.JasonBane.org, but I have also included it below for your reference.


Sincerely,

Jason Bane
[contact info redacted]

I am running for Jefferson County Commissioner to put a stop to the years of cronyism, investigations, indictments and lawsuits that have made Jeffco’s Government a laughingstock. Given this track record, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that my opponent and his supporters would resort to blatant lies in a desperate attempt to maintain their hold on power. Such actions only reinforce my strong belief that we are in serious need of change in Jefferson County.