Competitive RTD racing attracts unusually big money

Lance Longenbon, president of the local union chapter, said he decided to make such a large donation after meeting Nicholson at the Legislature last spring. Both were against failed RTD reform bill What, in its first formwould lose elected seats on the agency’s board.

“He angered some people with this process,” Longenbon said of Nicholson. “But he achieved what he wanted (and was) by being very active in helping me.”

Longenbon said he was also impressed by Nicholson’s knowledge of RTD and his vision for improving the agency.

Nicholson also received hundreds of dollars from current and former elected officials, including former state Reps. Edie Hooton and Rob Whitwer, current Rep. Judy Amabile and Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett, records show. He was supported by Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, but did not appear to receive a donation from him.

Another well-funded candidate in the District A race is Kiel Brunner, a data scientist married to Gov. Jared Polis’ deputy chief of staff Danielle Oliveto. Numerous people around the governor made large donations to Brunner’s campaign, records show.

Polis and his mother, Susan Schutz, each donated $2,000. He received hundreds of letters from other Polis advisers and administration officials, including Lisa KaufmannDavid Oppenheim and Megan Collignon.

Some of the state’s most powerful lobbyists and political consultants also support Brunner, including R.D. Seewald, Josh Hanfling, Maria Garcia Berry and Roger Sherman. In total, Brunner’s received about $7,000 from the consultants, according to the state.

Brunner said he has met influential players in the state’s political world, whom he called “pillars of the community,” throughout his and his wife’s careers.

“It’s very important to me that they support me and believe in what I have to offer RTD,” Brunner said.

Large amounts of outside money are also flowing into constituencies A and F.

Conservation Colorado, one of the best-known and best-funded environmental groups in the state, has gotten involved in RTD politics, spending through its political arm more than $112,000 on flyers and advertising on behalf of Kiel Brunner and Bernard Celestine, a candidate in the F. race. . At least 60 percent of that amount will go to support Brunner’s re-election campaign, said Kelly Nordini, CEO of Conservation Colorado.

This year, Nordini said, the organization decided it “couldn’t wait any longer” to get involved in RTD racing.

“Transportation is the largest source of climate change pollution in Colorado,” she said in an interview. “If we are going to ensure the state meets our climate goals, time is short, and RTD has a really important role to play.”

Nicholson said he was “disappointed” with Conservation Colorado’s contribution. The third candidate in the District A race, former bus driver Bob Dinegar, raised less than $1,000, according to state data. He called the amount of money in the race “staggering.”

“I’ll enjoy watching my opponents get caught up in the ad buying frenzy,” he said. “We know how much voters love political advertising. The smart money is on me, a candidate with direct experience in RTD operations, maintenance, safety and management.”

Fiscal Conservative vs. Self-Financed Retiree in District F

Celestine, another former bus driver, spent nearly $7,000 of his own money on his campaign for District F, which covers Aurora and other parts of the east metro. He said he didn’t accept donations because the race is such a personal campaign that he felt he couldn’t ask others for help.

“I just budgeted a certain amount of money that I could devote to my business,” he said. “If I win, I will thank God. If I lose, I’ll thank God because it’s a wonderful process.”

However, Celestin will receive tens of thousands of dollars from Conservation Colorado. The group supports Celestin’s priorities, including improving the safety, frequency and reliability of RTD buses and trains, Nordini said. They also oppose the policies of his opponent, fiscal conservative Kathleen Chandler.

“As a former community leader and bus driver, he really brings a unique voice to the board that we think will be valuable,” Nordini said. “So it seemed like a very obvious choice.”

Prominent fiscal conservative John Caldara headed the board of RTD in the 1990s as he tried to persuade voters to approve tax increases for his railroad expansion plans. Caldara helped defeat the first RTD ballot attempt in 1997, although it ultimately succeeded in 2004. Most recently, fiscal conservative Natalie Menten held a seat on the board for eight years and regularly pushed the agency to cut costs.

Chandler, who worked at the conservative Independence Institute, which Caldara runs, hopes to follow in their footsteps and advocate for taxpayers. She called Conservation Colorado’s contribution “a crazy amount of money.” She said she raised about $11,000, mostly from community members. The largest donation was $500, records show.

“It just shows the widespread support for my campaign,” she said.

Will any of these dollars make a difference?

Well-funded candidates don’t always win RTD races. Kate Williams, who won District A in 2016 and 2020, bested rivals who raised between $400 and $13,485.

“I went to every recreation center, every senior center, every community meeting,” Williams said in an interview this week.

Williams, who declined to endorse the District A race, is also skeptical that all those donors will get much for their money. Although the agency’s board decides who will lead RTD as its CEO, that is the responsibility of one prominent board member. calls “show” “The CEO ultimately has much more power than one board member,” Williams said.

“The agency is truly employee-driven,” Williams said. “I find it very interesting that everyone is essentially trying to buy themselves a say in what happens along the way. I think people are being misled about what effect their RTD director will have.”