In a rare display of bipartisanship, advocacy groups from across the political spectrum joined together to call on Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO) to convene a special session of the state Legislature to negotiate the end of a pair of tax-cutting ballot initiatives that would gut the state’s budget so severely that even most conservative groups are opposed to them. Club 20? Not a bunch of libs. Neither are the Colorado Contractors Association, or NAIOP Colorado, which is the state chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
One group that’s concerned about the “significant and real threat” posed by Initiatives 50 and 108, however, stands out as not just more conservative, but flat-out partisan Republican, than all the others: Ready Colorado. While nominally a pro-charter education group, Ready Colorado is more accurately a funding vehicle for Republican candidates. Moreover, it is completely entwined with Advance Colorado — the very group promoting the initiatives Ready’s letter is decrying.
The connections between the two groups aren’t hard to find. President and CEO of Ready Colorado isn’t Brenda Dickhoner’s only job title. She’s also an “Educator” with … Advance Colorado.
Let’s follow the money. Ready Colorado’s latest publicly available tax filing is from 2022, when it gave Advance Colorado half a million dollars. Ready Colorado board member Luke Ragland, who used to be its president until becoming a senior vice president with the Daniels Fund, also serves on the board of another group called the Colorado Opportunity Foundation (COF), which is led by Michael Fields … president of Advance Colorado. COF gave Advance over a million dollars in 2022.
Advance Colorado used to be known as Unite for Colorado; it changed its name in 2021 after spending over $17 million on Republican causes in 2020. Back then, the money went the other way; nearly $1.4 million of Unite’s spending went to Ready Colorado. Advance Colorado does not disclose its funders, but at least one prominent Republican leader claims the group’s primary donor is conservative billionaire Phil Anschutz. One notable name the group does list on its team is former Governor Bill Owens (R-CO); he’s also an “Educator.”
Another one of Ready’s three board members is Ellie Reynolds, who until last November worked for 76 Group, Colorado’s best-known Republican political firm. Here’s how the 76 Group describes itself: “Need 500,000 signatures or a million doors knocked? Polling, focus groups, data analysis, campaign management? 76 does it all.”
Consider that first task: signature gathering. 76 Group subsidiary Blitz Canvassing had contracts for several ballot initiatives this year, including, yes, Initiatives 50 & 108. Statewide canvassing operations to gather the requisite 124,000+ valid voter signatures typically cost about $2 million, which adds up to a hefty payday for 76 Group.
When Blitz signature gatherers were getting thrown out of grocery store parking lots by Steamboat Springs police officers last August while trying to convince folks to sign for Initiative 50, Reynolds was working for 76 Group. This spring, while Blitz was hustling to get signatures for Initiative 108, Reynolds was working for her new firm, Purple Label Government Solutions, alongside her new partner, fellow former 76 Group staffer Matt La Crue.
76 Group used to be known by another name as well, EIS Solutions. In 2015 EIS Solutions launched a new dual-purpose group, intended to champion school choice and “spend heavily” in Republican politics. What’s the name of the group created by EIS Solutions? Ready Colorado.
Dickhoner did not respond to voice and email requests for comment on how her group came to join the coalition calling 50 & 108 “real threats,” whether she tried to use her position at Advance Colorado to argue against it promoting the initiatives, and how much if any money Ready has given to Advance over the past two years. Reynolds likewise did not return a phone message requesting comment. This article will be updated with any responses received.
Dickhoner isn’t the only Ready Colorado employee who’s on the Advance Colorado team. Senior Advisor Sage Naumann, is also listed as an “Educator,” that is, when he’s not working at his day job as Vice President of Communications for 76 Group.
The call for a special session comes after a last-minute negotiation between proponents Advance and Colorado Concern seemingly collapsed despite the legislature’s passage of SB233, a property tax cut with bipartisan support that at least some elected officials believed would cause the groups to pull their initiatives.
The letter from Ready Colorado and dozens of other groups reads as follows:
“We write to address the urgent matter of Initiatives 50 and 108. These Initiatives present a very significant and real threat to all communities in Colorado, and it will impact services provided by the state and local governments. These measures would lead to cuts in education and higher education funding, fire, EMS, libraries, and other important community services.
“For those reasons, we are supportive of a compromise and a special session to codify this deal and believe this is the best way to work together. Should a special session be called, we urge the scope to be very narrow, limited to one bill that would implement one agreed-upon deal. This focused approach will ensure the session remains productive and avoids unnecessary complications.”
In the case of Ready Colorado, the “significant and real threat” is coming from inside the house.
