Colorado Springs Gazette

El Paso County Clerk and Recorder Wayne Williams filed court papers in Denver on Thursday to demand a date for the election that could recall Colorado Springs Democratic state Sen. John Morse.

Legal wrangling has tied up the effort to recall Morse, who was targeted over his stance on gun control measures that passed the General Assembly this year. A protest of the recall effort was filed by Catherine Kleinsmith of Colorado Springs, who claims the recall petitions used in the campaign to oust Morse don’t meet constitutional muster.

The protest was denied by the secretary of state’s office then appealed to Denver District Court.

A judge Wednesday rejected an effort by anti-tax activist Douglas Bruce to overturn the wording on a ballot measure that will be decided by Colorado Springs voters in November. Fourth Judicial District Judge G. David Miller also refused to force the city to send a 500-word commentary from Bruce to accompany the ballot measure, now known as Ballot Issue 300.

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A group of citizens is considering a ballot initiative that would force Colorado Springs to sell city-run Memorial Health System, which ended last year in the red. The initiative must pass the city’s title-setting board. If it passes the board proponents will have 180 days to collect over 11,000 signatures.

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DENVER ”¢ If Coloradans were hoping for a quiet campaign season after last fall’s record number of ballot measures, they may be in for a disappointment. A potential ballot measure is in the works that could be labeled “Son of Referendum C.”

House Majority Leader Paul Weissman, D-Louisville, is promising to introduce a referendum in late February that could extend Referendum C indefinitely. Referendum C, passed by voters in 2005, allowed the state to keep more than $5 billion in taxes that otherwise would have been refunded to residents.