Subject: Thousands of Coloradans to Gessler: Serve Colorado or resign
From: "Alan Franklin, ProgressNow Colorado" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2011 13:47:13 -0600 (CST)

Dear Friends,

A quick update--since Saturday, over 2,600 Coloradans have signed our
petition demanding that Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler
either abandon his irresponsible plan to work part time for his former
election-specialist law firm, or resign from his office. This is a
tremendous response, but we're not done yet!

If you haven't had a chance to sign yet, please click here. If you've
already signed, please take just a moment to forward this message to
your friends.

http://progressnowcolorado.pnstate.org/site/R?i=TRPAswuLvMigJchLoKCWbw..

Here is a small sample of the thousands of outraged responses to
Gessler's decision we've received since Saturday:

Kathy in Johnstown writes: "I support Scott Gessler going back to his
old law firm, right after he resigns his post as Secretary of State!
He has already indicated his own conflict of interests in even asking
for this allowance!  With this in mind he is not an asset to the
state government nor to this position."

Bart in Glenwood Springs: "The expectations of Colorado citizens
should be that the Secretary of State serves full-time for the
duration of his or her term, and that the person in this position will
devote there full energies to this position. Working part-time in any
other position is unacceptable, and would be a violation of the public
trust."

Phil in Boulder: "Scott Gessler should have known what the pay was for
the Secretary of State of Colorado before running. If he didn't he's
less of a secretary of state than Colorado needs and should not hold
such a critical position. If he did wait until the voters put him in
office to announce the money wasn't good enough he should be taken out
of office now. There are a lot of Colorado citizens who make much less
then the secretary of state sees as not enough money. Let an honest
person do the job!"

Marilyn in Loveland: "You're supposed to be guarding the henhouse, not
stalking it. Didn't you take an oath to protect the election process
against threats from people like your firm's clients?"

We'll deliver your signatures and comments to Gessler's office, other
elected officials, and the media later this week. And as always,
thanks for standing up, and demanding integrity from Colorado's
highest officeholders.

http://progressnowcolorado.pnstate.org/site/R?i=Bg-CMKiqWPxKiQe7k98Mww..

Alan

---------- Original message ----------
From: Alan Franklin, ProgressNow Colorado
<[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, Jan 22, 2011 at 10:31 AM
Subject: Tell Scott Gessler: Serve Colorado or resign

Dear Neighbor,

No moonlighting, Scott Gessler
Before his election last November as Secretary of State,
Scott Gessler was a partner in one of Colorado's most
politically connected law
firms. He represented some of the state's most controversial
right
wing political groups and candidates. Some of Gessler's clients
have been
disgraced by campaign finance disclosure complaints, allegations of
unlawful false statements against their opponents, and other alleged
election law violations.

http://progressnowcolorado.pnstate.org/site/R?i=eg37ERIBJJWi2o8inL50hg..

Despite Gessler's record, he promised on the campaign trail
last year that he would set aside his past associations, and serve the
state of
Colorado without the conflicts of interest that would seem obvious
given his history.
But today, The Denver Post reports that Gessler wants to remain
employed
part time by his old law firm while he serves as Secretary of State.

Colorado's Secretary of State, the state's chief
elections
official, moonlighting at a law firm that specializes in elections?
This is
completely unacceptable. Sign our petition now, demanding that
Gessler
immediately abandon this absurd plan. And if he can't, Gessler
should

http://progressnowcolorado.pnstate.org/site/R?i=7pBAl30UIJh65SaEOeTHmg..

immediately resign his position as Secretary of State.

Gessler is telling reporters he won't take on cases
that pertain to elections, business registration, gaming, charities,
or any of
the long list of issues the Secretary of State's office
oversees. But according
to Colorado Ethics Watch, the state's leading government ethics
watchdog group,
attorney-client confidentiality prevents the public from even asking
questions
about Gessler's moonlighting--let alone getting real answers!
(Colorado
Independent, 1/20/2011)

This is not a case of a public servant who simply needs a better
income. For one thing, Gessler knew perfectly well when campaigning
for this
job what it paid--just under $70,000 per year. And this is no ordinary
"second
income," this is a situation which opens the door to the kind of
backroom
dealing and favoritism of his old political pals that Gessler's
opponents
always feared. What's more, the state Attorney General's
office is now tasked
with "working with Gessler" to prevent conflicts of
interest. How much staff
time and expense will that take up?

Tell Gessler right now: this is not acceptable.

http://progressnowcolorado.pnstate.org/site/R?i=15Wfe-tEqmmEzE-aRIeH6Q..

Sign our
petition demanding that Gessler give up his plan to moonlight for his
old law
firm; and if he can't do that, to immediately resign from his
office. We'll deliver your names and comments to Gessler's office,
other officials, and the media at the end of next week.

Colorado
needs a full-time Secretary of State--but above all, Colorado needs a
Secretary
of State we can trust, and Scott Gessler is failing that test.

Thank you,

Alan Franklin

Donation 9/23/2010 2

http://progressnowcolorado.pnstate.org/site/R?i=Zl9S59kCwizRjnQdiDLFHA..

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