EDITORIAL Unique challenges face Gov.-elect Ritter No blueprint exists for grappling with Colorado's wide-ranging issues. He'll face tough policy opti
Last night, Bill Ritter celebrated an impressive election as Colorado's 41st governor. He showed extraordinary skills on the campaign trail, and they'll be invaluable at the statehouse where he'll face a broad array of challenges, many unique to our state.
Ritter will succeed Gov. Bill Owens in January. Just as Owens did, he'll find his reward in hard work and public service. In a gracious concession, Republican Bob Beauprez wished Ritter, a Democrat, every success, noting that if he succeeds, Colorado will too.
No blueprint exists for managing Colorado at the dawn of this century, but voters have entrusted Ritter to deal with its many challenges. Colorado is a state trying to kick-start its economy with high-tech ventures even while trying to stay true to its roots in ranching and agriculture. We're a state that understands the importance of education, yet fails to adequately educate far too many children. Too many Coloradans don't have health insurance. We're rich in natural resources, yet we struggle to balance the needs of mineral development with the desire to be good stewards of the land. An economy that depends upon recreation and tourism can hardly afford to get this wrong.
And then there's the state's budget, which has begun to recover from a starvation diet but is still confined by too many restricting, and conflicting, mandates.
All these are reasons why we hope Ritter draws from a diverse and bipartisan pool when he selects his team to lead Colorado for the next four years.
Politically, the governor will preside over a divided statehouse, even as it appears Democrats will strengthen their majorities in the House and Senate. Whatever the makeup and priorities of the legislature, Ritter will want to govern in the middle, just as he campaigned, and refine his agenda with the help of constructive members of both parties. Lawmakers who try to enforce extreme ideologies will be marginalized as a result of Tuesday's voter attitudes.
The state's unique budget situation needs to be addressed in a meaningful way before Colorado plunges off a cliff of its own making. Voters last year approved a five-year timeout to the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights, but a slew of other measures, including the Gallagher Amendment and education-funding Amendment 23, interact in such ways that unnaturally confine the budget.
Fixing the way Colorado budgets its money would be a huge leap forward. It also could help provide a jolt for Colorado's bumpy economy, which hasn't quite recovered from the recession.
Economic development is key to the state's future and it will take personal commitment from Ritter. Colorado has vastly different landscapes, and a plan that works for the Front Range won't necessarily help the Eastern Plains or bring good-paying jobs to the Western Slope.
The new governor must attend to the state's long-neglected roadways. Dare we ask for a plan to dent the congestion on the Interstate 70 corridor? Maintenance requirements will require hundreds of millions of dollars to make up for years of neglect.
And, of course, one of the most pressing challenges will be trying to balance the water needs of the burgeoning Front Range area with the need to preserve Colorado agriculture along with the open space and other benefits it brings the state. Ritter should press vigorously for modern water policies that encourage conservation and efficiency while balancing the needs of agricultural, recreational and urban water users.
Colorado has long been a leader in the Rocky Mountain West, and should continue to be one under Ritter's leadership.