Guest Columns

It’s another Monday night meeting of the Denver City Council. Dozens of citizens have gathered in the ornate council chamber on the fourth floor of the City and County building for a controversial public hearing. It’s a time honored tradition (mandated for land use issues) that gives interested constituents three minutes at the podium to speak directly to elected officials and tell them what’s on their minds.

Bam! The committee room slams open and a man in a black tuxedo jacket appears. He pushes a little cart slowly into the room. We go silent, we raucous and punch drunk members of the House Democratic Caucus. It is our second or third day of debating the 1976 Long Bill and exhaustion has set in. Now we see that this strange man is a waiter and he is bringing dinner to one of our members. Someone who is not satisfied with the Big Macs and French fries the rest of us are consuming voraciously.

The University of Colorado increased tuition 9 percent earlier this year. University officials seem to say their numerous revenue sources — student tuition, state funding, foundations, corporate and federal grants, alumni contributions and more — are not enough. Colorado higher education is an easy target for budget cutting, but increased tuition will result in fewer students able to afford college.

It’s a small part of a larger problem.

If the Hancock media team really wants to raise our new Mayor’s national profile they could do worse than to take a lesson from Governor Hickenlooper. It doesn’t get any better for a Democrat than snagging a shout out from George Will. As the dean of (establishment, not Tea Party) conservative punditry, Will’s recent column helps spread the speculation that Hick just might make an appearance on the Democratic national ticket in 2016. A lot of homebrew will need to pass under the bridge before that comes to pass, but who’s to say it’s impossible?