Colorado has a

inviting supporters to a private event certi ed the “No Labels Party” as the state’s newest political party. e designation means Colorado voters can register with the party. It also means the No Labels-ers will be able to place nominees on Colorado’s general election ballots without candidates having to individually petition on each campaign cycle. e national group behind the party says it’s attempting to gain access to general election ballots in all 50 states ahead of the 2024 presidential season.

It gained minor party status by submitting more than 10,000 signatures from potential supporters, making No Labels Colorado’s sixth minor party.

Where the No Labels Party stands on the big issues

No Labels promotes itself as moderate with cross-partisan appeal. On its national website, a list of policy statements includes balancing the national budget, reducing regulation, shifting federal programs to the states and ensuring energy security, in part by increasing fuel e ciency standards.

On immigration they push for expanding guest worker programs and creating a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants “who meet strict conditions such as learning English, paying back taxes and passing rigorous background checks.”

On health care they advocate for purchasing health insurance across state lines, allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies and expanding the use of nurse practitioners “and other mid-level health care workers providing a wider scope of medical services, such as writing prescriptions.”

No Labels has some history in Colorado e group has been active in previous Colorado elections, including

Holiday o ce closure

Douglas County offices will be closed Monday, Feb. 20, 2023. Many services are available at DoItOnlineDouglas.com

SCFD Free Days

Want to learn more about history, spend time appreciating abstract or contemporary art or get in touch with nature? SCFD organizations have your entrance fee and cultural passions covered. For more information, including specific dates and locations - visit scfd.org

E-recycling: Saturday, Feb. 18

Douglas County residents may dispose of unwanted electronics free of charge at Techno Rescue, 3251 Lewiston St. in Aurora. Drop off weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and occasional Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Proof of residency is required. For a list of acceptable items, Saturday drop-off dates and more, visit douglas.co.us and search for Electronics Recycling.

Snow removal is a shared responsibility!

Learn more at douglas.co.us/snow e political action committee associated with the party did not contribute to any Colorado candidates in the last election.

No Labels also invited GOP U.S. Senate candidate Joe O’Dea — who was running against Hickenlooper’s fellow Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet — to the event, according to the O’Dea campaign. Hickenlooper’s o ce denied ever being involved with the No Labels event.

How No Labels got its minor party status, and what’s next

To gain its minor party status, No Labels submitted 18,046 signatures, of which the Secretary of State’s ofce deemed 11,821 valid — meaning they came from registered Colorado voters.

e Secretary of State’s o ce approved No Labels’ petition Nov. 4, 2022, and the group submitted their signatures Jan. 4.

In order for No Labels or any minor party to maintain their status in Colorado at least one party nominee for statewide o ce must receive 1 percent of votes cast in the last two general elections or it must have at least 1,000 registered voters a liated as members.

Colorado has ve other minor parties: the American Constitution Party, the Approval Voting Party, the Green Party of Colorado, the Libertarian Party of Colorado, and the Unity Party of Colorado.

This story is from CPR News, a nonprofit news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr. org.

Need help with home heating costs?

Eligible low-income households in Douglas County may apply for energy assistance through the Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP). Visit douglas.co.us and search LEAP for more information or an application, or email LEAPHELP@discovermygoodwill.org

Drive US 85?

Construction to widen the road between Highlands Ranch Parkway and C-470 is underway. Please expect delays and watch for crews. Sign up for updates so you know what to expect. Visit douglas.co.us and search for Subscribe Now and choose US 85 construction.

Do you have one hour to spare each week?

Consider giving that time to change the life of an older adult by volunteering with Aging Resources. You can help with transportation, go grocery shopping or provide company for older adults. For more information, visit agingresourcesdougco.org by Laydon and Teal — this time conducted by the Arapahoe County Sheri ’s O ce — did not nd probable cause to believe that omas committed the crime of rst-degree o cial misconduct. omas held a news conference in November and called the probe “yet another bogus investigation.”

“ e Colorado criminal code does not speci cally prohibit a waiver of privileged and con dential information by a privilege holder. In this case, as a member of the Board of County Commissioners, Lora omas is a privilege holder,” Arapahoe County Sheri ’s Ofce Sgt. Bruce Peterson wrote in a memorandum.

‘Forced to find legal remedies’

Whether the county is obligated to pay omas’ legal fees depends on whether she was acting in the scope of her duties or her actions were “willful and wanton.”

“If you believe that the actions of ( omas) were purposely pursued in order to likely result in harm to the county, then that would be willful and wanton,” Chris Pratt, interim Douglas County attorney, told the commissioners during the Jan. 31 meeting.

Laydon argued Arapahoe County

“got it wrong” in evaluating omas’ actions, saying “the privileged holder of a con dential document is the board” and not just one member of the board. He based his point on Pratt’s understanding of the law.

“ e release of a privileged document is not something an individual (commissioner) can do. Leaking something to the press is highly inappropriate,” Laydon said. “Commissioner omas has never indicated that she did not do that. Which, again, I think that lack of candor really speaks to the lack of trustworthiness that we’ve experienced here. So no, I am not interested in asking the taxpayers to spend money to defend willful and wanton action.”

An old court case that involved a dispute between a public o cial and a board of county commissioners came up during the conversa-

“It was an argument over salaries for employees,” Pratt said. “In that case, the court ordered the board to pay for the legal fees for the treasurer’s o ce. e court felt it was inappropriate for the board to create a legal dispute and then require another elected o ce to pay.”

But Pratt was not sure the case applies to omas’ situation, given that the current dispute is within the Douglas board of commissioners itself rather than two di erent entities, he said. omas was undeterred, arguing the situation is still the county’s responsibility.

“What I am saying is that if you decide to not follow the law and pay my legal bills, then I will be forced to nd legal remedies to be made whole as the law allows,” omas said. omas also said she was “willing to o er a compromise” to Laydon and Teal.

“If you two are willing to split the almost $23,000 that you cost the taxpayers, and you write a check to the county by Feb. 15 — if you’re really concerned about taxpayer dollars here — you each write a check for almost $11,500 to pay the county back for the frivolous $23,000 bill you charged them,” omas said.

“After those personal checks clear, I will waive my right to my attorney’s fees.”

Laydon responded: “I want to be unequivocal that it was you that cost the taxpayers $23,000.” e allegations toward omas were based on the use of an anonymous letter sent to the commissioners on April 29, 2019, and whether the information in the document was used in her unsuccessful 2022 campaign for Douglas County sheri . is story draws from Colorado Community Media reporting by Elliott Wenzler and Haley Lena.

“It’s your behavior. I don’t think George and I have any interest in engaging counsel to deal with misconduct of a commissioner,” Laydon said.

Recently, Laydon again accused omas in a Jan. 31 letter of leaking “classi ed” materials, pointing to the content of a story written by Colorado Community Media. Laydon did not specify what exactly in the CCM story he was referring to as being classi ed.