Contacting public officials to win their help

There were no promises to create a Colorado city called Amazon. There were no bribes from the state like the 21-foot cactus an Arizona city sent to get the massive retailer to build a second headquarters there. And there was no way Colorado was going to touch one state’s lavish offer of $7 billion in public incentives. Colorado, which doesn’t plan to ask taxpayers for more funding to lure Amazon, on Wednesday submitted a more subdued proposal that state officials hope will attract a new employer and bring up to 50,000 jobs to the Denver region. The state emailed the official bid a day before Amazon’s deadline, as well as mailed five paper copies overnight to the Seattle retailer’s headquarters. “Colorado’s proposal does not lead with incentives. It leads with talent,” said Sam Bailey, who led the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. in working with the state to submit the official bid. “Ultimately, 50,000 jobs shouldn’t be led with incentives but a community that has the … [Read more...] about No bribes or cities named “Amazon”: Colorado’s pitch to get the next headquarters touts incentives that could exceed $100M

A consortium with a track record of big public infrastructure initiatives in Colorado will spearhead the $1.2 billion project to expand Interstate 70 through northeast Denver and Aurora amid persisting controversy and federal court challenges. Kiewit Meridiam Partners rose to the top of the list of four groups that were vying for the public-private partnership, said Colorado Department of Transportation executive director Shailen Bhatt. Officials were drawn to KMP, in part, because of its hope to shave about six months off the planned five-year timeline for construction, which is expected to cause headaches for motorists. “Today, we take a big step forward in replacing what you see behind us,” Bhatt said at a Thursday news conference announcing the decision as I-70’s crumbling viaduct provided the backdrop. “We are moving full speed ahead.” KMP will design, build and finance the project — known as Central 70 — and operate and maintain it for 30 years. Financial terms have … [Read more...] about CDOT picks Kiewit Meridiam Partners to lead $1.2 billion I-70 expansion, as project’s controversy simmers

NEW YORK — With the nation’s financial system on the brink of collapse, all but three Republicans voted against the massive stimulus package designed to protect millions of Americans from financial ruin. It was early 2009, just weeks after Joe Biden was sworn in as vice president, and the vote marked the beginning of a new era of partisan gridlock in Congress. And for beleaguered Republicans coming off a disastrous election, it was their first step back to political power. Democrats voted alone to stabilize the economy, and two years later, a Republican Party unified only by its unwavering opposition to Barack Obama’s presidency seized the House majority. Now, just weeks into the Biden presidency, the GOP is gambling that history will repeat itself. Early Saturday morning, 210 House Republicans joined two Democrats in voting against a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package that would send $1,400 checks to most Americans and hundreds of billions more to help open schools, … [Read more...] about Republicans test history in vote against pandemic relief