How many weeks have I started Colorado Inside Out saying… “it was a big week.. there’s lots to discuss…” and assured that our panel has some great insight to help sort through what’s happening around us. We end this week with a lot of emotion. And in regards to some of what has transpired maybe we don’t have all the answers. However, we all have our beliefs and ideas as to why things happen, or how things could be better and we need to listen to one another to move forward, together. Here is a look into what we discussed on September 12th .

Assassination & School Shooting Rock Colorado: The assassination of Charlie Kirk and another Colorado school shooting raise urgent questions among our Insiders about homegrown terrorism, political extremism, and how communities respond.

• Patty Calhoun, Westword Editor, brings up how Charlie Kirk was supposed to be in Woodland Park right now and on the Colorado State University next Thursday. “We’re all are watching the ceremonies remembering 9/11 and remembering how incredibly shaken we all were. We think about international terrorism but the terrorism at home, the homegrown terrorism, is what has become so horrifying. And whether you agreed with what Charlie Kirk said or not, you had to agree with the fact that he’d like to talk and he liked to listen.”
• Sean Walsh, Consultant, concurs: “I think this is it’s certainly an opportunity for us to contribute in the way Charlie Kirk did. He was very partisan and very provocative. But as Patty points out he died doing the very thing that that he loved to do. I think the example here is to have the courage to engage and to listen to people and try to understand them.”
• When it comes to the school shooting at Evergreen High School in Colorado, where the shooter also took his own life, David Kopel, Independence Institute Research Director, advocates for increased security in schools: “You can talk all about the root causes and gun control and all these kinds of things, and some of those things might be good ideas, but the only way to stop these shootings is to protect schools with as much protection as we give to politicians, or jewelry stores.”
• Laura Aldrete, Consultant, is concerned by that idea: “it would be a sad day to have armed guards at every school with young children, right? If that’s our reality. That’s a sad statement.”

Mental Health Failures Leave Public at Risk: Colorado law allows release of defendants deemed incompetent to stand trial, but underfunded mental health facilities leave dangerous gaps in accountability and public safety. The Weld County Sheriff is the lastest public official to call out the law, by posting the mug shot of an inmate and mentioning how that man was going to be released because he was deemed incompetent to stand trial.

• David Kopel points out that in Colorado.. ”we have state mental facilities to take care of people who are criminally insane and can’t be restored to competency. The problem is the capacity is gigantically under underfunded. There is currently a waiting list of over 300 people … and we could make everybody better off if we would just prioritize funding the things the government should be doing, like the mental health institutions, which are actually one of the few things in the Colorado Constitution that the legislature is ordered to do.”
• The 2024 law that is the cause of this controversy was passed with bipartisan support in the legislature and Sean Walsh says the law was passed with good intention but lacked foresight: “One of the bill sponsors, said ‘we thought we had the money and then we didn’t.’ So, while I applaud the intent, I just, I want to suggest…. instead of passing more laws, we need to focus on those we’ve already passed and make sure they are enforced and resourced.”

Republican State Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer Jumps into Governor’s Race: Republican State Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer announced her candidacy for Governor this week. Kirkmeyer has been in local politics since 1991 when she was a Weld County Commissioner. She joins a dozen other Republicans running for the opportunity to take on either U.S. Senator Michael Bennet or Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, the two leading Democratic candidates, to succeed Governor Jared Polis.

• Laura Aldrete says it’s great for democracy for Kirkmeyer to join the race, acknowledging her strengths but also pointing out that she may need to address some past claims: “She is going to have to come back from, her claim to want to succeed from the State of Colorado. She’s going to have to thread the needle on her pro-life stance when the people of Colorado have secured, reproductive rights for women in our Constitution… those are going to be hard for her.”
• Sean Walsh says he thinks the odds are stacked against her: “As you point out, there’s only been one Republican governor in the last 50 years. It’s definitely rough sledding there, and the mainstream media is going to hang Donald Trump around her neck like a stone. And not just on issues that affect the nation, but here in Colorado… moving Space Command to Alabama and calling into question mail-in ballots which we’ve been doing in Colorado since the 90s. She’s going to have to be very nimble in how she talks about of the president in order not to alienate the base, which is what she’s going to need to win.”
• David Kopel disagrees and thinks Kirkmeyer is a strong candidate: “She’s not a hardcore right wing Republican. She’s a moderate conservative. And this may be our last chance to save the state. I think Colorado has done better typically under mixed government than uni-party control.”

Broncos Unveil Plans for Retractable-Roof Stadium in New Location: The Denver Broncos confirm plans for a retractable-roof stadium at Burnham Yard, and leaving Mile High Stadium around the 2030 season, raising excitement about economic development, community benefits, and Denver’s role as a sports hub.

• Patty Calhoun applauds the Broncos for their “smart land purchases” in and around the historic rail yard.
• Sean Walsh concurs about the team’s strategy: The purchase of several all cash purchases of parcels around Burnham Yard is to the tune of about $150 million. And I think what is under-reported is the fact that unlike in 1998, this will be paid for by the Penner family, by the Denver Broncos, unlike in 1998, where we the voters came up with 75% of the cost of the current stadium.”
• David Kopel says this move is “outstanding,” especially with the retractable roof in the plans since Denver could be considered to host big events like a Super Bowl or a college football championship.
• Laura Aldrete, a city planning expert, says she’s looking out for 3 things in this deal: “One is that there needs to be really good multiple modes of transportation. I think it needs the Front Range rail. Passenger rail needs to have a stop there. I think the talked-about community benefits agreement really needs to be meaningful. And then third is that I hope it’s not just a stadium. It needs to be an entertainment district, usable 24-7 or at least, you know, 18 hours a day to get all the tax benefit, out of it that, that we can.”

Well, the Broncos are headed to Indianapolis this weekend to play the Colt’s inside their retractable roof stadium….. we’ll see how this all plays out. In the meantime, Go Broncos!