Campaign Finance Disclosure Task Force to Hold Public Meeting Tomorrow

Effort Will Make Campaign Contributions More Transparent

Denver, July 11, 2007 – Secretary of State Mike Coffman’s Campaign Finance Disclosure Task Force will hold the first of several public meetings tomorrow as task force members seek public testimony on how the state’s campaign finance website can be improved to increase transparency and accountability in Colorado politics.

Thursday’s public meeting will focus on seeking input on how a campaign’s financial data is entered into the system. Task force members will hear testimony from political campaign committees, campaign treasurers and other registered agents. Subsequent public meetings, to be scheduled later this summer, will focus on other areas of interest, such as how the public and the media gain access to the data and the types of reports the new website should be able to generate.

WHO: Secretary Coffman’s Campaign Finance Disclosure Task Force:

• Colin Campbell, Echelon Data
• Bill Compton, Political Director, Colorado Democratic Party
• Senator Ken Gordon (D-Denver)
• Christi Heppard, Campaign and Political Finance Director, Secretary of State
• Representative Jim Kerr (R-Littleton)
• Representative Morgan Carroll (D-Aurora)
• Ed Otte, Executive Director, Colorado Press Association
• Cindy Rasor, Jefferson County Clerk & Recorder’s office
• Rory Schmalzreid, Assignment Editor, ABC 7 News
• Trevor Timmons, Director of Information Technology, Secretary of State

WHAT: Public meeting of the Campaign Finance Disclosure Task Force

WHEN: Thursday, July 12, 2007, Meeting begins at 5:00 PM

NOTE: Secretary Coffman and task force members will be available for interviews at 4:30 PM

WHERE: Secretary of State’s Office, 1700 Broadway, Blue Spruce Room (Second Floor), Denver, CO

TENTATIVE AGENDA:

• Welcoming remarks by Secretary Coffman
• Introduction of task force members
• Goals of the task force
• Secretary of State presentation on statutory requirements for filing
• Public comments and recommendations for data filings
• Goals for the next meeting