Somehow, someway, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has embedded himself into Colorado politics.

And the issue of just how close of a relationship is shared between Bloomberg and Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has been a topic of debate, especially since the contentious 2013 session, in which several new gun control bills were passed. Many of those bills were passed with help from Bloomberg’s “Mayors Against Illegal Guns.”

CompleteColorado.com has obtained audio from the Governor’s office that shows how deep the admiration from Hickenlooper to Bloomberg could possibly go.

In a taped conversation before Hickenlooper gives an interview to a reporter with Bloomberg news, Hickenlooper says:

“Actually, watching what Michael Bloomberg did for New York, as Mayor, it made me love Bloomberg News in a way nothing else really could. When DeBlasio took over, and basically (unintelligible) people trashed Mayor Bloomberg, I got a whole, long…fawning letter up to Bloomberg just saying how outrageous it was. And then just reciting what I thought he’d be remembered for, and every big city mayor that I know, thinks that he’ll go down as one of the greatest mayors, not just in New York, but in the history of the United States.”

Bloomberg’s legacy in NYC may be mixed, or positive overall. But the former Mayor who once tried to ban various sizes of soda within his city has never seemed to be in sync with Colorado politics.

Bloomberg rankled much of the state when he recently said in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine that the successful recalls of two Colorado state senators happened “where I don’t think there’s roads. It’s as far rural as you can get.”

Prior to that, the Bloomberg issue inserted itself in the debate when Governor Hickenlooper told a group of Colorado sheriffs that he had not spoken to Bloomberg. Phone records previously obtained by CompleteColorado.com showed the pair had in fact exchanged phone calls — at key points of the gun debates in the 2013 session.

Bloomberg’s two financial forays into Colorado politics were both rebuffed. Bloomberg gave heavily to support the two senators facing recall votes in 2013, and both lost. He also gave to the Amendment 66 tax increase question on the 2013 ballot; Amendment 66 lost badly at the polls.

CompleteColorado.com asked the Governor’s office for a copy of the letter, but our request was denied. The governor’s legal office said that the letter was hand-written, therefore no copy existed. They also asserted that the letter was a personal note that did not involve the exercise of any official government functions, and therefore was not a public record. The Governor’s office also declined comment for this story.

Send us tips at CompleteColorado@gmail.com





Comments

comments