Why Pueblo's mayor allowed a lobbyist to write an opinion for her (and may do so again)

Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham recently submitted similar opinion pieces to two Colorado newspapers — the Pueblo Chieftain and the Denver Post — but she didn’t write them herself.

A Colorado lobbyist working for Evraz, the company that owns Pueblo’s storied steel mill and is one of the city’s largest employers, penned the op-ed as part of an advocacy push to defeat some bills introduced at the Colorado Legislature that business leaders said could hurt Pueblo.

First reported by the Colorado Times Recorder, the Chieftain verified through an open records request that the op-eds were written by a representative for Evraz.

Graham said in an interview with the Chieftain that she had no reservations about publishing the op-ed as her own writing and would do so with other externally written letters in the future if her values align with the message.

“This is something that frequently happens with public officials, that you have people who are, you know, much better writers than yourself put together an op-ed. … I think as long as your ideas come along in it, and it's something that you can back, I think it's completely acceptable and it happens with all elected officials,” Graham said.

Lobbyist who wrote the op-ed calls it 'common practice’

Sean Duffy, the lobbyist for Evraz who wrote the letter, said in an interview with the Chieftain that writing op-eds for others is “common practice” and the one he penned for Graham was part of a multi-pronged approach to bring Pueblo business leaders together to rally against the legislation at the capitol.

That effort also included a group trip up to Denver in March to testify on Senate Bill 166, which would have increased penalties for repeat offenders of air quality violations.

“This was just content presented as an optional tool: take it or leave it,” Duffy said.

The draft letter shared with Graham on March 18 was published with minimal changes in the Chieftain and the Denver Post on March 24.

The mayor’s role with Evraz

Evraz has operated Pueblo’s steel mill since 2007. Pueblo’s economic vitality has been historically tied to the health of the steel mill and it’s still one of the city’s largest businesses, employing over 1,000 people.

Graham said that her role as mayor in working with Evraz is to “continue relationships and partnerships with one of our largest job providers.”

“I think that along with all of our other manufacturing companies that the role is to have good open communication and to make sure our needs are met on both sides,” Graham said.

She added that losing approximately 1,200 jobs would be “detrimental” to Pueblo’s economy since workers spend money at local businesses and contribute to the city’s coffers.

More than half of the city government’s operating revenue comes from the 3.7% sales tax that Pueblo assesses on most purchases.

Duffy also said that mayors should have good working relationships with large manufacturers in the area.

“To have a cordial and cooperative relationship with major employers — as Mayor Graham has worked very hard to do in her short time in office and as Mayor (Nick) Gradisar did — is important,” Duffy said.

Past reporting on Evraz: Evraz fire 100% contained, but fire danger remains with high winds expected in Pueblo

What happened to the bills Graham opposed?

One of the two bills that Graham’s letter directly mentioned failed, but the other one passed both chambers of the Legislature.

The bill introduced in the Senate to increase penalties on air quality violators was postponed indefinitely by the Senate finance committee in a unanimous vote on May 2.

But the other bill that Graham’s op-ed mentioned that creates a state office of environmental justice, House Bill 1338, successfully passed both chambers and is awaiting the signature of the governor as of Wednesday afternoon.

While Pueblo is not directly mentioned in HB 1338, the bill requires the new state agency of environmental justice to craft analyses in specific areas and increases state involvement in “disproportionately impacted communities,” according to the fiscal note. Graham’s op-ed said that Pueblo could possibly be designated for a study.

Pueblo’s senator at the capitol, Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, consistently voted against both of the bills, which were mostly supported by his fellow Democrats. The air quality enforcement bill did not make it to a floor vote, but Hinrichsen joined the two Republicans on the Senate Transportation and Energy Committee in voting no on the bill on March 20.

Hinrichsen also cast an opposing vote on HB 1338 on its third reading in the Senate.

The Senate bill never made it to the House, but Pueblo Democratic Reps. Tisha Mauro and Matt Martinez both supported the bill that created the new agency of environmental justice. Pueblo County's Republican representatives whose districts include parts of Pueblo County, Reps. Ty Winter and Stephanie Luck, both opposed the legislation.

More local government news: City changes course, allows Pueblo Rescue Mission to resume emergency shelter operations

Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com. Please support local news at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham allowed Evraz lobbyist to write her opinion