TRUTH TEST: Colorado on the move?

KUSA - 9NEWS remains committed to holding those who run political commercials on our stations accountable for what they say.

The following Truth Test looks at a 30-second ad paid for by a group called Colorado's On the Move which describes itself on its Web site as "a non-profit organization focused on promoting Colorado's role as a national leader in the development of strong workplaces and good jobs through the 'New Energy Economy'." (Source: Colorado's On the Move)

The group is a registered 501(c)(4) which means under federal tax codes it is identified as a "social welfare organization." The tax codes also allow for donors to the organization to remain private. The group is run by Mike Melanson, who in 2008 coordinated the successful U.S. Senate campaign of Mark Udall (D-Colorado). It registered in the state of Colorado on Oct. 6 (Source: Colorado Secretary of State).

The group's registered agent is Julie Wells, who in past election cycles has been the registered agent for a number of organizations formed to either advocate for Democratic candidates or attack Republican candidates. Prior examples include a group called Colorado First Project which attacked 2008 Republican Senate candidate Bob Schaffer and being the point person for donations for groups called Citizens for Colorado and Alliance for a Better Colorado which worked in the 2008 election cycle. (Source: 9NEWS, http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:qNrTR8rpaeMJ:facethestate.com/downloads/coda-web/strategygroup.pdf+%22julie+wells%22+and+denver+and+politics&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us), http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/527/colorado-citizens-coalition.asp)  

The organization has spent $103,650 to run the commercial 74 times on the networks of 9NEWS from mid-October through mid-November.

QUOTE: In times like these, one leader is turning Colorado's New Energy Economy into jobs and opportunity: Governor Bill Ritter. Under Ritter's leadership, one of the largest makers of wind turbines found a home right here, opening four new plants, creating nearly 2,500 new jobs. Plants in Windsor, Pueblo, two in Brighton.

TRUTH: This isn't exactly accurate.

The company being talked about here is Vestas, the world's largest wind turbine manufacturer. The Danish company is planning on investing $1 billion in four Colorado plants. The locations listed in the commercial are accurate with the Windsor facility already on line, the Pueblo one close to completion and the two in Brighton set to open next year.

It's the jobs comment though that needs some context. Within the last month, Vestas announced that "Due to the credit crisis, the upgrading in the USA is not progressing as quickly as planned." (Source: Denver Post, Oct. 28, 2009). Vestas's CEO Ditlev Engel told The Denver Post in a telephone interview that the company is "going to get to 2,500 jobs; it is just a question of how quickly." Therefore the ad's assertion that the jobs have already been created and the plants already opened is not true right now. It may be by the end of the next year or in the not too distant future, but it's not accurate right now.

QUOTE: No wonder Forbes named Colorado America's 4th best state for business.

TRUE: This is true.

Forbes.com based its ratings on costs of doing business, labor supply, current economic climate, growth prospects, quality of life and its regulatory environment. The site says costs of doing business (i.e. wages, energy prices and taxes) carried the most importance. Colorado ranked No. 4 behind Virginia, Washington and Utah. In 2008, Colorado ranked No. 6 in the same survey. For more details on how Colorado scored in each of those areas, click on the link to the right. (Source: Forbes.com)

QUOTE: Governor Bill Ritter. Strong leadership that has Colorado on the move.

TRUTH: This is opinion.