The Colorado Secretary of State’s elections division has ordered California-based nonprofit With Many Hands to either “cure” alleged violations of Colorado’s Fair Campaign Practices Act or explain why it hasn’t by Sept. 18, according to BizWest reporting by Dallas Heltzell. The complaint, filed by Greeley Forward, claims With Many Hands – linked to the San Francisco-based Tides Foundation – spent thousands of dollars on ads opposing Greeley’s $1.1 billion Catalyst entertainment district plan without registering as an issue committee or disclosing donors.
The elections division says the violations may be “curable,” meaning the group could fix the mess by doing what it should have done in the first place: file the proper reports. But until then, Weld County voters are left staring at another case of outside dark money trying to play cowboy in our backyard.
The Bullet Point Brief
- With Many Hands, a nonprofit tied to the Tides Foundation, is accused of flouting Colorado’s campaign finance laws.
- Greeley Forward says the group ran up to $9,500 in Facebook and Instagram ads without registering or disclosing donors.
- The Secretary of State’s office says the group must “cure” the violations by Sept. 18 or face a potential investigation.
- A Weld District judge already ruled the citizen petition to repeal Greeley’s Catalyst project won’t make November’s ballot.
- If found in violation, With Many Hands could face fines and a very public scolding – though that won’t erase the shady tactics already used.
My Bottom Line
These kinds of dirty, dark-money games are not who Greeley and Weld County are. Many Hands should simply “cure” this complaint and tell us who they really are and where their money really comes from. Full transparency would go a long way in earning the trust of those of us who’ve spent a lifetime here and know that this is not the way Weld County does things. If you have nothing to hide, file the report. Until then, your credibility is worth less than a campaign flyer in a rainstorm.
