Posted 07.15.2010
McInnis’ sleight of hand
Troubling or not?
By Bart TaylorThe next few days will determine whether Scott McInnis' sloppy scholarship rises to the level of a hanging offense.
Reading some of the material in question is a bit troubling, admittedly. But legitimate points are being made about the nature of the project and the standard to which the material and its author should be held. Time will tell.
What's not at issue is the importance of the topic at the center of the controversy - water - and the potential loss of a candidate who is relatively well-versed in the details of Colorado's significant water challenge. McInnis seems to have a fairly deep understanding of the gravity of the water crisis facing Colorado. The video on ColoradoBiz TV today demonstrates his comfort level with the subject matter, notwithstanding some gratuitous shots at his Democrat opponent.
McInnis mentions the importance of storage as a key component in Colorado's water future, an ironic reference as a passage referring to Green Mountain Reservoir is at the heart of the "Musings on Water" controversy. On this front he's right. It would be difficult to find a water professional in Colorado who didn't agree that enhanced storage infrastructure will be required in the future. The need will become more acute if climate change lessens the amount of annual of annual precipitation in some of the state's primary drainages, as some are predicting.
But storage isn't the only solution, and whoever occupies the governor's residence should have a well-rounded understanding of the obstacles ahead. Mayor Hickenlooper has pointed out the progress Denver has made in conserving water, a process and blueprint he hopefully would bring to state government if elected.
Important? Absolutely. For those who make it their business to pay attention to such things, it must be infuriating to drive a Colorado highway at mid-afternoon, , as I did last week, only to splash through puddles made by automatic sprinklers watering Kentucky bluegrass (one presumes).
Conservation, though, will take the state only so far. The candidate who articulates the most reasonable and practical plan to improve what is today a bleak water-supply outlook for Colorado may win the election. The issue is that important.
A good start would be to explain in detail how Colorado will move to develop its remaining Colorado River Compact allocation, estimated by the Colorado Department of Natural Resources to be as high as several hundred-thousand acre feet of water. (In the spirit of full attribution, here's a link to that report.)
If Scott McInnis is that candidate - but does not appear on the ballot in November because of his water musings -- the story will have come full circle, perhaps to our detriment.
Bart Taylor is the publisher of ColoradoBiz magazine. E-mail him at btaylor@cobizmag.com.
Readers Respond
Thanks Bob. I read some of the McInnis Musings. It's evident that whoever wrote the final draft intentionally lifted the material and with subtle changes tried to cover their tracks and avoid attributing the source. Here's a suggestion for the McInnis camp: stop stonewalling and offer a complete explanation. Start with a point you're making Bob, that water is a complex issue, that no one person (in my view) is capable of understanding it fully and developing a blueprint for solutions; admit the mistake, commit to building a knowledgeable team and plan and articulate the position as part of a coherent platform. How likely, though, are we to see this?
By Publisher on 2010 07 16It's always smart to refocus people on the important issues at hand during the media circus that erupts around a political road show when a crisis of credibility knocks a wheel off a campaign. McInnis's water expertise is really thrown into doubt when you realize it is derived not from his own research and knowledge but from copying out of someone eles's book. That's one problem with modern politicians: they reiterate, reiterate and reinterate until they think what they are saying is their own original thought. But you are right, the issue is water for Colorado, and no one should forget how important that issue is for Colorado's future. Hopefully, the next governor will assimilate enough knowledge about Colorado's challenges to propose realistic and effective solutions to our water problems.
By Robert Schwab on 2010 07 16As a PR professional, I am keenly aware that perception becomes reality. And what’s at issue here, among other things, is perception. An airline executive once said, "If people see a dirty tray stand they assume that the plane's engine is also malfunctioning." This kind of perception, sometimes bogus and other times valid, will be key to what happens next.
By Stephen Koenigsberg on 2010 07 15I am glad you brought up this important issue. If you ask most business people in Colorado what is our most important resource or issue facing Colorado I think few would mention water. We have a lot of work ahead to make sure that our water supplies are adequate and we use them in a responsible manner. Water has great implications on our economy in terms of economic development, recreation and agriculture - we must use it wisely and come up with new ways to conserve and probably re-use. I don't expect our Governor to be an expert in water but I do expect them to surround themselves with people who are. As to the issues regarding intellectual property such as copyrights I would think this area of the law is probably less confusing than water law - although some of my intellectual property lawyer friends might disagree!
By Neil McKenzie on 2010 07 15Leave a comment
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