Last year’s statewide elections weren’t exactly a boon to Tea Party loyalists, but perhaps the impending city council elections in Colorado Springs will provide a second chance. United by a hatred of spending proposals, candidate and anti-tax activist Douglas Bruce and four other like-minded candidates for at-large council seats have each pitched in $10,000 to push what they refer to as a Reform Team (Gazette). None of the other contenders have raised that kind of cash, notes the Colorado Springs Independent, which adds that icoloradosprings.org has launched another postcard project, this time for the city’s mayoral election—though not all the messages are particularly constructive.

Denver interim mayor Bill Vidal is also facing criticism for locking the public out of budgetary task force meetings, reports Westword. Mayoral candidates Chris Romer and Michael Hancock are taking him to task (Colorado Independent), while James Mejía, another candidate as well as a former member of the Denver School Board, is urging the state’s Joint Budget Committee to restore some of the $375 million Governor John Hickenlooper has cut from public education (also via the Colorado Independent).