Bernie Buescher

Bernie Buescher
Colorado Secretary of State
Appointed by the Governor
Assumed office 2009
Current term ends 2011
Political party	Democratic
Website	Official Colorado Secretary of State website

Bernie Buescher (born 1949 in Grand Junction, Colorado) is a former Democratic Colorado Secretary of State. He was appointed to the office by Governor of Colorado Bill Ritter in 2009 to fill the vacancy left behind by Mike Coffman, who resigned following his election to the United States House of Representatives and served until January 2011.

Education

• Bachelor's degree, University of Notre Dame (1971) in accounting
• Juris Doctorate degree, University of Colorado (1974)

Professional experience

Prior to holding public office, Buescher was named to reorganize the Colorado State Fair by Governor Roy Romer. Romer again tapped him to serve as Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Finance where he was responsible for implementing the Children's Basic Health Plan. In the private sector, Buescher was President of West Star Aviation for ten years and practiced laws as an attorney at Williams, Turner, and Holmes, P.C. from 1975 to 1986.

Controversies

Campaign finance complaint

A Republican activist has filed a campaign finance complaint against Secretary of State Buescher claiming he "used his executive assistant, Heidi Hamilton, on state time for to help manage campaign appearances." The complaint has since been forward to State Attorney General John W. Suthers who will investigate the matter and decide whether he wants to represent Buescher or advise him to obtain a lawyer. A hearing on the matter must be held within fifteen days of the complaint being filed, according to state law. Should the complaint be upheld by an administrative law judge, the punishment will be a $50 per day fine.

Secretary of State Project

See also: Secretary of State Project

In 2010, Buescher received the endorsement and, most likely, the financial assistance of the Secretary of State Project, a below-the-radar 527 political organization whose purpose is to "wrestling control of the country from the Republican Party" through the process of "removing their political operatives from deciding who can vote and whose votes will count," namely the office of Secretary of State in many cases.

Other roles

• Organizer, Colorado State Fair (1996)
• Past Board Member, American Cancer Society Local Chapter
• Past Board Member, Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation
• Past Board Member, Colorado County Economic Development Council
• Past Board Member, Colorado Health and Hospital Association
• Past Board Member, Colorado Public Radio
• Past Board Member, Mesa County Economic Development Council
• Past Board Member, Riverview Technology Corporation
• Past Chair, Saint Mary's Hospital Board
• Past Board Member, Western Colorado Center for the Arts
• Past Member, Colorado Transportation Commission
• Past Member, Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel on Transportation
• Past Member/Past Chair, Mesa County Board of Adjustment

Campaign contributions

2004

According to Follow the Money, Buescher has raised $139,892 in 2004 for his state house campaign.

Listed below are the top five contributors:

Donor	Amount
Bernie Buescher	$20,000
Colorado Democratic Party	$4,000
Colorado Education Association	$4,000
Mesa Valley Education Association	$2,400
Colorado Professional Fire Fighters	$2,000

2006

According to Follow the Money, Buescher has raised $192,174 in 2006 for his state house campaign.

Listed below are the top five contributors:

Donor	Amount
Colorado House Majority Project	$12,000
Colorado Education Association	$4,400
Colorado Professional Fire Fighters	$4,000
American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees	$4,000
Food & Commercial Workers - Local 7	$4,000

2008

According to Follow the Money, Buescher has raised $270,148 in 2008 for his state house campaign.

Listed below are the top five contributors:

Donor	Amount
Colorado AFL-CIO	$4,250
Colorado Association of Realtors	$4,250
Colorado Education Association	$4,250
Mesa Valley Education Association	$4,125
American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees	$4,000

2010

According to Follow the Money, Buescher has raised $28,941 in 2010 for his secretary of state campaign as of September 27, 2010.

Listed below are the top five contributors:

Donor	Amount
Committee to Elect Bernie Buescher HD 55	$11,411
American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees	$2,000
Susan Stumbaugh	$525
E. Blanche Buescher	$525
Brandon Stumbaugh	$525

Elections

2010

See also: Colorado Secretary of State election, 2010

• 2010 Race for Secretary of State - Democratic Primary

• Bernie Buescher ran unopposed in this contest

2010 Race for Secretary of State - General Election
Party		Candidate	Vote Percentage
	Republican Party	a Scott Gessler	49.5%
	Democratic Party	Bernie Buescher	43.9%
	Constitution Party	Amanda Campbell	6.6%
Total Votes			1,717,065

Personal

Bernie Buescher currently resides in Grand Junction, Colorado with his wife, Mary Beth. The couple has four children together - Michael, Elizabeth, Marcia, and Susan.

Awards

• Citizen of the Year Award (2004) from the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce

External links

• Bernie Buescher's Facebook profile
• Bernie Buescher's Twitter account
• Bernie Buescher for Secretary of State Campaign website
• Project Vote Smart - Bernie Buescher biography

References

Political offices
Preceded by Mike Coffman	Colorado Secretary of State 2009–2010	Succeeded by Scott Gessler (R)