Cunniff distances himself from $48K campaign investments

City Council Candidate Ross Cunniff.

Calling it an "attempt to buy the local election," Candidate Ross Cunniff is trying to further distance himself from the National Association of Realtors/Fort Collins Board of Realtors (FCBR) investment of $48,500 in the local election. Cunniff was a recipient of a small portion of these funds and he's been actively posting his response to this issue on today's Coloradoan and other sites (including our own).

Reporter Kevin Duggan may have been aware of this issue since as early as March 14. On March 17, an editorial by FCBR's Clink Stutchen appeared in the Coloradoan, explaining the purpose of this investment. On March 24, in today's Coloradoan, Duggan skimmed over concerns expressed by several in the community, which may be the motivation behind Cunniff's recent engagement.

The primary point of contention is that $48K equals roughly half of all other contributions -- combined. This dwarfs individual donations and places opposing candidates at a significant disadvantage. Why does today's story inadequately address this issue and why did it take so long to appear?

• Cunniff's letter 
• Today's Coloradoan story 
• Clint Skutchen's editorial