- Dan Maes
-
Daniel B. Maes Republican candidate for
Governor of ColoradoElection date
November 2, 2010Incumbent Bill Ritter Personal details Born January 12, 1961
Chicago, Cook County[citation needed]
Political party Republican Spouse(s) Karen Maes Children Three children Alma mater University of Wisconsin-Madison Occupation Businessman Website http://www.danmaes.com Daniel B. Maes (born January 12, 1961),[1] is an American businessman and politician of Dutch descent. He was the Republican candidate in the 2010 Colorado gubernatorial election. Maes lives in Evergreen.[2]
Contents
Early life, education and career
Born in the Chicago area, Maes and his five brothers were reared in rural Rib Lake, Wisconsin, where his father, Earl Maes, had roots. His father died in 1972. As a boy, Maes was active in church, the Boy Scouts, student government, and high school football. Maes continued football in college as a walk-on fullback until a leg injury in his first season. In 1983 Maes earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[3]
From 1983 to 1985 he was a police officer in Liberal, Kansas, but was dismissed after disclosing to his fiancé that there was an investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation of her family. In his appeal of the dismissal to Liberal's city manager, he claimed the KBI offered the option of disclosure during the investigation given the delicate position he was in. The city manager, Alan Morris, denied the appeal because Maes stated in the letter he had disclosed the existence of an investigation to his fiancée.[4]
Maes moved to Colorado in 1985 and started work in sales and sales management, and then joined Voice-Tel of Colorado. He negotiated a managing partner role through sweat equity at the Western New York offices in 1995. The company sold out to a publicly-traded company in 1997, and Maes finished his career with the company in Oakbrook, IL through 2000.
He then returned to Colorado where he entered the credit reporting industry in 2003, owning his own credit reporting agency Amaesing Credit solutions by 2005. He sold this company in 2009 and turned his attention to the Colorado governor's race.
2010 Colorado gubernatorial campaign
See also: Colorado gubernatorial election, 2010Maes entered the 2010 governor's race as a political newcomer in March 2009, working with the Republicans and newly rising Tea Party. He received the most votes at the Republican party assembly on May 20, 2010, and was listed first on the primary ballot for Governor of Colorado against Scott McInnis.[2] Maes campaigned across Colorado until the primary, on August 10,[5] and Maes won with 50.6% to 49.3%.[6]
In July Maes agreed to pay a $17,500 fine for campaign finance violations, for improperly classifying the occupation of several contributors and for "untimely reimbursements of expenses over 20.00." Maes insisted this was a politically-motivated legal action timed just one week before the launch of mail in ballots for the primary."[7] According to The Denver Post, Maes paid himself $42,000 in mileage reimbursements.[8]
On July 28, 2010, some Maes supporters claimed robocalls from the McInnis campaign were received, stating that Maes had exited the gubernatorial campaign in order to support McInnis. The McInnis campaign denied these claims, stating that robocalls were made by the El Paso District Attorney, Dan May, saying he supported Scott McInnis.[9]
In early September Maes was embroiled in controversy after the Denver Post questioned his claims of working undercover with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The Post investigation found that officials in Kansas either had no recollection of them or could not confirm them.[10]
Questions about Maes' background led some supporters, including former Republican U.S. Senator Hank Brown, to withdraw their endorsements. The Denver Post called on Maes to leave the race.[11]
In the November 2010 general election, Maes won 11.2% of the vote, finishing behind both Democratic Denver mayor John Hickenlooper and late entry Constitution Party candidate Tom Tancredo, a well-known and outspoken ex-Republican congressman. Tancredo had threatened to enter the race if McInnis and Maes didn't pull out. As the campaign wore on, the question was not whether Hickenlooper would win, but whether Maes would get at least 10% of the vote. Had he dropped below 10%, the Republican Party would have been legally defined as a minor party under Colorado law. Maes continued to campaign with no financial support from the Colorado GOP, RNC, nor the Republican Governor's Association. Ultimately, he finished just 20,000 votes over the threshold.[12]
Political positions
Maes supports e-verification systems to stop illegal immigration. In 2009, he told The Denver Post, "My original opinion was that we should provide some path to citizenship to bring people out of that underworld." Maes later clarified his position, saying he never supported amnesty for illegal immigrants and did not intend the phrase "path to citizenship" to imply amnesty.[13]
Regarding the issue of itemizing taxes on public utility bills, Maes was against it and stated to the Grand Junction Sentinel in a June 2010 interview, “People say, ‘Why am I paying this additional fee?’ They’re aware of it, they’re informed of it, and it concerns them. If they roll it into the cost, nobody sees the extra cost, and they’re less likely to express an opinion one way or the other about it.” [14]
In August 2010, the Denver Post reported that Maes had criticized the City of Denver's membership in the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI).[15] Maes explained his belief that the "ICLEI is part of a greater strategy to rein in American cities under a United Nations treaty" and that local support for ICLEI is "converting Denver into a United Nations community."[15] A spokesman for Maes' campaign said that Maes was trying to draw attention to ICLEI's "extreme" views on global warming, and according to the Associated Press "told The Associated Press that Maes was trying to say that the biking initiative is a “gateway program” being pushed by ECLEI on cities that eventually lead to extreme measures, such as the promotion of abortions and population control."[16]
Personal life
Maes' first marriage, by which he has one daughter, Jordan, ended in divorce in 1988.[17] Maes and his current wife, Karen, have three children.[8]
References
- ^ Net Detective People Search
- ^ a b Politico - McInnis concedes to Maes in Colorado
- ^ "Dan Maes". danmaes.com. http://www.danmaes.com/the-issues/. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
- ^ "Dan Maes' dismissal from Liberal, KS, Police Department". Talking Points Memo. October 4, 2010. http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/documents/2010/09/dan-maes-dismissal-from-liberal-ks-police-department.php?page=1. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- ^ Campaign calendar, Secretary of State.
- ^ Horn, Sarah (August 11, 2010). "Maes claims late night victory". Denver Post (Denver: MediaNews Group). http://www.denverpost.com/election2010/ci_15735659. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
- ^ "Colo. guv candidate apologizing for plagiarism", by Kristen Wyatt, The Associated Press via The Washington Post, July 13, 2010 10:51 PM ET. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
- ^ a b Denver, The (2010-07-21). "Governor? Maes has no business". The Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_15562019. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ "Maes says he’s still in race despite robocalls, The Denver Post
- ^ Fender, Jessica (September 29, 2010). "Police files show Maes met with Kansas agents". The Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/election2010/ci_16200856?source=pkg. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
- ^ "Maes needs to drop out now". The Denver Post. September 3, 2010. http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_15975857?obref=obinsite. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
- ^ John Moore, "Hickenlooper wins easily," Denver Post, 3 November 2010, accessed 3 November 2010.
- ^ Bartels, Lynn (2010-04-28). "GOP gubernatorial candidate Maes' immigration stance "evolving"". The Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_14841229. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ Ashby, Charles (2010-06-18). "Itemized fees annoy customers, Maes contends". GJSentinel.com. http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/itemized_fees_annoy_customers. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ a b Osher, Christopher N. (August 4, 2010). "Bike agenda spins cities toward U.N. control, Maes warns". Denver Post (Denver: MediaNews Group). ISSN 1930-2193. http://www.denverpost.com/election2010/ci_15673894. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
- ^ "Maes says bike share threatens ‘personal freedoms’". Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. August 4, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-08-20. http://www.webcitation.org/5s7QlcYJc. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
- ^ Christopher N. Osher, "Gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes driven by optimism," Denver Post, 25 July 2010.
External links
- Dan Maes for Colorado Governor official campaign site
- Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign contributions at FollowTheMoney.org
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Dan Maes speaks to Greeley 9.12 Greeley Gazette, March 26, 2010
- Maes stuns McInnis at GOP assembly with narrow victory The Denver Post, May 22, 2010
- Maes and Buck win big at GOP state assembly, Colorado Independent, May 22, 2010
Categories:- Colorado politicians
- Living people
- 1961 births
- American municipal police officers
- American people of Dutch descent
- Colorado Republicans
- People from Denver, Colorado
- People from Wisconsin
- People from Chicago, Illinois
- People from Seward County, Kansas
- University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
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