WEEK OF OCTOBER 24, 2024
VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 34
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Kroger’s CEO Election officials push back at Ganahl’s claims to not think ‘reckless’ claims of voting security issues about raising prices County clerks gather in Highlands Ranch following accusations from former GOP candidate Prosecution case to block grocery merger rests, Kroger starts its defense BY TAMARA CHUANG THE COLORADO SUN
Testifying this week in Colorado’s antitrust trial to block the $24.6 billion supermarket megamerger, Kroger Co.’s CEO Rodney McMullen stuck to his statement made to a local newspaper last year that yes, he’s never thought about how to raise prices. During the trial in Denver District Court, he shared simple responses to questions asked by Jason Slothouber, a senior prosecutor at the Colorado Attorney General’s office. No, he wasn’t familiar with a Kroger division that studied pricing and found they could raise prices at stores with little competition without losing shoppers. No, he wasn’t familiar with a group of eight City Markets put into a “mountain no comp zone,” where prices were raised. No, he didn’t know this zone was a big part of the state’s antitrust case. “Kroger has invested in lowering prices for the last 15 years,” he said. “Strategically every year, we would make decisions on continuing to lower relative pricing.” “In areas where there is competition?” Slothouber asked. “Across the country,” McMullen responded. “Well, not in the mountain no comp zones, right?” Slothouber asked. “I don’t know,” McMullen said. McMullen, who had been sequestered during the trial, had not been privy to earlier testimony in the Colorado vs. Kroger et al, in its third week with closing arguments scheduled for Oct. 24. But so far, lawyers for the Attorney General’s office have laid out their case for the potential harm a merger between Kroger and Albertsons could cause to residents, employees, local suppliers and farmers if it results in store closures. A merger might create “no comp” stores, in addition to those now located in Aspen, Breckenridge, Carbondale, Eagle, El Jebel, Glenwood Springs, Granby and New Castle. The prosecution rested Monday. But throughout the first part of the trial, grocery executives did have a lot to say about competition as they were questioned. They said their prime competition was Walmart, SEE MERGER, P6
SCHOOL OF CHOICE Special pull-out section
At the lectern, Douglas County Clerk Sheri Davis speaks at an Oct. 10 news conference next to a ballot drop box (not pictured) in Highlands Ranch. Behind her, from left, stands Kregg Lilly, who has served as an election worker; Molly Fitzpatrick, Boulder County clerk; and Hayle Johnson, Jackson County clerk. Matt Crane, the Colorado County Clerks Association director, also spoke at the event, along with Ed Brookes, PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD who has also served as an election worker. BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Less than a month out from Election Day, current and former local election officials met in Douglas County to contest claims of voting security problems after a barrage of allegations raised by Colorado’s 2022 Republican candidate for governor, Heidi Ganahl. Ganahl’s effort to push those claims is “a reckless attempt for attention,” said Matt Crane, a Republican who is a former Arapahoe County clerk and recorder.
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Clerks act as the top election officials for their counties, and the Douglas and Boulder clerks showed up alongside Crane to speak in Highlands Ranch about voting security following Ganahl’s bevy of claims that partly focused on Douglas County. The former candidate said the voting system could be exposed to unauthorized remote access, but clerks disputed that concern. “Our officials have been patting us on the head, telling us everything is fine; everything is not fine, and how would they even know?” Ganahl said in a re-
cent post on the Rocky Mountain Voice, a conservative outlet that she founded. At the news conference, two weeks after Ganahl took aim at Douglas County, the local clerk announced a new effort to ensure confidence in the election system. “Douglas County will be providing a live stream of the surveillance (feed) at each of our 21 drop boxes throughout this election,” Douglas Clerk Sheri Davis said. SEE CLERKS, P10
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