The Colorado Accountability Project is an advocacy project of college physics instructor and right-of-center activist Cory Gaines. ¹ Its primary focus is on promoting state and municipal government transparency in Colorado. ^{1 2}

Overview

Cory Gaines is a physics instructor at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado. ² He describes himself as “a centrist conservative and registered Libertarian.” ³

Gaines is a prolific writer, publishing daily columns on his Colorado Accountability Project Substack blog. ⁴ He also writes columns and op-eds for numerous media outlets in Colorado, including the news site of the state’s center-right Independence Institute think tank. ⁵ Gaines’s work is not related to the Colorado Association of School Executives’ ‘Colorado Accountability Project,’ which was a 2003 initiative to reform and streamline the state’s multiple systems for measuring and reporting school quality. ⁶

Policy Advocacy

Cory Gaines regularly testifies to state and local agencies, legislative committees, and other public bodies in Colorado on proposed regulatory or legislative acts. ^{7 8 9 10}

2024 Open Meeting Lawsuit

In 2024, Gaines had his testimony to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission on proposed wolf releases cut short without explanation, in apparent violation of the Colorado Open Meetings Law. ¹¹ Gaines prepared to sue in response, but the state Attorney General’s office offered a settlement before the suit was filed after reviewing a draft complaint prepared by the Public Trust Institute on Gaines’s behalf. ⁸ The settlement included a requirement that the Commission update and publicize its public comment policy, which it did at a June 13 meeting at which Gaines testified. ⁸

Media Criticism

In addition to his work promoting transparency and accountability in government, Cory Gaines also often engages in media criticism regarding the coverage of public policy issues in Colorado. ¹² He argues that the state’s media outlets cover issues such as abortion or firearms policies with either implicit or explicit left-leaning bias. ¹³

He has specifically criticized left-leaning media outlets funded by the Colorado Trust for having undisclosed connections to public policy organizations also funded by the Trust. ⁵

In 2021, Gaines criticized ProPublica’s decision to release the tax returns of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D). ¹⁴

1. Gaines, Cory. “Colorado Accountability Project.” Substack. Accessed November 11, 2024. https://coloradoaccountabilityproject.substack.com/.
2. “Cory Gaines: Northeastern Junior College.” Northeastern Junior College. Accessed November 11, 2024. https://www.njc.edu/directory/1296/cory-gaines
3. Gaines, Cory. “Opinion: Pass the Salt, Please, but I’ll Pass on Politics at the Dinner Table.” The Colorado Sun, May 30, 2021. https://coloradosun.com/2021/05/30/politics-dinner-table-opinion/.
4. Gaines, Cory. “Colorado Accountability Project.” Archive. Accessed November 11, 2024. https://coloradoaccountabilityproject.substack.com/archive.
5. Gaines, Cory. “Gaines: Left-Leaning Colorado Trust Influencing Colorado Journalism.” Complete Colorado, October 7, 2024. https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2024/10/04/gaines-left-leaning-colorado-trust-influencing-colorado-journalism/.
6. “Colorado Accountability Project.” Colorado Association of School Executives, December 2005. https://www.co-case.org/page/242/Colorado-Accountability-Project.htm.
7. Gaines, Cory. “Public Comment for the Title Board Regarding Initiative 91, “Prohibit Trophy Hunting”.” Colorado State Title Board, October 13, 2023. https://csos.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=409&meta_id=7650.
8. Gaines, Cory. “CPW CUT MY MIC, Silenced and Ignored Me – so I Threatened to Sue.” Colorado Politics, June 18, 2024. https://www.coloradopolitics.com/opinion/cpw-cut-my-mic-silenced-and-ignored-me-so-i-threatened-to-sue-opinion/article_9e29b5be-2d05-11ef-bf44-8311bcb4c1cd.html.
9. “House Committee on Finance Hearing Summary.” Colorado General Assembly, April 25, 2024. https://leg.colorado.gov/content/fe56a52e2f99feea87258b0a0070043c-hearing-summary.
10. Kenney, Andrew. “Colorado Could Pay $3,000 to Thousands of People Leaving Prison – If They Stick to the Program.” The Journal, January 30, 2024. https://www.the-journal.com/articles/colorado-could-pay-3000-to-thousands-of-people-leaving-prison-if-they-stick-to-the-program/
11. Gabel, Rachel. “Column: Squashing of Public Comment on CPW Transparency.” Colorado Springs Gazette, January 22, 2024. https://gazette.com/opinion/column-squashing-of-public-comment-on-cpw-transparency/article_4948b450-b640-11ee-932e-1759d690b180.html
12. Gaines, Cory. “Gaines: Progressive Press Slathers Bias on Venezuelan Gang Story.” Complete Colorado, September 12, 2024. https://pagetwo.completecolorado.com/2024/09/12/gaines-progressive-press-bias-venezuelan-gang-story/.
13. Gaines, Cory. “Imagine If Journalists Covered Guns like They Do Abortion.” Denver Visitor, May 23, 2024. https://denvervisitor.com/news-events/gaines-imagine-if-journalists-covered-guns-like-they-do-abortion.
14. Gaines, Cory. “Opinion: ProPublica Had No Business Revealing Polis’ Tax Returns.” The Colorado Sun, November 28, 2021. https://coloradosun.com/2021/11/28/propublica-polis-taxes-opinion/.