Legislative Superlatives 2008

Gosh, did the year really go by that fast? We've had such an awesome time working together on the Face The State High School yearbook committee. Our advisors from the CSU and CU student newspapers really helped keep things in good taste. (Thanks, guys!) Congratulations to the winners in this year's list of superlatives. See you next session and have a great summer vacation, okay?

Best suntan Rep. Karen Middleton Middleton taught us all a lesson or two this year. If you are going to take off for a family vacation during one of the most contentious weeks of the session (as Middleton did, bailing on her colleagues to head to Puerto Vallarta during a key budget debate) make sure your travel plans aren't listed online. Oh, and make sure to wear sunscreen while you're out at the beach.	Most touchy-feely Sen. Bob Bacon We know what you're thinking. Why didn't this one go to former Rep. Michael Garcia, D-Aurora? The reason: Garcia did the honorable thing by resigning his seat. Instead, Bacon is the more obvious choice. After many sleepless nights, he introduced a bill that bans masturbation in public view. Wow, don't you feel safer already?
Golden Boy Award Sens. Peter Groff and Josh Penry Every party needs some good eye candy and fortunately during this session, both parties brought at least a few nominees. Groff, the state's first black Senate president, got endlessly positive press upon taking the gavel in the Capitol's upper chamber. Penry's innovative fiscal plans, coupled with his confident - and slightly cocky - posture as a former college quarterback, leaves reporters swooning...and scribbling.
Mostly likely to run for Governor Sen. Tom Wiens Wiens surprised politicos when he announced earlier this year that he will not seek a second term to the Colorado Senate this fall. Instead, he has publicly said he will spend his time focusing on family and business. Over the years, Wiens has frequently floated a potential gubernatorial bid. With Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter facing a seemingly endless barrage of bi-partisan criticism, we won't be surprised if we haven't heard the last from this Douglas County icon. We predict that he'll be the first to throw his hat in the ring for a 2010match-up. This all, of course, assumes that chronic candidate and Secretary of State Mike Coffman is elected to Congress after a tough primary battle this August.	Most likely to be Secretary of State Sen. Ken Gordon Having run at least 10 bills this term regarding election law it seems that Sen. Ken Gordon, D-Denver, is more interested in playing Secretary of State than State Senator. However, if current Secretary of State Mike Coffman wins his bid for U.S. congress the post will be vacated leaving Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter the opportunity to appoint someone, he may just get his chance. And he won't have to go scuba diving in a TV ad to land the job this time, either.
Most under appreciated Sen. Mike Kopp No one deserves this award more than the lead-by-example and all around good guy, Mike Kopp. He's centered on getting the job done, not getting his name in the paper. But that's not to say he hasn't been busy with important issues, like trying to find a way to keep the state's forests from further resembling a matchbox. We'd be well-served to have a few more like Kopp in the Senate.	Best-lasting one-liner Rep. Mike Merrifield Comedians dream of this kind of longevity for their act. Tragically, Mike Merrifield's 2007 "special place in hell" e-mail to colleague Sen. Sue Windels was no joke. Merrifeld was speaking from the heart. The Manitou Springs Democrat bounced back this year, with the silent approval of Speaker Andrew Romanoff, who quietly placed Merrifield back at the helm of the House Education committee after a brief absence following the firestorm last Spring.
Most likely to be missed Sen. Andy McElhany Who doesn't like Andy McElhany? The soft-spoken but firm Senate GOP chief is always quotable and approachable. Knowing when to reach across the aisle and when to build a partisan coalition is a hard skill to fine-tune, but McElhany could do it. Another casualty of term limits, we hope we haven't heard the last of our friend from Colorado Springs in state politics.	Class clown Sen. Bill Cadman We can forgive Cadman for vacating his House seat to make a jump for the Senate (thus giving us Doug Bruce in the state House), but only because he makes us laugh on a daily basis. While most legislators take themselves way too seriously, Cadman truly seems to enjoy his time at the Capitol, honored to take part in a very important process.
Helen Thomas political journalism award Lynn Bartels As the Grand Dame of the Capitol Press Corps, Rocky Mountain News veteran Bartels commands the respect of many of her peers. And like Thomas--the White House's most senior reporter--she also tends to intimidate the hell out of them. Oh, and you've got to love her potty mouth, which always manages to keep things interesting around town.	Most likely to get caught in bed with Lynn Bartels Rep. Andrew Romanoff Can House Speaker Andrew Romanoff really do no wrong? Or, so we would be led to think from the fawning media coverage this favorite son of Denver received this session. From letting cute little kids gavel the House into session to his road-show touring rural schools, Romanoff is everything to everyone. (And he's single, ladies.) But there's plenty of unanswered questions, too, like his inaction and silence on complaints against former Rep. Mike Garcia. What's next for Mr. Speaker, given he's now closed up shop in the House?
Best bi-partisan leader Rep. Rob Witwer You can't open a newspaper without reading about Rob Witwer leading a coalition to promote free-market alternatives to the endless flood of command-and-control policies at the capitol. Case in point: He and "golden boy" Josh Penry (see above) will have the uncommon occasion of watching Democrat Gov. Bill Ritter sign a Republican-backed bill on education standards. It takes a special skill-set to move the state's education establishment into order, but Witwer was up to the challenge.	We wish he was still in the legislature Former Sen. Mark Hillman We still call Mark Hillman "Senator" - it's proper protocol, after all. But let's face it, we're just nostalgic. And who wouldn't be? Spoiled by two solid Senate GOP leaders (See McElhany, above), Hillman left big shoes to fill. As a Senator he kept his coalition together while furthering solid causes like civil liability reform, an issue he's stuck with even after leaving the capitol. This Burlington farmer is still very much a player in Colorado politics, and he's penning op/eds for Colorado newspapers at a record pace. Come back, Mark, please!
Best backfired bitch slap Michael Huttner While there were endless moments of good banter underthe Capitol dome, we would be negligent if we failed to mention Michael Huttner's infamous "bitch slap" moment (a special thanks to Lynn Bartels and libertarian blogger Ari Armstrong for bringing it to us). How it all started: On his late night 850 KOA show, host Jon Caldara asked guest Ann Coulter whether she thought presidential candidate Hillary Clinton had gotten "bitch slapped" in a debate that evening. Huttner, the boss over at ProgressNowAction (or ProgressNow or ProgressActionNow or something like that) immediately lept into action, publicly calling Caldara a sexist, demanding an apology for Colorado's thousands of domestic violence victims, and calling on KOA advertisers to pull their support from Caldara's show. As fact would have it, Hutter's little plot miserably backfired. Especially after Armstrong revealed that Huttner's own organization had used the term on its site. Oops! Better luck next time.
Best capitol reporting Adam Schrager, 9News In an era when political debates have turned into screaming matches, Schrager's "Your Show" represents a breath of fresh air. His guests are discouraged from launching personal attacks...and Schrager is so damn nice, who would want to? Also notable - he's the only Denver reporter to secure interviews with every major political candidate (with the exception of Obama). Honorable Mention: Raj Chohan and KBDI Channel 12's "Colorado Inside Out." Chohan has breathed new life into this informative and fun roundtable show.	Democrat you'd want to run your business Sen. Bob Hagedorn Big-government, pro-tax Democrats don't fare well on the editorial pages here at Face The State, but we're all about giving credit where credit is due, regardless of party labels. That's why we like Sen. Bob Hagedorn, D-Aurora, for his principled stand against the flood of bad-news, anti-business bills this session. Hagedorn broke with party leaders to oppose Senate Bill 164, a bill that would have significantly raised malpractice insurance premiums for doctors. He takes a lot of heat from the Democrat powers that be, but he sticks his ground. Kudos to Hagedorn for understanding small business drives Colorado's economy.
Fifth Amendment award Sen. Lois Tochtrop During her nine-year tenure in the Colorado legislature, Tochtrop has been a tireless crusader for private property rights. Although RTD lobbyists managed to kill her bill that would have protected families and small business owners in the path of FasTrack's west corridor expansion from eminent domain abuse, we have no doubt that she'll be back next session more feisty than ever in her quest to fight against unconstitutional takings.	Best union steward Sen. Sue Windels When the teachers' unions need a little help at the state legislature, they know they can count of their go-to girl, Windels. While few may recall that Windels, chair of the Senate Education Committee, was on the receiving end of Rep. Mike Merrifield's notorious "special place in hell" email, she certainly makes no apologies for advocating on behalf of unions - who have spent hundreds of thousands ensuring her continued re-election to the legislature in what has historically been a Republican district.
Most likely to work for the KGB Rep. Alice Madden Colorado has a pretty good open-records law. But House Majority Leader Alice Madden doesn't see it that way. She's tired of having those pesky citizens ask her what she's up to - so she floated an ill-fated bill that would have essentially exempted the entire legislative branch from open-records requests. Rep. Madden says the legislature fielded 36 CORA requests over a one-year period - a whopping one-third of a request per legislator. Pardon us if we lack sympathy for her cause. "If you're doing this for grins, we have a problem with it," she said of a particular web site that rhymes with "Baste the steak." Talk about making the Kremlin proud.	Best at keeping a secret Rep. Rosemary Marshall There's a monorail to be built to Vail, but Rep. Rosemary Marshall, D-Denver, has other plans for your tax dollars. How about spending over $30,000 dollars fighting the disclosure of a state employee collective bargaining bill? It doesn't make sense to us, either: Lawmaker sends a draft bill to union lawyers in California, who then share it with the Governor, who then works with said lawmaker to keep the whole thing secret. A sympathetic Denver District Court judge agreed with the scheme. Next time you've got a secret to keep - Rep. Marshall is listening.
Straight talker award Sen. Shawn Mitchell Maybe it's the fact you can't mince words when you've got seven kids to corral that has trained Sen. Shawn Mitchell to be the Senate's top straight-shooter. TheBroomfield Republican is our kind of politician, kind, plain-spoken and firm in his convictions. Mitchell is a top "quotable" lawmaker on labor unions, legal reform and social issues. And while we don't always agree with him, there's no question as to where he stands.	So good, we wish he worked for us Joe Megyesy No contest that this award must go to the well-dressed Senate Minority Communications Director Megyesy. In addition to his striking good looks - love the bow tie - he's also the talented writer behind much of Colorado Senate News. Democrats have yet to muster up a communications shop as creative effective as at the Senate GOP caucus. Megyesy's expert knowledge of Colorado Politics and great photography are so good, we wish he worked for us instead.
Most likely to go undercover Katie Reinisch Most political press aides are happy to talk to anyone who will listen to get their boss' message across. That's their job. But House majority spokesperson Katie Reinisch got creative last November when she called into Mike Rosen's talk show on 850 KOA to defend the positions of caucus member Mike Merrifield. (See "Special place in hell, above.) "I'm not an educator, I'm not an expert, I'm just a parent," she said, leaving out the tiny detail that she's the Democrats' paid representative. "Katie from Denver," we know who you are.	Most likely to find the skeletons in your closet Steve Durham Legendary lobbyist Steve Durham is the best. While many Republican lobbyists have had a tough go of it since Dems took over control of the Capitol for the first time in four decades in 2004, Durham continues to thrive. Part of the reason: He was convincing lawmakers to vote the "right" way before most of the state's newest crop of legislators, including Penry, were even born. First elected to the state House in 1974, he has lived through every major political battle, earning the respect of his peers.
Least effective lobbyist Former Rep. Mike Cerbo A big part of lobbying is, well, showing up to the Capitol once in a while. That's exactly what you'd expect the executive director of Colorado's AFL-CIO to do, particularly given the welcome mat laid out for organized labor rolled out by Gov. Bill Ritter. But the man in that post is former Rep. Mike Cerbo, and under a new clause in the state Constitution, he must abstain from lobbying his former colleagues. We don't mind him sitting this one out, but his members sure might.	Parental freedom award Rep. Terrance Carroll No policy goes far in this Democrat-controlled legislature without the support of a high-ranking caucus member. Terrance Carroll steps up to the plate time and time again for school choice issues, even if it does rankle some fellow liberals. This year, the Denver lawmaker was instrumental in helping usher through legislation allowing public schools to break free of union shackles to become "innovation schools," a concept first floated by enterprising teachers right in his backyard. “We owe it to kids to give them the best possible options whether that be traditional public school, charter school, brick and mortar or cyberschool,” he told Face The State.
Tailgater's best friend Sen. Jennifer Veiga While the Broncos aren't much to write home about lately, this fall's Football season will be made more bearable with the help of Sen. Jennifer Veiga, a key proponent of a new law that allows liquor sales on Sundays. So cash your federal "stimulus check" in for a big-screen TV, hop on over to the package store and crack one open for Veiga, the Colorado procrastinating Sunday tailgater's best friend.	Most likely to put his foot in his mouth Rep. Douglas Bruce Ok, so this one was obvious. No mystery that this honor belongs to Bruce, who during his first week in office garnered national media coverage for kicking a Rocky Mountain News photographer during the morning prayer. The incident was enough to earn him the honor of being the first lawmaker ever censured by the Colorado legislature. Bruce followed-up his censure by calling Mexican farm workers "illiterate peasants." If he wants to return for an encore next year, he'll have to make his stump speech more appealing than his remarks at the House lectern. Close runner up is Rep. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, who referred to teen mothers and fathers as "sluts."
Most pathetic break-up Rep. Debbie Stafford Poor Debbie Stafford. Poor, poor Debbie. Earlier this year, she got more media in one week than her entire political career when she switched parties, suggesting that she was "battered" by her former GOP colleagues over her support of a construction defects bill. We've heard little from her since the switch and as prom approaches, we just hope that Stafford can shake her self-proclaimed title of "outcast." Why the social conservative thought switching parties would help her gain traction on the issues important to her, we'll never know. But hey, it's episodes like her party switch that make covering a citizen legislature that much more fun.	Favorite rabble-rouser Rep. Cory Gardner Oh, how we love Cory Gardner. Imagine a cooler version of Annette Benning in "American Beauty". Think, "I will sell this house today!" The guy just doesn't stop - and the fact that he's stuck in a House with Democrat majority rule seems to only inspire this former Allard staffer to work that much harder. He has been a constant crusader for limited government, lower taxes, and small business. Republicans are lucky to have him around.