Face The State Staff Report
If Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman prevails in his November bid to replace retiring Congressman Tom Tancredo, as he's expected to do, Gov. Bill Ritter will have the opportunity to appoint Coffman's replacement. Speculation has long prevailed that Ritter would pick Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon, but an insider speaking off the record to Face The State now says that Ritter's selection of House Speaker Andrew Romanoff is a "done deal."
While Gordon, an attorney, has long held an interest in election law and only narrowly lost to Coffman in their 2006 Secretary of State contest, Romanoff is seen as a "choice for the future of the [Democrat] party," according to the source. After being term-limited from his Denver House seat earlier this this year, Romanoff is working on finishing his law degree at the University of Denver, where he is currently enrolled in an election law course.
"We should have known he'd get appointed when he started taking an election law class for the first time two weeks ago," said Senate Republican Leader Andy McElhany. While McElhany said he believes that both Gordon and Romanoff would try to "honor the process," he remains concerned that Romanoff's ambition will cause him to see the office "as a stepping stone" or a "place to tread water until he can run for higher office."
Election attorney Scott Gessler, a Republican, acknowledged the predicament Ritter faces in choosing between Gordon and Romanoff. "In choosing a Secretary of State, the governor has a decision to make," he said. "Does he nominate someone for their political skills or does he want someone who knows something about elections?"
Despite the persistent rumor of a Romanoff appointment, Ritter Spokesman Evan Dreyer denied such speculation in a Friday morning email to Face The State. He indicated that no final decision has been made. The morning after Barack Obama's Thursday night Invesco Field speech, efforts to reach Romanoff or leading Democrats, including party chair Pat Waak, were unsuccessful.
Over the last few years, Romanoff has staked strong positions relating to Colorado's initiative and referendum process, opposing 2006's failed Petition Rights Amendment, a ballot initiative that would have expanded greater petition access to citizens. After a tax increase proposal he championed during this year's legislative session failed to garner adequate support from his fellow lawmakers, however, Romanoff utilized the initiative process himself, hitting the streets with petitions in support of his proposal to repeal the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights. Earlier this month, Romanoff's Initiative 126 campaign submitted more than 164,000 signatures to the Secretary of State's office. The signatures are currently being reviewed with a decision expected within the next week about whether the measure will be on this November's ballot.
In recent months, Romanoff also led his fellow legislators on a "Constitutional Reform Road Show," where they discussed ways to make it more difficult to amend Colorado's constitution.
On Gordon's Web site, a banner reads, "Fair to All Parties. Independence That Can't Be Bought." Under "Issues," election law is the only issue referenced. "Ken is more interested in the details of election policy than most people would care to admit. In 14 years as a public servant, he has sponsored scores of bills to improve our democracy, reduce the influence of special interests, and make our government more accountable to its citizens," the site proclaims. Meanwhile Romanoff lists a multitude of issues on his blog at www.AndrewRomanoff.com, inluding education, health care, tax reform, renewable energy, and Sudan divestment.
Earlier this month, Democrats announced that Gordon had been selected to lead the Colorado Election Reform Commission, a new body established to study voting systems and make recommendations to the sate legislature. Gessler was also appointed to serve on the commission, which will begin meeting after the November election and is expected to make recommendations to the legislature by March 2009.