UPDATE: The Denver Post’s Nic Garcia:
“We’re going to face some tough challenges,” Garcia said. “The state faces tough challenges. But I’m absolutely confident with this dynamic caucus, with these leaders, we’ll be able to represent every Coloradan, we’ll be committed to finding common-sense solutions to move our state forward.”
Garcia, who was previously minority leader, will lead the Democratic caucus along with state Sens. Lois Court of Denver and Steve Fenberg of Boulder. Court was elected president pro tempore and Fenberg majority leader. Their roles are subject to a final vote by the entire Senate after the legislature resumes business in January.
—–
Denver7’s Blair Miller reports from Colorado Senate leadership elections held today, elevating Leroy Garcia of Pueblo to serve at the new Senate President:
Sen. Leroy Garcia, D-Pueblo, was chosen to be the next Senate President. He is currently the Senate Minority Leader and will take over for Sen. Kevin Grantham, R-Canon City, who is term-limited and whose party is now the minority party in the Senate…
Garcia took over as minority leader earlier this year after Sen. Lucia Guzman stepped down from the position over her frustration with Republicans’ handling of workplace harassment allegations.
Senate Democrats picked up two seats in the election, putting them at a 19-16 majority. Republicans had held the Senate with an 18-17 majority the past two years. Democrats now control both chambers of the General Assembly as well as the governor’s office after Jared Polis’ victory.
On the Republican side, Sen. Chris Holbert will be the new Senate Minority Leader–fully expected, although the move nonetheless comes as a snub to Senate President pro tem Jerry Sonnenberg who fell from grace for daring to support rural hospitals. The new Democratic leadership has an enormous logjam of agenda items to work through in January, not to mention accountability lingering from last year’s sexual harassment scandal left totally unresolved by Republican leadership.
Here’s looking at you, Randy Baumgardner.
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Does Senate President Pro Tempore have any standard duties other than presiding when the President is unavailable?
Senator Court is nice enough and has positions I support — but she also seems pretty cautious, tends to avoid bothering the status quo for business and industry, and as she says, "I believe the focus must be on the issues that unite us for the common good and that government should be focused on people, not profits for a few."
Few.formal duties but she is part of the leadership, de facto asst majority leader, no. 3 in her party. lois is my senator and an old friend. She will do very well. She's also a strong feminist.
In the old days, it often went to the most senior senator in the majority. Term limits have ended that. When Ed Perlmutter was President pro team, he was very influential, not because of any special power of the office, just because he is so bright and personable.
It's pretty much a prestige position.
Looks like KC Becker and Alec Garnett in the House.
They had better figure out a fracking solution.
I'd root for a legislative solution of 2500 foot set backs, with individual land owners able to opt out. That would allow all those who like the oil and gas industry, have a natural barrier between them & the drill site, want the well on their land (and the money from extraction), or agree as a result of a "compensation package" offered by the drillers.
Or, 400 foot setback for homes, and the existing 1000 foot for schools. The freeze in the dark crowd should pay some penalty for Stalinist 122.
As Machiavelli said, when you shoot at the king, shoot to kill. The Stalinists shot– and missed.
Gonna have to disagree with you V'ger. 112 wasn't the answer, but it definitely asked the right question. The discussion will get picked up in the next session, and I'm sure there will be a better answer to protecting our population centers that Polis will happily sign.
I agree with you on this and will add that V. is being shortsighted in wanting to punish the "freeze in the dark crowd". Not everyone who voted for 112 was against all gas or oil. That middle ground needs to be peeled away by addressing the legitimate concerns of home owners about the value of their land and health. Some local government control at the very least.
It doesn't have to be severe punishment. A public caning or being forced watch the Broncos would teach the bastards a lesson.
You really want to punish them? Take away their voters. Make them as irrelevant and hopeless as the "every sperm is sacred" people. Address the concerns of local government, home owners, and water rights holders so they only thing they have to campaign on is "natural gas should be left in the ground".
In what universe does that NOT qualify as "severe punishment"?![laugh laugh](https://cdn.ckeditor.com/4.7.3/full-all/plugins/smiley/images/teeth_smile.png)
Also congrats to the new Speaker KC Becker!
Garcia is a former Marine and EMT. He'll whip them into place, STAT! While Garcia hasn't been as progressive as Angela Giron, whom he replaced after a brief sojourn in the SD3 seat by George Rivera, Garcia's been a creditable rep with a good ear to the ground in his district.