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May 03, 2009 07:54 PM UTC

The Best (And Worst) Legislators of the 2009 Session

  • 102 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

(Bumped into Monday by popular demand – promoted by Colorado Pols)

As the end of the Colorado legislative session approaches this week, it’s time to assess who stood out positively as powerbrokers and effective lawmakers–and who didn’t. Who helped themselves in terms of future political aspirations–and who didn’t.

When the session ends later this week we’ll post member polls, and our own analysis of the 2009 session’s winners and losers. Use this thread to nominate the best and worst legislators for those respective polls, and make your case in general for the people you think marked both the high and low points of this legislative year.

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102 thoughts on “The Best (And Worst) Legislators of the 2009 Session”

  1. …for telling us that by allowing HIV+ mothers to avoid being tested and placed anti-viral meds, and in turn passing the virus on to their children, we are sending a message that promiscuity has consequences.

    1. … for framing his opposition to SB 88, which extends health benefits to same-sex partners of state employees, by quoting Leviticus and comparing homosexuality to murder.

      Here’s some of what Renfroe said on the Senate floor:

      Homosexuality is seen as a violation of this natural, created order and it is an offense to God, the Creator, who created men and women, male and female, for procreation. …

      Leviticus 18:22 says, “You shall not lie with a man as one lies with a female, it is an abomination.” …

      Leviticus 20:13 says, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act and they shall surely be put to death. Their blood guiltiness is upon them.”

      So? Renfroe warned against creating “laws that go against what Biblically we are supposed to stand for” by “taking sins and making them to be legally OK.”

      I’m not saying (homosexuality) is the only sin that is out there. Obviously we have sin – we have murder, we have, we have all sorts of sin, we have adultery, and we don’t make laws making those legal, and we would never think to make murder legal.

      The Senate disagreed, passing the bill 21-12 with Kester and White joining Democrats in favor. It passed the House last week and awaits the governor’s signature.

  2. Schultheis for his HIV/AIDS statement.

    Renfroe for forgetting that there’s a separation of church and state for a reason.

    Penry for his tacit approval of shamelessly hateful statements.

    Way to go, fellas. Keep up the good work.  

    1. Republicans mix religion and politics all the time.  Lots of people are utter failures at leadership.  But calling a press conference to announce that you hope babies get AIDS… that blows everyone else out of the water.

      1. Much less holding an elected office in this great state, so I lump them together. I fund their statements (or in Penry’s case, lack thereof) reprehensible.

    2. Where exactly did Penry approve any of those statements?

      Every legislator has a right to an opinion, even if it is ridiculous, stupid, ignorant or in bad taste.  Each is elected to represent their district, for better or for worse, and each is responsible for their own statements, votes and behavior.  Nobody else is.  Ultimately it is the voters of their districts who are the final arbiters.

      Every year there are a boatload of dumb things said at the capitol, by the lunatic fringes of both parties, and the only people responsible are those who said them.

      To suggest otherwise is absurd.

      1. When a member of the caucus makes an idiotic statement, it is the duty of the leader to either distance themselves from it or keep their mouth shut and have it perceived that they have given tacit approval of the statement.

        Witness the speedy response of the House minority leader Mike May when Rep. Marostica when off of the reservation and called senate republican leadership “losers”…

        I guess wishing AIDS upon babies and wishing we had a theorcracy doesn’t rile Republican leadership quite as quickly as suggesting we need to find a way to fund higher education..

      2. So his tacit approval was given. His silence in the face of direct insults to a portion of the citizenry of Colorado, some of whom are very likely constituents of Sens. Penry, Schultheis, and Renfroe, was indicative of a complete lack of basic human respect.

        Unless, that is, you have evidence that Sen. Penry himself disagrees with those statements.

        from http://www.dictionary.com:

        Tacit – Understood without being openly expressed; implied: tacit approval.

      3.    Mike May (to his credit) took extraordinary steps (including recruiting and supporting Mark Waller in a Repub primary) to rid us of Doug Bruce.

          Penry should do no less.

  3. I’ve been a big backer of SB 228, and Sen. Morse and Rep. Marostica’s work on the law have been astounding. They’ve definitely passed a major fiscal reform, regardless of how you feel toward the final law itself.

      1. It’s taken something other than guts to steamroll the DNA bill through, waving a picture of a murdered girl and saying “It’s about lives” whenever anyone raises substantive questions about the bill.

        Morgan Carroll, Bill Cadman and Sal Pace have shown guts in this affair but Morse … not so much.

        1. I’m honestly not on either side of the DNA bill.  My only point is that Morse has sponsored bills on heated topics and has been relatively successful to this point.  It would be pretty easy for him to take cover under his status as an El Paso Dem, and he hasn’t done that.

          I don’t agree with every single thing Morse has done.  The same goes for Marostica.  But I respect when legislators are actually willing to take a stand, particularly on issues that blur party lines.  Give credit to Morgan Carroll, Cadman, and Pace as well.

          1.    I guess we’ll see about that tomorrow.  He’s reportedly on the fence on the abolition of the death penalty bill.

              If he ends up voting for it, I’d say that extremely courageous.  Maybe even borderline reckless.

              If he votes against it, I won’t be all that surprised.  Nor would I hold it against him.  He’s got to get re-elected in Lamborn-land.  

    1. First of all, it was only $15,000 that he owed (still a lot, but only a 3rd of what is mentioned above).

      Second, Rep. Pommer is undoubtedly the most knowledgeable member in the House when it comes to budget matters. Ask any other Representative and they can attest to that. There is no better Representative to serve on JBC, and that’s why he’s the vice chair.

      Colorado will surely miss Rep. Pommer after he’s termed out next year.

    1. The woman doesn’t understand what she is doing.  Everytime she gets her hands around some issue, she passes these terrible bills that cost people thousands in legal bills and don’t solve the problem.  She doesn’t know how to write legislation.  She creates complete chaos.  She’s just a pain in everyone’s ass.  Thank God only 7 more years of her.

        2. We complain about politicans spinning and telling everyone want they want to hear and being poll driven. Then Norgan comes along and tells us exactly what she’s thinking – and everyone gets the vapors because she hurt some feelings.

          Morgan – keep being you. That’s what makes you so good.

          2. I think it’s the fact that she chooses to air her grievances very publicly that irks some.

            She has good ideas, I think she just needs to work on getting along with her peers a little better–without compromising her core values.

  7. for being the only freshman elected to leadership in goodness knows how long, his dedication to the Pueblo community, and, of course, for having the most picturesque family ever!

      1. so protecting pinon canyon, working on the DNA bill, supporting Colorado steel industry, and single payer health care are all libertarian positions now?

        nice try.

      3. So I know how much Polsters are in to bashing anyone who strays a hair from the far-left party line, but seriously – a libertarian? What does that make Ritter, a fascist? And that moderate US Senator we had a while back who got promoted and is now in line for the presidency, is he just one more crazy man shouting, “Get off my land!”?

        Man, you’re way off on this one. As a strong Democrat and a good friend of Sal’s, I can assure you that he’s no libertarian. We argue constantly about politics, and I’m usually the more conservative one.

        Sal’s a strong supporter of a single payer health care system, sponsored the biggest modernization of unemployment insurance benefits, and he actually brought Pueblo and El Paso counties together on a water bill. That’s the Colorado political equivalent of lions and lambs laying down together. Now he’s not the second coming or anything, but the guy’s damn sure not a libertarian.

        I suppose if you just look at his record on House Judiciary, you might see some votes against tying down our already overburdened criminal justice system with stupid and unnecessary laws, but since when did defending the constitution become a strictly “libertarian” value? And I haven’t spoken with any legislators in House leadership who regret even a little bit giving a leadership position to a guy who helped several other House Democrats take seats away from Republicans.

        As a side note, and completely unrelated to Sal Pace, it would seem to me that real libertarians actually have more in common with Democrats these days than Republicans.

      4. Your whole premise is misguided, smellykat. There’s room for ideological disparity within the Democratic Party, an important point many Republicans fail to understand. That’s why Democrats have gained so much ground in CO and the West.

        To build on what Jeff B. said, not only do Libertarians tend to agree more with the Democratic Party these days, but so do most independents. And frankly, so do quite a few moderate Republicans who are getting left behind as the Party of Lincoln is becoming more pure in its doctrine and likewise more isolated.

        Aside from this, Pace has proven himself to be a true-blue Democrat, time and time again. He’s practically the only D on Judiciary this session that will stand up for judicial reform. He also passed a lot of labor-friendly bills, which other posts have already highlighted.

        I know that Pace campaigned quite a bit for vulnerable Dems in 2008, which is probably why they gave him his leadership post: one of the main Chair/Co-Chair duties of both Parties is to protect vulnerable seats currently held and to work on expanding into the vulnerable seats of the other side.

        He’s really as reliable a D as anyone in the Legislature. Only bucking his party on urban vs. rural fights or on gun issues.

        1. I can tell you that they are happy with neither party right now. I have no idea why they’d be happier with Democrats right now because the Dems (and with the help of Bush, who got the ball rolling) just violated every Libertarian economic principle with the stimulus and the bailouts.

          I would definitely say that civil libertarians definitely fall more in line with the Democrats though.

          1. Redstateblues, you have a good point. If you are a loyal member of the Libertarian Party and are supportive of their entire platform then I agree you won’t be happy with either major Party. You’d be happy with the Libertarians in power, end of discussion.

            However, if you’re a small-l libertarian and you’re willing to buy into our current two-party system rather than focusing solely on advancing a Third Party, then you will now find much more to agree with Democrats on than Republicans. Libertarians may agree with Republicans on opposing the Stimulus Package (Politically, by the way, I doubt that this strategy will be effective. Just look at the backlash that occurred against Republican Governors who tried to reject stimulus funding for their states as evidence). And while Republicans are ready now to cry foul at any growth of government when they aren’t in power, they are clearly ready, willing and able to promote huge governmental growth (in arguably a much more intrusive way) when they are in power.

            But if a libertarian cares about anything else, they are going to find much more in common with the Dems. The Republican Party of today wants to control so many private acts (from marriage, to spying on American citizens, to limiting certain forms of speech) that I can only see libertarians voting the other way. Gun rights are about the only social issue of agreement now, and I would argue that this is quickly becoming a non-issue for anybody who didn’t buy a lifetime’s supply of bullets before President Obama took office.

        2. because I think he’s more than a “reliable” D. I got to meet Mr. Pace during the campaign season, and he proved himself to be a passionate, thoughtful, and committed Democrat.

          I don’t live in his district, but just watching from afar he seems well worthy of a “best legislator of the year” award. And not just because of his leadership position, but what he’s done with that. Tackling prison reform is no small matter, and addressing mental care in inmates (his bill HB 1253) in critical in dealing with long-term judicial reform.

          Combine that with his work with the El Paso County reps on the water bill as Jeff B mentioned above, health-care, and more and I think you get a extremely solid policy portfolio from this freshman rep.

          Most importantly, his behind the scenes work, working with other members of the leadership, sheparding bills and so forth… quiet but competent leadership is an often over-looked quality in politicians these days.

          I wish I lived in his district so I could vote for him for rep, but in lieu of that, he’s got my Pols vote for best legislator.

          1. Leadership just put Pace on a conference committee for the Pinnacol bill that Weissmann ran. That’s an important bill and clearly they would only put him on it if a) Leadership were happy with him and b) he’s proven himself to be an effective legislator.

            Pace has had a great year. Definitely has my vote for best legislator.

  9. yes, there a lot of Republican crazies this session, and yes there Dems that screwed things up too, but that Schultheis was just outrageous. Completely off the wall. I hope someone egged his house over that.

  10. For SB 108, HB 1001, and his leadership on House Business Affairs & Labor. Also for his service to the country.

    Also: Marostica, Gibbs

    Worsts: Renfroe, Schultheis

    2. All too silly. HB 1001 is going to drastically lower taxes for corporations with major bucks + who would have already created those jobs anyway.

      In the same session that he is giving tax breaks to major corporations he is raising transportation dollars in one of the most regressive ways possible. Putting the brunt of this fee increase on the backs of working and middle class people, while adovocating for a tax cut for those who don’t need it. Not to even mention the $50 million tax subsidy for NASCAR

      LEADERSHIP IS NOT BEING THE GOVERNOR’S WATER BOY.  

    3. his responsibility to truly serve his constituency so seriously.  If you contact him he gets back to you. It may take a little while but that’s only because he takes the time to get back to absolutely everyone personally. He is the model of what alegislator should be.

      When he says he wants to hear your concerns regardless of party affiliation and that he is your rep whether you voted for him or not, it’s not just lip service.  He lives it.

      Most Littleton Dems are very proud of Joe even though so many of us are not as moderate as he is.  Nobody who would perfectly suit the band of grumpy old lefties that is the grassroots Dem base here in HD38 would stand a chance of being elected here anyway and most of us are smart enough to know that.

      We also know that Joe is who he is.  His moderate progressive/ business friendly stances are not just to get elected.  What you see is what you get.  He is the genuine article and also a skillful practical deal maker. That’s what so many indies and moderate Rs are responding to when they vote with Dems for Joe.

      He definitely gets this old lefty in Littleton’s vote for best legislator, great all round guy and genuine American hero.

  11. Representative Don Marostica, for his work on the JBC and his willingness to reject extremist ideology and work for the people of Colorado, should receive the “best of” nod.

    Contrast that, by far, to the “worst of” in Senator Josh Penry.  As the Pols line indicates, he has been a complete embarrassment to the Republican Party.  From failed filibusters, to sleeping on the job while failing his caucus by not filling Sen. Ted Harvey committee seat, to incompetence in reining in or giving direction to his fellow wingnuts like Schultheis, to his Swastika Guy affiliation and pork party disaster, to his failure to provide any viable state budget plan,  to his ludicrous claims that O&G rules are driving drillers away and playing E. B. Farnum for O&G’s George Hurst, to his throwing wrenches into the processes just for the sake of saying he did so, to his shackling himself to far right wing extremist ideology instead of working for the people of Colorado, to his “Sine Die” approach to this legislative session, Penry should get a unanimous vote for worst ever,  And for good measure, why not throw in his gegenschein opposition to McInnis?

    1. Your tired old talking points about Penry are getting worn out.  As far as I can tell he’s done the absolute best he could with a mere 14 members in his caucus.  If you look back at some of the close votes this session you’ll see that Penry was actually successful at bringing a few thinking democrats over to his side.  

      As for worst?  How about the opportunistic douche bags that are casting aside the jobs they were elected to do in order to line up at the Obama gravy train?  

      Yes, I mean you PETER GROFF, JIM ISGAR, KAREN MIDDLETON, etc.  

      And Sal Pace for pretending he knows how to accomplish things.

      1. A recap of the legislative session is what this thread is about.  If you have such a disdain for truth and fact, you are probably at the wrong web site.  You may want to try the Draft Josh Penry site to satisfy your need for fiction and humor.  

        “A stupid man’s report of what a clever man says can never be accurate, because he unconsciously translates what he hears into something he can understand.” -Bertrand Russell

      2. And whose fault is it that he only has 14 members of his caucus?  You might want to give some thought to how that happened.

      3. Of the 15 or so bills that he was the lead sponsor, all but maybe 2 or 3 are now signed into law or on their way to the Governor’s office.

        He’s doing a lot more than just pretending to accomplish things.  

    2. As much as you’d like to pretend otherwise, the reason you hate him (and I don’t use that term loosely) is because he is very effective at using what he has.

      Look at some of the bills that he’s killed this session…in-state tuition for illegal immigrants, won the budget fight against the governor on Pinnacol.

      Spend a little less time watching old episodes of Deadwood and a little more reading the paper.

  12. giving Assistant House Majority Leader Andy Kerr his due. Having worked with him these past few months, his sincerity, humility, good will, moderation, attentiveness to his constituents, and dedication to just plain good governance merit nothing but the highest praise.

  13. Blogging negatively about her fellow Democrats in the Senate, chastising them for having different opinions than her, and behaving in a condescending fashion.  Right along side her is Mitchell for his constant arrogance, condescending tone and general air of superiority, and even going at it with his own caucus.  Levy gets huge plus points for being a great committee chair, especially among folks that thought she would be way out-there liberal.  She even helped the Rs recraft their bills so as to get them passed.  Also think Christine Scanlan is a rising star who is a great behind the scenes leader among her caucus. Gibbs gets my vote for lacking in passion on just about anything except maybe bark beetles. And of course Renfroe, Lundberg, Schultheis, Harvey, Cadman and Brophy all suck, but that goes without saying.  

  16. Penry, for bringing vision back to the Republicans, particularly on the budget.  Remember, many (including most on this blog) ridiculed him when he helped orchestrate opposition to the initial budget.  He denounced the idea of a Pinnacol vs. higher ed trade-off.  In the end, he was right.

    Tipton, who, as a freshman in the minority, has been outstanding and very successful getting through Katie’s Law.

    Kopp is a runner up.  Every year, he gets better and better.  

    1. Be specific.

      What was Penry’s plan?

      Katie’s Law?  Huge invasion of civil liberties.  Are you for more government intrusion into the lives of innocent citizens?

        1. We are only beginning to understand what information lies within our genetic code. We have no idea how much information we are really collecting. And unlike fingerprints, by taking this genetic information we are not only collecting information on the person arrested. We are also collecting quite a bit of information on the arrestee’s immediate family. And all before a conviction. Innocent until proven guilty? Indeed.

                    1. I’m still waiting for your first non-Joe Nacchio related diary.

                    2. Have you even thought of that?  I’m sitting here in the slammer on a pile of money, and you show me no sympathy what-so-ever.  Maybe.

                      PS — can I delete that old diary?  It wasn’t even a “dear diary” moment; it was just a link to an article or something.  Oh, the embarassments of our youth.

                    3. Joe Nacchio’s story. But that doesn’t mean I won’t oppose Nacchio’s Law when John Morse tries to tear-jerk its way through the legislature next year.  

                    4. Go to the “edit diary” hyperlink and just underneath the second text box under “other options” there’s a button you can check that says “delete? (check box and click save)” and voila. No more tender moments with Jamba.

                      Awww. [tear]

          2. It’s a way to identify individuals. In terms of then knowing an individuals genetic code, as we find people’s DNA more useful for medical treatment, we will be treating those samples like we do blood trests now and everyone will have that in their medical record. So the info will be recorded regardless.

            1. this information to your doctor by choice. You are still in control of that information and your doctor is very limited on what he/she can do with it.

              Being forced to give away this information to the state, against your will, and before you have been held accountable for anything is completely different.

              I agree that it’s an effective way to identify people. But without proper oversight (which the current bill lacks) there are a multitude of ways to abuse this information. Your finger prints don’t identify your race, gender, health, or behavioral traits. Your DNA does. That is a lot of information to be forced into giving away (which you will no longer have any control over)before you’ve been convicted of anything.

              Once you’re convicted, the state has a much higher right to intrude. But for the 40-some percent of people who are arrested for minor offenses and never even brought to trial, there is no justification.  

              1. race & gender – that goes on the police report anyways so no difference.

                behavioral traits – it identifies behaviors that have a high corelation with certain signatures. But that does not mean the individual engages in those behaviors. And as they study this more they are starting to question just how reliable these signatures are.

                health – yes there are some health issues that are rooted in the DNA. So it does identify those. But that is a small set of issues and have nothing to do with a propensity to act in any specific way.

                Everything has trade-offs but the downsides to this are minor and mostly theoretical. The upside is we get murders & rapists off the street.

          3. Post-conviction…I don’t have a problem.  But I don’t trust the CBI or anyone else to destroy the data should the suspect be acquitted or charges be dropped.

      1. Although business (well the Denver political-business class) has developed a rabid hated for the Administration, the GOP has yet to capitalize on this shift.

        As to operations …  McNulty, Marostica, Gardner (Cory), Stephans, Roberts, King, Priola, Gerou, etc… might do better running their agenda.

  19. Best

    1. Marostica- The only Republican with any common sense. Plus this guy is a true leader.

    2. Morse- The only D with the balls to stand up and clearly communicate what needs to be done.

    3. Romer- Pretty good for a Freshman.. eh?

    Worst

    1. Renfreo- For the most tasteless comment this session

    2. Penry (Congrats Scott.. It’s pretty hard to beat Josh)

    3. McNulty- D-bag supreme

    1. If douchebaggery is the sole criteria…Jack Pommer or Morgan Carroll would have that locked up tight.

      McNulty is a great legislator, smart, articulate and hard working.  He’s got water law and natural resources issues down cold.  Led the fight to give veterans in-state tuition.  This session he passed a bill to require the correct accounting of foreclosures…not sexy, but important.

  21. While Renfroe did his best to out-stupid D.S., you have to look at the totality of Schultheis’ career to realize that he is the clear winner.  

  22. Rep. Kathleen Curry gets my vote for best. A real workhorse and a champion for her constituents.

    For worst…a toss up between McNulty and Bradford.

    1. It seems like her head’s been in a hole since she’s been so successful chasing jobs out of western Colorado.  

      Most likely she’s been outshined this session by some of the young bucks in the D caucus that are smarter than her.  

      1. to understand how markets work, a glutted supply and lack of transport capacity, and cheaper (shale gas) plays elsewhere, next to the population and infrastructure to get it to market…or you could blame Kathleen Curry.

      2. indicates the reason you disdain Rep. Curry and probably the reason you are a Penry shill. Josh led the charge for the O&G boys (with the other industry sell-outs, Isgar and McKinley) and got thumped in the process. Those sour grapes you’re eating must be hard to swallow.

  23. The Republican’s are for the most part beyond the pale.

    Best I have to go with Marostica: he showed a lot of guts and wouldn’t let himself be bullied.

    Best D, I’ll have to go with T Carroll.  Although he sometimes worked against things I support, his tactical mastery of procedure made him very effective at killing things he didn’t like without forcing votes by the whole.

    Worst human being-Renfroe: nothing makes it ok to wish AIDS on babies.

    Worst Ds,Beth McCann: if she was in Joe Rice or Kathleen Curry’s district her politics would be fine, but she is completely out of step with her district.  Peter Groff: his short timer attitude made the senate a complete mess this session.

  25. That Laura Bradford didn’t make anyone’s “worst” list.

    She did nothing whatsoever for her constituents.

    She got one bill passed, an “obsolete language” bill that took the support of her former opponent to get through the legislature.  Her other bills were PI’d or killed outright.

    Other than that, all she did was vote “No.”

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