Twenty years ago: The victory party in City Park had begun, even before the Denver polls had officially closed, to support what political pundits called “anybody’s candidate,” a man new to politics, but not unknown, in town with a funny last name.
Denver’s new mayor-elect, a short-but-sweet new title that, when announced from the stage, instantly turned on a charged crowd, would be a candidate who would have received multi-level support in Denver’s diverse communities .
That new mayor was John Hickenlooper.
The Denver businessman had skillfully attracted votes from both Democrats and Republicans, from business and labor, from whites and minorities.
Refreshingly for many political pundits, the six months of vigorous campaigning between Hickenlooper and longtime politician Don Mares had featured none of the acrimony of previous congressional and Senate races; rather it had been formed by a lively debate focused squarely on the issues.
Hickenlooper began his victory night speech by thanking the city of Denver for its support.
“Hundreds of people have given their time and treasure for change,” Hickenlooper said. “Today we are not afraid of change; we embrace it We are not afraid of diversity; we honor it We do not long for yesterday; let’s wait and enjoy tomorrow”.
Hickenlooper thanked not only his supporters, but the “seven incredible candidates” who, he said, had elevated the race to a higher level.
“I say thank you to Don Mares. You ran a strong campaign and I am proud to share this campaign with you. Don Mares and I showed that you could run a positive campaign without negative attack ads.”
Hickenlooper, to much raucous applause, quoted Galileo Copernicus as saying he could see farther than others because he stood on the shoulders of giants as he introduced Denver Mayor Wellington Webb to the stage.
“Strange things happen in Denver,” Webb said. “You guys decided to pick a guy named Peña, then a guy hanging around this town named Webb, and now you’ve picked the Brew Man…Hickenlooper. I will work with you and your staff and give you the tools to leave behind because on July 21st you are the new leader.”
Thirty years ago this week: Recovering from a serious viral infection at University Hospital, state Sen. Ray Powers, R-Colorado Springs, discovered his medical condition had sparked a political fight in the El Paso County GOP.
Rep. Tom Ratterree, R-Colorado Springs, had visited Powers in the hospital to relay information that Rep. Ron May, R-Colorado Springs, was eyeing his seat.
The rumor had originated from reports that Senate District 10 Chairman Phil Conway had called the El Paso County Republican Party headquarters to inquire about Powers’ status and had been told they were investigating the bylaws in case the seat becomes vacant.
But when contacted by reporters, both May and Conway vehemently denied any involvement or cooperation in an alleged effort to undermine Powers or profit from her medical crisis, except…
Conway admitted he had called the El Paso County Republican Party headquarters, but only to ask if they had received many inquiries about Powers’ status.
“The staff told me that ‘I can’t tell you any details about these calls; it’s an internal problem.” And that answer told me everything I needed to know,” Conway said.
Conway told The Colorado Statesman that he had concluded that interested people had called county party headquarters to figure out how to “convene the vacancy committee and possibly replace Powers, who was seriously ill at the time, rather than talking directly with me”.
The “anonymous” people, Conway said, were coming “through the back door” in order to prevent May from taking Powers’ seat and turning El Paso County into another stage for a Republican Party fight.
“It would be logical for May to think about the seat of Powers,” Conway said. “He’s the only one with experience in the senate district. The callers saw a good opportunity to get in on the ground floor. The caller wanted to make sure they were in. Why else would they talk about the vacancy committee?”
Rachael Wright is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series, holds degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University, and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and The Gazette.
