Local delegation's take on agenda varied

DENVER - Now that Pikes Peak-area Republicans have had a chance to review the Democrats' legislative agenda, it's no surprise that they don't like it.

Gov. Bill Ritter and legislative leaders have pushed alternative energy, health insurance, improving achievement in schools and reducing repeat criminal offenders.

Sen. John Morse and Rep. Mike Merrifield, the two blues in an otherwise red delegation, say the agenda is a welcome change from the past, when GOP legislators focused on divisive issues and Gov. Bill Owens vetoed Democratic bills.

"That's a lot of change, a lot of new faces, a lot of new ideas," said Morse, a former Fountain police chief and nonprofit director from Colorado Springs. "I think the governor and I are on the same page with regard to the bottom-line agenda."

Such optimism does not pervade the GOP portion of the 12-member delegation.

Pikes Peak-area Republicans say they support increasing renewable energy and getting more children covered by health plans. They interpret the Democrats' agenda as one of government intrusion and say they want to meet these goals a different way.

Also, one thing GOP legislators label a high priority isn't rolling off the lips of Democratic leaders. Sen. Dave Schultheis and Reps. Bill Cadman, Kent Lambert and Amy Stephens have sponsored bills dealing with illegal immigration; Ritter mentioned just five words about it in his State of the State address and said earlier that he thinks it is a federal issue.

Many in the delegation described a chasm that is smaller on some issues than others. Merrifield and freshman Rep. Bob Gardner, R- Colorado Springs, said bills on renewable energy can pass with a lot of local support, though Gardner added that those bills must include incentives rather than mandates.

Whether the GOP members of the delegation back or oppose Ritter, they also realize they are largely without power. Another factor is the Pikes Peak-area delegation's relative lack of experience: Rep. Bill Cadman is the only local Republican in the House with more than one full term of experience.

El Paso County holds more power on the Senate side, with Morse having received appointments to important committees and Andy McElhany of Colorado Springs serving as the minority leader. But that doesn't mean that McElhany, Schultheis and Republicans Ron May and Tom Wiens are predicting an easy time.

McElhany spoke at a pre-session media briefing about the need to find new road funding, crucial to local projects such as widening Interstate 25. But when House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D- Boulder, suggested that all ideas for funding must be considered, McElhany said he won't support any new taxes.

One of Morse's key areas of concern -- keeping prisoners from returning to jail -- matches Ritter's, and he thinks many people can support a plan to make this a goal for the Department of Corrections.

Cadman noted that for Republicans to pass anything, they must find seven House Democrats willing to vote with them. Although that will be tough, Republicans could work to block what they see as bad bills, like one Cadman has seen that would protect the title of "art therapist."

Amy Stephens, a freshman Republican from Monument, hopes to get through the session and begin community and statewide discussions on some of Ritter's big-picture issues, including health care. If businesspeople and others can suggest plans, then it would be less of a matter of minority Republicans attempting to get past the Democrats, she said.

Still, the outlook depends on whether one's glasses are tinted red or blue.

Said Morse: "What the governor is asking us to do is: We all need to get above the fray and envision where we need to go... I think the governor has done an awesome job of leading from that perspective, of trying to focus all of us."

Said Schultheis: "It's going to be a very difficult time for us. We're going to do what we can to provide balance in the reasons we are voting for things."

CONTACT THE WRITER: (303) 837-0613 or ed.sealover@gazette.com

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