By Todd Engdahl, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

The State Board of Education next week will interview representatives of three firms vying to advise the board in finding a successor for outgoing education Commissioner Dwight Jones.

The interviews are tentatively set for the board’s scheduled meeting next Monday, depending on the availability of the applicants.

Five of the seven board members held a work session Monday morning to discuss the six firms that applied by the Nov. 22 deadline. Because state purchasing rules require bidder names be kept confidential until after a contract is awarded, board members referred to bidders by letter – A, B, etc. – during the discussion.

Three firms – identified as B, C and D – were dropped from further consideration by consensus. After discussion of A, E and F, board members agreed they want to interview representatives of all three.

Under state rules, cost is supposed to be the determining factor if all other bidder characteristics are considered equal. The board did not specify a contract amount or ceiling in the proposal it published. But that proposal was contained in a form named “request for documented quotion,” which is the form for state projects costing under $150,000. The proposal said a new commissioner should begin work “no later than July 1, 2011.”

According to the board’s request for bids, the search firm will be expected to work with the board to develop criteria for a new commissioner; gather input from state officials, interest groups, educators and the public; finalize the job description, advertise for candidates; do background checks and create an interview format.

The request specified that applicants “have at least five years experience in executive level placement, including placement as a public official in the education field” and also have “familiarity with the Colorado community and executive placements within Colorado, including those specifically in the education field.”

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By Peter Marcus, DENVER DAILY NEWS

State Sen. Chris Romer today is expected to announce that he will vacate his Senate seat to run for mayor of Denver.

Democrats are already scrambling to put together an estimated 150-person vacancy committee consisting of Democratic leadership to replace Romer. Those who have expressed an interest in taking over Romer’s seat in Senate District 32 are:

• State Rep. Beth McCann, D-Denver;

• Owen Perkins, secretary of the Democratic Party of Denver;

• Irene Aguilar, a local physician;

• Jeff Hart, a local activist with the Democratic party, and;

• Matt Royster, a local environmentalist.

Romer will join Denver City Councilman Michael Hancock, as well as at-large Denver City Councilman Doug Linkhart, who have also announced that they are seeking Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper’s job.

Hickenlooper will hold his position until his Jan. 11 inauguration when Deputy Mayor Bill Vidal will then become acting mayor until the municipal election in May 2011.

Councilwoman Carol Boigon has also said that she expects to run for mayor.

Former Denver fire chief Rich Gonzales, who now serves as the executive director of the Colorado Department of Personnel and Administration, has also said that he is considering a run for mayor, but has not made any final decisions.

Others who have filed paperwork to explore a run for mayor are James Mejia, chief executive of the Denver Preschool Program, and Danny Lopez, a city employee who lost to Hickenlooper in the 2007 mayoral race. Other lesser known candidates who have filed are Dwight Henson, Michael Forrester, Kenneth Simpson and Gerald Styron.

Other figures considering a run for mayor, but have not filed paperwork, are hotel developer Walter Isenberg and businessman Buzz Geller.

A spokesman for Romer’s campaign yesterday would not release any details of the announcement other than to say that it will take place this morning at 10 a.m. at the offices of AllonHill, a risk management and mortgage due diligence firm.

“After conversations with Senate leadership, constituents and family, Romer will make his candidacy official following a roundtable discussion with Denver employers and business leaders,” read a statement from the Romer campaign.

Democratic leaders are required to hold a vacancy committee meeting within 30 days of the official resignation date, say party leaders. Ten days notice of the meeting must also be made.

Pat Waak, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party, pointed out that a “domino effect” could take place if Rep. McCann officially vacates her seat in House District 8 to pursue Romer’s seat. Another vacancy committee would need to be put together to replace McCann.

Waak is confident that there is a competent pool of candidates to replace Romer.

“Most of the people that we know of that might be interested in serving … are good solid Democrats, and I think the vacancy committee is made up of good solid Democrats …” said Waak. “It’s hard to walk in off the street and get a nomination like this.”

A simple majority vote is needed from the vacancy committee for the nomination to be made. If the vacancy committee is unable to act within 30 days, then the governor will make the appointment. But Edgar Neel, the Democratic chairman of SD 32, said his party is ready to go with a vacancy committee once the formal resignation date is set.

“It’s kind of a significant responsibility,” he said of the vacancy committee.

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STATE BILL COLORADO

Gov. Bill Ritter has named his chief legal counsel, Craig Welling, and three others to new judgeships along the Front Range.

Welling and Robert Walter Kiesnowski Jr. were appointed to new district judgeships in the 17th Judicial District. Thomas Ray French was appointed to a district judgeship in the 8th Judicial District, which includes Larimer County. Brian Nathaniel Bowen will be a new Adams County judge.

Ritter set up a special procedure to deal with his consideration of Welling. In Colorado, judge finalists are determined by district nominating commissions, with the governor making the final decision. As chief legal counsel, Welling typically works with the governor on making judicial appointments.

Ritter’s press release follows:

Gov. Bill Ritter today announced the appointments of four new judges to county and district court benches:

· Craig Richard Welling of Broomfield was appointed to become a District Court judge in the 17th Judicial District, which serves Adams and Broomfield counties, effective Jan. 1. Welling has served as chief legal counsel to Gov. Ritter since earlier this year and as deputy chief legal counsel since 2007. Prior to joining the administration, Welling was an associate at Rothgerber, Johnson & Lyons. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in 1995, his master’s degree from Penn State University in 2001 and his law degree from the University of Colorado in 2001.

· Robert Walter Kiesnowski Jr. of Commerce City also was appointed to become a District Court judge in the 17th Judicial District effective Jan. 1. Kiesnowski is currently in-house counsel for the Denver Police Protective Association and has been of-counsel to Worstell & Kiesnowski since 2009. He previously has worked as associate attorney with the Law Offices of Mitch Geller, partner with the Law Offices of Maguire and Kiesnowski and associate attorney with the Law Offices of Frank Moya & Daniel Recht. He earned his B.S. and B.A. from Regis College in 1987, and his law degree from University of Puget Sound School of Law in 1990.

· Brian Nathaniel Bowen of Brighton was appointed to become an Adams County Court judge effective Jan. 1. Bowen has served as a magistrate in the 17th Judicial District since 2003. He previously has served as a small claims magistrate in Adams County Court, a part-time small claims magistrate in Weld County Court, part-time associate municipal judge for Westminster, Commerce City, Northglenn, Thornton and Wheat Ridge, as sole practitioner in general practice, and an attorney at Gehler & Merrigan in Commerce City. Bowen earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1981 and his law degree from Southwestern University Law School in 1986.

· Thomas Ray French of Fort Collins was appointed to become a District Court Judge in the 8th Judicial District, which serves Jackson and Larimer counties, effective Jan. 1. French has been president of Thomas R. French, P.C., since 1995. His practice consists of trial matters and transactional matters. Trial matters include business litigation, trademark cases, insurance cases, personal injury cases, and criminal defense work. French earned his bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University in 1971 and his law degree from the University of Colorado School of Law in 1977.

District court judges serve an initial provisional term of two years. Then, if retained by voters, they serve six-year terms at an annual salary of $128,598.

County court judges serve an initial provisional term of two years. Then, if retained by voters, they serve four-year terms with an annual salary of $123,067.

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STATE BILL COLORADO

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter’s chief of staff, Jim Carpenter, will leave the administration in its waning weeks to join political consultant Mike Stratton.

“As Jim moves ahead to new opportunities, I want to thank him for his long service to our state and for his deep commitment to Colorado,” Ritter said in a statement.

In January, Ritter decided against running for a second term. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, also a Democrat, won a three-way race in November. He’ll be sworn in in January.

Gov. Bill Ritter announced today that his chief of staff, Jim Carpenter, will depart the administration Dec. 17.

“Jim has been a lynchpin in moving our agenda forward,” Gov. Ritter said. “His efforts have been central to our many successes¸ and my administration and the people of Colorado have benefited from his ability to manage complex issues under tough circumstances calmly and without fanfare.”

Carpenter will join veteran public affairs consultant Mike Stratton as a principal in a renamed firm, Stratton-Carpenter Associates.

Carpenter was hired as chief of staff shortly after Ritter’s gubernatorial election four years ago. Carpenter managed Ken Salazar’s successful 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, then served as Sen. Salazar’s state director until joining the Ritter Administration in November 2006. Carpenter also has served as head of public affairs at National Jewish Health, as director of communications and chief of staff for former Gov. Roy Romer, and in several capacities for former U.S. Sen. Tim Wirth.

“As Jim moves ahead to new opportunities, I want to thank him for his long service to our state and for his deep commitment to Colorado,” Ritter said.

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By Nancy Mitchell, EDUCATION NEWS COLORADO

Lawrence Hernandez, who founded Pueblo’s Cesar Chavez Academy with his wife Annette, has settled a lawsuit against the boards that fired him, his wife and another administrator.

The three will share a total payout of $145,000, according to documents provided by the boards’ attorney Nicholas Gradisar under the Colorado Open Records Act.

Lawrence Hernandez, Annette Hernandez and Velia Rincon sued the board of directors of Chavez and its companion high school, Dolores Huerta, after the boards of the two charter schools fired them in October 2009.

According to a press release, which is signed on behalf of the CCA and Huerta boards by Donielle Gonzales, “our dispute … has ended in an amicable resolution agreed to by all parties.” Gonzales signed the settlement agreements as president of both the CCA and Huerta boards.

Documents obtained under the open-records law show Lawrence Hernandez will receive $83,212 while Annette Hernandez will receive $43,251.60 and Velia Rincon will receive $18,536.40.

Gradisar, reached at his Pueblo office, said the amounts are being paid by the schools’ liability insurance carrier and refunds on “key man” insurance policies formerly held by the schools for the Hernandezes and former chief finance officer Jason Guerrero. Such policies are not uncommon in the business sector to cover losses if top executives move on.

In May, Pueblo City School District 60, the charter authorizer for CCA and Huerta, sent a letter outlining deficiencies to the charter school boards that, among other items, prohibited them from using any federal, state or local tax money to resolve pending litigation.

The district’s letter came after an audit of the charters’ finances found nepotism, unchecked spending and excessive salaries for the Hernandezes and for Guerrero.

Pueblo School Board President Stephanie Garcia said Wednesday afternoon that she had just received the settlement agreements and was reviewing them.

“I’m seeing them for the first time. We are going to have to reach out and have some legal review,” Garcia said. “We’re going to have to see how this fits into the notice of deficiencies regarding use of taxpayer money. I have just as many questions as you have at this point.”

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By Debi Brazzale, COLORADO NEWS AGENCY

With the elections behind them, freshman lawmakers have now embarked on an equally challenging endeavor—learning the ropes of the legislative process. In new-member training sessions scheduled this month and next, incoming lawmakers are getting a crash course on everything from sponsoring bills to wielding parliamentary procedure–i.e., the stuff that rarely make news but that consumes most of the legislature’s time every session.

On hand in the House of Representatives at one of the orientation sessions last week was the outgoing Democratic majority leader, Paul Weismann, of Louisville, who led the freshman class in a scripted dress-rehearsal of procedure on the House floor. The lesson involved some pretty basic, but essential, advice.

“When you vote, push your button, look up at the board to make sure it’s the color that you want, and that you actually vote,” said Weismann. “Don’t hold your button down –or it wipes it out.”

Rep.-elect Janek Joshi, a Colorado Springs a Republican, said the procedure on the House floor is not unlike meetings among physicians and that a certain analogy is applicable to both physicians and lawmakers.

“As physicians we are independent-minded, so when we have meetings, we say it’s like herding cats. I’ve heard that same expression today,” said Joshi.

Joshi said the hardest part for him may not be the labyrinth of procedural rules but getting to know the staff.

“The biggest thing is trying to learn all the different staff members, who does what, and that’s a little bit overwhelming,” said Joshi.

Fellow freshman Roger Wilson, a Glenwood Springs Democratic representative-elect, who overtook the incumbent unaffiliated Rep. Kathleen Curry, said that he is so far very impressed with the pros who run the legislature day-to-day.

“All of Colorado citizens should be very proud of legislative staff,” said Wilson.

Wilson is an engineer by trade, but he was on the debate team in high school and dabbled in theater as a one-time major in college. Asked whether his theater training will become evident on the House floor, Wilson joked that he’d prefer to confine it to, “the privacy of my own home, but we’ll see.”

Freshmen in the House will be spending the next few weeks acclimating to their new environment by attending Joint Budget Committee meetings, and all the representatives-elect will be concentrating on submitting five bills–the maximum allowed–for drafting.

Wilson said he has no shortage of ideas but will have to whittle down his ideas.

“I have a lot of ideas. I have approximately 15 bills right now,” said Wilson. “It’s a matter of pairing them down and figuring out what the right thing to do is for the people of this state and what we can actually accomplish in this legislature.”

Joshi said he is not sure yet what he will concentrate his five bills on. However, he said, looking to his constituents will be one strategy and drawing on his medical background will be another.

“Everybody wants to do something for their constituents, and if we keep that in mind, I think we will all do well,” he said. “I will probably be looking at areas in health care.”

One thing is certain for all the new members: Their time will no longer be their own.

“I understand that there will be people who will want to put themselves on my agenda such as lobbyists–and tons of emails–so it will be a matter of prioritizing among those inputs as well as people in my district,” said Wilson.

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By Don Knox, STATE BILL COLORADO

Colorado Senate President Brandon Shaffer, together with the other top Senate leaders, fired the Senate’s top administrative officer without giving her a reason, she said Wednesday.

“I really don’t know anything except that I’m not down there,” said Karen Goldman, secretary of the Senate since the 2005 legislative session. She said she is being paid through the end of December. Goldman’s deputy, Cindi Markwell, is serving as the interim secretary.

Goldman’s firing, which wasn’t publicly announced, occurred two days after Colorado’s general election. But partisan politics likely had little to do with her dismissal because the majority status of the Senate, unlike the House, didn’t change: Democrats are staying in charge.

John Cevette, Shaffer’s chief of staff, confirmed the dismissal earlier Wednesday but said state personnel rules prevented him from elaborating. Shaffer presided over a meeting with Goldman attended by Majority Leader John Morse, Minority Leader Mike Kopp and Legislative Legal Services Director Dan Cartin.

Senate staffers are at-will employees under state law. They can be fired at any time, for any reason.

“Personality conflicts” may have been a factor, Goldman speculated.

“I think certain perspectives about me were put out there, and believed,” she said. “Unfortunately part of my role is to say no, when that’s the right thing to say. I’ve never said no without giving the reason why I’m saying no, and I think some people didn’t like to hear the word no.

“It’s a tough position to be in. I remember when Joan Fitz-Gerald was president, she said, ‘Your job is to tell me when I can’t really do something.’

“I know this had nothing to do with my performance.”

Goldman said she won’t fight the decision.

“I don’t want to. What’s the point? I have too much respect for the work I do to work for people who don’t appreciate me.”

As for what’s next, Goldman, formerly Lakewood’s city clerk, said she’s going to enjoy the holiday for the first time in eight years.

“I know a lot of people,” she said. “I’ve sent out some feelers, I’m sure there’ll be some opportunities for me to do consulting or contract work. I’ve been in government for a very long time. I have a lot of connections.”

Goldman said she appreciates the nonpartisan makeup of the Senate staff.

“People who work there love politics,” she said. “It’s fascinating, and everybody has opinions. I think for the most part everybody is nonpartisan, at least people who worked for me. The people who work for the Ds and the Rs [Democrats and Republicans] are supposed to be partisan.”

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STATE BILL COLORADO

The top administrative position at the Colorado Senate is in transition.

Karen Goldman, the secretary of the Senate, is out. Her No. 2 for the past two years, Cindi Markwell, is the interim Senate secretary, and she likely will be given the job full-time when the legislative session starts Jan. 12.

John Cevette, chief of staff to Senate President Brandon Shaffer, on Wednesday confirmed Goldman’s departure. Her last day was Nov. 4. Cevette said she was terminated, but he said state personnel rules don’t allow him to say more than that.

Markwell worked for 28 years in the Colorado Office of Legislative Legal Services and was the head legal assistant there. Goldman recruited her to the deputy’s job two years ago. Markwell told State Bill she was thinking of retiring but altered her plans when asked to.

The Senate secretary’s job is one of six nonpartisan managerial jobs at the Capitol. Capitol observers said Goldman’s termination didn’t appear to be politically motivated, and they noted that Markwell is a longtime nonpartisan staffer, so politics didn’t play a role in her apparent hiring, either.

The Senate’s top leadership, Shaffer and Senate Minority Leader Mike Kopp, have met on both staffing changes and will consider Markwell’s appointment at the start of the session, Cevette said.

Goldman could not be immediately reached.

Goldman had two stints at the Senate secretary, first in 2001 for two years and again in 2005 until this month.

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STATE BILL COLORADO

Abigail Vacanti, for two years the spokeswoman for the Colorado Senate Democrats, is taking a job with Denver political-consulting shop SE2. Her last day is Dec. 22.

Meanwhile, House Democratic spokeswoman Katie Reinsich also has given her notice. Reinisch and her husband, who teaches international law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, plan an entrepreneurial venture: a frozen yogurt shop. “I’m going to create jobs,” she said.

Vacanti, a former anchor producer for cable-news network CNN, said her job was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. She’s leaving with the Senate Democrats still solidly in the majority, 20-15. The House Democrats lost their majority and have a slim minority: 33-32.

Jack Wylie, the deputy spokesman for the Senate Dems, is staying on. There’s no word on when either successor will be named.

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STATE BILL COLORADO

Rep. Christine Scanlan, D-Dillon, will step down from her House District 56 seat to take the top legislative lobbyist job in the administration of Gov.-Elect John Hickenlooper. Here’s how news organizations covered the story.

Summit Daily News: Christine Scanlan, who recently won reelection to State House District 56, has been tapped by Governor-elect John Hickenlooper to serve on his leadership team. Scanlan, a Democrat from Summit County, will serve as Hickenlooper’s director of legislative affairs and strategic initiatives. “He called me out of the blue and said ‘I want you on my senior team,’” Scanlan said Tuesday after the announcement. “It’s exciting and overwhelming.”

Associated Press: A Summit County lawmaker is giving up her seat in the state House to work for Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper.

KDVR: Scanlan, who successfully ushered the contentious teacher tenure reform bill through the House last May, was often mentioned as a potential running mate for Hickenlooper and even a possible Speaker of the House if Democrats had held their majority there. Now, she’ll be serving as Hickenlooper’s legislative lobbyist when the 2011 legislative session starts in January.

The Denver Post: Hickenlooper’s spokesman said the appointment does not violate Amendment 41, a voter-approved ethics measure that prohibits lawmakers from lobbying right after leaving office. “The state’s lobbyist oversight law exempts members of the governor’s Cabinet and his personal staff from the requirement to register as a lobbyist, because such employees are not considered professional lobbyists under the law,” Eric Brown said.

The Colorado Independent: Josh Lautenberg, a Vail realtor and the son of U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., is in the running to replace state Rep. Christine Scanlan, D-Dillon, who is stepping down to take a senior leadership position on governor-elect John Hickenlooper’s staff. Josh Lautenberg, a co-owner of Vail’s Sonnenalp Real Estate and a part-time Vail ski instructor, said he got a taste for politics at an early age. Frank Lautenberg, at age 86, is the oldest serving U.S. Senator.

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