Lawmaker resigns, cites Amendment 41

Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Rep. Joe Stengel resigned from the legislature Tuesday, making him the third lawmaker to bow out weeks before the start of the new session because of the impact of Amendment 41.

A provision in the ballot measure, billed as the "ethics in government" issue, requires a two-year cooling off period for statewide elected officials and lawmakers before they can do business with former colleagues.

By resigning before Amendment 41 becomes law - which could happen any day now - the lawmakers who had been scheduled to leave office Jan. 10 believe they won't be affected by the measure.

Stengel, a Littleton Republican, was term-limited. He declined to comment, but he has been sending out resumes, seeking work in the legal field and in government relations.

Two state senators, Republican Ron Teck, of Grand Junction, and Democrat Dan Grossman, of Denver, also have resigned. Teck was term-limited, and Grossman had chosen not to seek a second term.

Grossman said he reluctantly resigned because he believes Amendment 41 will affect his current job at Environmental Defense, an influential national group in which he serves as the Rocky Mountain regional director and senior attorney.

"I wasn't hired to be a lobbyist. But what is in my current job description is advocating for a clean and healthy environment. And the way Amendment 41 is written, I might be precluded from doing that," Grossman said. "Amendment 41 was inartfully drafted, to say the least."

And more resignations are expected. Some departing lawmakers who had been scheduled to leave when the session opens and their successors are sworn in said they are not sure whether their future employment might include dealings under the Gold Dome, but they don't want to limit their options.

Voters in November approved Amendment 41, which also eliminates freebies for government employees, from the governor to snow- plow operators.

Critics say the measure has enormous unintended consequences, but supporters say the measure was designed to restore faith in government.