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Governor awaits recommendations on Secretary of State pick

By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 7, 2008 at 6:51 p.m.
Updated December 7, 2008 at 6:51 p.m.

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A search committee is expected to present Gov. Bill Ritter this week with a short list of candidates culled from the 20 people who have applied to become Colorado's next secretary of state.

The conventional wisdom about who most likely might make that list centers around four candidates. In alphabetical order, they are:

State Rep. Bernie Buescher, of Grand Junction, who had been in line to become speaker of the House until he lost his seat in the Nov. 4 election.

Senate Majority Leader Ken Gordon, of Denver, who lost a bid for secretary of state in November 2006.

Rosemary Rodriguez, a former Denver City Council president and Denver clerk and recorder who currently serves as a commissioner on the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission.

Term-limited House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, of Denver, who most recently led an unsuccessful campaign to reform the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights and several conflicting amendments.

All four, like Ritter, are Democrats. When asked if it was possible that a Republican might make the short list, Ritter spokesman Evan Dreyer pointed out that the seven-member committee screening applicants includes Republicans and the application for the job does not ask for party affiliation.

Dreyer said he expects Ritter will start reviewing finalists by next week and will have a decision by the end of the month. That way, the appointee will be able to step into the job as soon as Republican Mike Coffman steps down in January to become the congressman representing Colorado's 6th District.

Pat Waak, chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party, said she hopes Ritter will appoint a Democrat to the job. She added the names of Sherry Jackson and Aaron Harber to her list of candidates who ought to get serious consideration.

Jackson is a former Denver clerk and recorder who serves as the party's executive director. Harber is a talk show host for

KBDI-Channel 12 who was the Democratic candidate for secretary of state in 1990.

Waak added that she hopes whoever is tapped takes on the job in as nonpartisan a manner as possible to uphold the integrity of the voting process.

Dick Wadhams, Colorado GOP chairman, said he expects Ritter will pick a Democrat, but added that he does not begrudge the governor's right to do so.

Wadhams hopes, however, the state legislature adopts a law change that would require such vacancies be filled by members of the same party as the person leaving office. A bill to make such a change was offered last session by Rep. Paul Weissman, a Democrat, but it failed to pass.