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Carroll elected Colorado speaker of House

By Lynn Bartels, Rocky Mountain News (Contact), Ed Sealover, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 6, 2008 at 12:50 p.m.
Updated November 6, 2008 at 1:31 p.m.

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Terrance Carrol is congratulated, after being elected the next Speaker of the House, by Nancy Todd, Thursday morning, November 6, 2008, in the State Capitol in Denver. House and Senate elected new leadership on today.

Ken Papaleo © The Rocky

Terrance Carrol is congratulated, after being elected the next Speaker of the House, by Nancy Todd, Thursday morning, November 6, 2008, in the State Capitol in Denver. House and Senate elected new leadership on today.

Rep. Terrance Carroll

Rep. Terrance Carroll

Senate President Peter Groff tears up as he listens to "Lift Every Voice and Sing," as the legislature starts off their 2008 session at the Colorado State Capitol in January. Groff was sworn in as the first African-American President of the Senate.

Photo by Chris Schneider © The Rocky

Senate President Peter Groff tears up as he listens to "Lift Every Voice and Sing," as the legislature starts off their 2008 session at the Colorado State Capitol in January. Groff was sworn in as the first African-American President of the Senate.

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Democrats today elected Rep. Terrance Carroll of Denver as their speaker after a wild race for the top post in Colorado's House of Representatives.

In addition, Senate Democrats re-elected Peter Groff of Denver as their Senate president.

That means for the first time that two black men hold the most powerful positions in Colorado's legislature, where the Ku Klux Klan once controlled the House, Senate and governor's seat.

"This is unprecedented," said former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, the city's first black mayor. "We have two African Americans leading the legislature in a state with such a small black population.

"Dr. King would be proud because people are voting for the individual and his color has nothing to do with," Webb added.

Democrat and Republican lawmakers and lawmakers-elect gathered at the state Capitol today to pick new leaders after Tuesday's election.

Although Democrats retained their majority in the Senate and the House, the mood was at times somber, in part because Rep. Bernie Buescher, who had been expected to take over from Andrew Romanoff as speaker, lost his re-election bid.

The paved the way for a three-way race for speaker, with Carroll defeating Reps. Anne McGihon of Denver and Kathleen Curry of Gunnison for the speaker's post.

Buescher, of Grand Junction, was defeated by businesswoman Laura Bradford, who received a standing ovation when she was introduced at the House GOP caucus.

The mood among Republicans stood in stark contrast to two years ago when Democrats beat five incumbents and won every open seat.

Rep. Mike May, R-Parker, who was re-elected House minority leader, pointed out that Colorado Republicans were spared the bloodshed that GOP legislative candidates faced nationwide.

"It wasn't like we got to date the prom queen, but it's better than kissing our sister," he said.

In addition to beating Buescher, House Republicans picked up an open seat that had been held by a Democrat.

In the Senate, Republicans either stayed the same or lost a seat, depending on what happens with a recount in an Arapahoe County race.

Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter addressed the four caucuses, congratulating the newcomers and urging bipartisanship when the session opens in January.

"We absolutely have to work together," he told the House Republicans. "I don't think we'll agree about everything."

"Hunch?" said Rep. Jerry Sonnenberg, R-Sterling, getting a big laugh.

Comments

  • November 6, 2008

    1:03 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    SlouchingTowardBoulder writes:

    Boy, I'm sure glad Amendment 46 was voted down (ending discriminatory governmental treatment based on race - i.e. affirmative action) because blacks just don't seem to get a shake in this state or nationally.

    Sarcasm intended.

  • November 6, 2008

    1:11 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    LoneTreeLady75 writes:

    Awesome, congrats Carroll.

  • November 6, 2008

    2:06 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Scott writes:

    So what if they're both Black! If these two gentlemen can do the job, GREAT! If they can't, then they would just be your typical politicians.

    We all need to get over the race/quota thing.

    Scott

  • November 6, 2008

    2:10 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    psu96 writes:

    Scott,
    lead by example and stop taking every opportunity to classify every single lawyer as scum....rationalize all you want..go ahead...

  • November 6, 2008

    3:16 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    rage_against_the_stupid writes:

    If I were hispanic or asian and actually looked at everything thing through a racial prism (like the democrats do), I would be pissed off at being under-represented. Gladly, I was taught to dis-regard skin color, I'm a conservative. Now who is obsessed with race?

  • November 6, 2008

    3:27 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Scott writes:

    rage_,

    The libs view is that you are a racist because you aren't "obsessed with race." They consider a "colorblind" person to be a racist! I know, it's dumb, but what would you expect from a lib.

    Example: The lib "facilitators" that Bell Labs hired for the yearly "political re-education camps" told us that being colorblind was wrong and that the "goals" (a.k.a "quotas"), <name> Awareness Months, etc., were wonderful because they righted the wrongs committed by whites. When a new hire would point out that disregarding color and only going on ability was better, they would be immediately put down by the libs with not so subtle inferences that they would be labeled "racist" if they persisted in their views. The following year political re-education camp the not so new hire would keep their mouths shut as the libs excreted.

    Scott

  • November 6, 2008

    3:37 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    FCZ writes:

    Dr. King was a Republican.

    Dr. King would not be proud because people are voting for the individual's skin color .

  • November 6, 2008

    11:18 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    SColeman writes:

    A new opportunity has arisen from the result of this election. The undeniable proof of the social progress we have made now allows us to focus on our most pervasive problem. We must address poverty in America now.

    http://therouttreport.typepad.com/lat...

  • November 7, 2008

    9:42 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    ThinkDeep writes:

    Slouch,
    In colorado blacks represent 3% of the population, and is always at the top of the unemployment rate. If the few jobs lost to quota's is what's keeping you out of work, you should probably think about moving to a 'whiter' neighborhood.