Brief by Central Staff
Politics – November 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
We haven’t even finished with the 2003 election, and already people are lining up for 2004 — and we’re not talking about the presidential election.
There might be a primary for the Democratic nomination to represent House District 60 in the Colorado General Assembly. The district includes Chaffee, Park and Custer counties, along with Canon City, Florence, and western Fremont County, plus eastern Saguache County and some of western Pueblo County.
There’s also an announced Republican candidate, Tom Massey of Poncha Springs. He runs a realty company, and serves on the town board of trustees and the Salida school board.
It is currently represented by Lola Spradley, a Republican from Beulah. But she can’t run again because Colorado has term limits for state representatives (four two- year terms) and state senators (two four-year terms).
The first Democrat to enter the race to replace her was former Salida Mayor Jaime Lewis, who made his announcement in May. He was followed on Oct. 13 by Emily Tracy of Canon City, who ran against Spradley in 2002.
House District 56 essentially covers Lake, Summit, and Eagle counties. It is currently represented by one of our favorite legislators, Leadville Democrat Carl Miller. But he’s hit his term limit, so he can’t seek re-election.
The only announced candidate is Gary Lindstrom, a Democrat and Summit County Commissioner. It’s likely, though, that Miller’s 2002 opponent, Heather Lemon of Eagle County, will run again.
However, there has been an announcement in House District 61, which stretches from Lake City to Aspen and beyond on the Western Slope. Kathleen Curry, manager of the Upper Gunnison Water Conservancy District, will run as a Democrat. The incumbent Republican, Greg Rippy of Glenwood Springs, has not announced any formal plans, but says he is considering a run for the Third Congressional District, since incumbent Scott McInnis is not seeking re-election.
Ken Chlouber, a Leadville Republican who represents Senate District 4 (Lake County east to some of Douglas County), is also hitting his term limit. We know what he plans to do — run for Congress from the Third District — but we haven’t seen any announcements from aspiring replacements. Nor have we seen anything about candidates in Senate District 4 (Chaffee County south to the New Mexico line), where the seat is currently held by Republican Lewis Entz, a Hooper farmer.
