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Place, not party, defines my service

The 2019 session of the Colorado General Assembly has begun.

I am in my ninth year in this body. I have spent my first years and years six through eight in the majority. In that time span, I have never had a bad year. My expectations are that will be the continued.

In the previous eight years, I have had issues that I disagreed with the majority about when my party was in control and likewise have disagreed with the majority when my party was in the minority. I would imagine that will continue.

I will stand for what best serves the citizens of Senate District 6. I manage to do so with the ability to disagree without being disagreeable. I work closely with Rep. Marc Catlin from House District 58 and Rep. Barbara McLachlan from House District 59. I think we all agree that many of our issues will be not differences of Republican or Democrat but urban and rural philosophies.

Jan. 8, was the end of the Gov. John Hickenlooper administration and the beginning of the Gov. Jared Polis Administration. I want to thank Gov. Hickenlooper for his eight years of service to the state of Colorado.

I did not know the governor prior to my swearing in eight years ago. Early on I was comfortable that he was someone with whom I could build a good relationship. We worked on many issues; some we agreed on and others we disagreed on. The end result was that we never got disagreeable.

In his remarks during the recent inauguration, Hickenlooper told about his first inauguration eight years ago, when the temperature hovered around zero. It was so cold the Air Force could not take off for the traditional fly-over. About the time they were scheduled to fly over, a small flock of geese flew over about 10 feet above the audience. I commented, “Budget Cuts.” A sense of humor opened the door for a good friendship and relationship.

It is my hope that although I do know Polis, I do not know him well. It is my intention to build a great relationship with him. I will be a strong supporter on the things we agree on and will respectfully oppose him on those issues where we disagree. I would hope that he responds accordingly and neither of us becomes disagreeable.

My committee assignments this session will be on Agriculture and Natural Resources and Local Government. I am looking forward to serving the citizens of Southwest Colorado. Please contact me if you have issues and I may be of service to you.

I want to thank you for the trust I received in returning me the be your voice in the General Assembly.

Don Coram, a Republican from Montrose, represents State Senate District 6. Contact Sen. Coram by phone at (303) 866-4884 or by e-mail at don@doncoram.com. During the legislative session, Sen. Coram and Rep. McLachlan share this column on alternate weeks.



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