Colorado State Treasurer Walker Stapleton portrayed himself as a pragmatic problem-solver during a visit to Durango on Tuesday.
Stapleton, a Republican, is running for re-election this November against Democrat Betsy Markey, a former member of Congress.
Stapleton pointed to some legislative successes, including a bill to allow gifts received by Colorado’s governors dating back several administrations to be displayed at the Colorado History Museum. The treasurer has been the caretaker of gifts to the governor, but the gifts were taking up space and not being displayed, he said. He’s also been able to consolidate debt and refinance loans to save the state money.
“I’ve worked with complete left-wing Democrats; I’ve worked with right-wing Republicans; I’ve worked with moderate Republicans,” he said during an interview with The Durango Herald’s editorial board.
He has battled the Public Employees’ Retirement Association of Colorado, on whose board he serves, to gain access to data regarding pension recipients. His case has been appealed to the Colorado Supreme Court.
Stapleton dismisses criticisms from Markey that he should be earning a better return on the state’s dollars. The treasurer is restricted by law from investing in the stock market, so the majority of the state’s holdings are in low-yield U.S. Treasury Bonds.
“We are victim to federal monetary policy and economic policy on the federal level here in Colorado,” he said.
He is related to the Bush political family; he’s a second cousin to former President George W. Bush.
Stapleton lives in Arapahoe County with his wife and three children. He graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts and has earned graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and Harvard Business School.
He also visited Cortez on Tuesday and is scheduled to be in Pagosa Springs today.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
