And, to borrow one of Dan Rather's lively election-night colloquialisms, the battle over who will become the next esteemed speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives is nasty enough to gag a buzzard. El Paso County Republican Doug Dean, whose colorful reputation is a ladies man with a partisan mean streak, has been positioning himself to become the powerful speaker of the House for at least the past two years. But Dean is being challenged by Rep. Steve Johnson, a moderate Republican from Larimer County who believes the role as speaker requires a more level-headed approach.
Many lawmakers say that the central issue, however, is about character.
And, some are worried that Dean's personal reputation could be a detriment to the esteemed position. A lot of potential When Dean, now 39, was elected to the Colorado House six years ago, the then-telemarketer and house painter was considered a political neophyte whose biggest issue appeared to be his zeal for chemical castration for sex offenders. At the time the father of three was married to his wife, Sheila, who worked at Springs-based Focus on the Family. I thought about it and hurrumphed, but as it turned out, Doug certainly learned quickly. He learned that very well.