Washington Republicans hear from elected officials
Lincoln dinner highly attended by county conservatives
The manner in which State Rep. Richard Holtorf, R-Akron, has been serving those residing in his legislative district might best be defined by his Friday evening.
He was still on the Colorado House floor voting when doors opened in Washington County for the Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Dinner.
“I left the capitol shortly after 6 p.m. and got here by 7:30 p.m.,” Holtorf said. “I was glad to know the sheriff is here, and not out on patrol.”
The House minority whip in the 74th legislative session, Holtorf explained Republicans are in the position of playing defense more than ever before.
“We have to fight for the way we want to live,” he said. “I’ll stand up to Democrats.”
He explained the California transplant influence remains and is growing in the House.
Moments earlier, State Sen. Byron Pelton delivered remarks on the session thus far in the upper chamber, thanking Washington County voters for placing him in the seat formerly held by Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg.
Among the issues he’s taken up is easing the ability disabled veterans have to claim their property tax exemption.
“That was my very first bill,” Pelton said.
He also discussed a bill that will attempt to address violent crime by making a penetrating gunshot wound or a knife wound serious bodily injury in the law.
“A man in Fort Morgan was shot in the hip, and because it was not classified as serious bodily injury it could not be charged as a Class 1 felony,” Pelton said. “Only two Democrats were against this bill.”
He’s also worked on a bill that would make any drugrelated death a Class 1 felony.
“We do see fentanyl here, but what we see most is methamphetamine,” Pelton said. “The people selling this to our kids is what the aim of this bill is.”
He also indicated antigun legislation is or will be filed in the legislature and that members like himself and Holtorf will work to defeat those bills.
Colorado Republican Party Chairwoman Kristi Burton Brown attended her second Lincoln Dinner of the week in Eastern Colorado, sharing her time as chairwoman is expiring soon.
“I look forward to staying involved,” she said. “I’ll continue to work on policy and law. We have to make things better for the next generation in Colorado. We are going to fight for our kids.”
She predicted conservative ballot initiatives would develop and that conservatives would oppose any effort by Democrats to repeal TABOR. She also predicted a school choice item and truth in sentencing legislation would be filed either as a ballot initiative or in the legislature.
“Gov. Jared Polis appoints every member of the parole board,” she said. “He allows them to let offenders out after serving just 40 percent of their term.”
She also weighed in on the 2nd Amendment.
“It is at huge risk in Colorado,” she said. “They need to be sued in court if they push forward some of the unconstitutional bills we have seen.”
Several Washington County elected officials were introduced during the
Lincoln Dinner, which concluded with a performance by a cowboy poet.