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Mar. 22, 2001
By Charles Ashby DENVER – In a surprise move, state Sen. Jim Dyer announced Wednesday that he will give up his Senate seat to join the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. Dyer, who toyed with the idea briefly last month but rejected it, said he changed his mind after his wife, Shari, said he should do it. "As of (Wednesday) morning the answer was still no," Dyer said. "But then Shari gave her OK. Us married guys know who our bosses are." The Durango Democrat will remain in the Colorado Senate until the session ends May 9. Immediately after that, he will be sworn in as a member of the PUC, Dyer said. A nominating committee made up of Democratic Party members from the Southwest Colorado counties in Dyer’s Senate District 6 will name a replacement, said Suzanne Garcia, chairwoman of the La Plata County Democratic Party. While the party was concerned that any re-election bid Dyer, 63, mounted would be hard met by Republicans, Garcia said she’s even more concerned now. And in a Senate that maintains a slim 18-17 majority for the Democrats, that could pose a significant blow to the party in next year’s election, she said. Dyer acknowledged that his decision to take a new job puts Senate Democrats in a bind in a district with 9,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats. Senate President Stan Matsunaka, D-Loveland, said it was a good strategic move by the governor, setting up a hurdle for Democrats trying to retain their one-vote majority in the 35-member Senate. "I think it means we have to work hard to retain it. This means we’ve got to find good candidates, do the research on issues and do what people want," Matsunaka said. Garcia said the party is hopeful it can find someone who, like Dyer, appeals to Republicans as well as Democrats. That’s important to the Democratic Party, especially in La Plata County, which has about 7,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats, she said. "From a strategic point of view, we were really counting on his cross-the-aisle appeal to maintain the majority in the Senate," said Garcia, who unsuccessfully ran against state Rep. Mark Larson, R-Cortez, last year for the Colorado House. "We have a few possibilities (for a replacement). But that person is going to be even more vulnerable in 2002." While Southwest Colorado may be losing a popular senator, it will gain a long-needed representative on the PUC, which regulates state public utilities, such as water, electricity, telephones and natural gas, Dyer said. When he initially heard that Gov. Bill Owens was looking for a Democrat to serve on the commission, which comes with four-year terms, Dyer considered the higher-paying job because he wanted Southwest Colorado to have representation on it, he said. The other two members – PUC Chairman Raymond L. Gifford and Polly Page – are from Denver. Dyer will replace Robert J. Hix, also from Denver, who has served on the commission since 1994. Hix’s term expired in January. "I hope that means that the rural viewpoint won’t be ignored," Dyer said. "It’s one thing to get lip service and hear, ‘Oh yeah, we’ll pay attention to what goes on other there,’ and it’s something else to live over there and bring a rural viewpoint to the table everyday." Garcia, who said she was shocked to hear the news of Dyer’s departure, said she plans to contact Democratic Party leaders in the other counties to begin the nomination process. According to Dyer and Garcia, the elected chairs and vice chairs of party committees from each county in the district will choose Dyer’s replacement. The district includes La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan, Dolores, Ouray, San Miguel and Archuleta counties and part of Delta County. Meanwhile, Republicans have not said who will vie for Dyer’s seat in next year’s elections. Larson said Wednesday he has no plans to seek Dyer’s seat, but stopped short of ruling out the possibility. "The fact that Jim is leaving makes the seat obviously attractive for the Republicans," Larson said. "Take away the loveable Jim Dyer factor and it’s doing to be difficult for whomever comes in to keep that seat in the Democratic Party." Larson said he will be sorry to see Dyer go, but expected that he will be able to work with whomever replaces the senator. While Garcia wouldn’t say who that might be, other than to say it wouldn’t be her, Dyer suggested Montrose Mayor William Patterson and Durangoan Julie Cooley as possibilities. Cooley ran unsuccessfully against Larson for the House in 1998. Patterson could not be reached for comment, but Cooley said she would consider accepting the position if approached by the party. "I have always been fascinated with the whole legislative process," she said. "As the names are being bandied about, I’ll consider it. But we’ll just have to see where it goes." The primary concern the party has, Garcia and Cooley said, is finding someone who not only can get Republican votes but also has name recognition in a district that is larger than the state of Massachusetts. And if Cooley isn’t that person, then La Plata County Commissioner Josh Joswick might be, Cooley said. "Josh will probably cut my tongue out for having said that, but I think he belongs at the Statehouse," she said. "Jim is a consummate campaigner. He gets votes, and I think Josh does that, too." Joswick could not be reached Wednesday for comment. Still, Cooley said the timing of Dyer’s announcement may be just as well for the Democratic Party. Had Dyer decided not to seek re-election, keeping the seat in the Democratic Party’s hands would have been far more difficult than it will be with a new Democrat filling his seat, she said. As of Wednesday, Dyer had not formally announced if he was planning to seek re-election, though he said last week that he likely would. Dyer, too, knows of the party’s concern to retain his Senate seat. But he said he had more personal and professional considerations – not the least of which was his wife, who was in Denver this week to help her husband decide what to do. Shari Dyer said her husband is pleased with the decision but she still has some trepidation. One of the couple’s main concerns was having to spend too much time apart – the PUC meets weekly, on Wednesdays – and not living in Durango, she said. But after doing some calculations, and the senator’s decision to open his own office in Durango, they concluded he wouldn’t be away from home any more than he is now. Owens formally nominated Dyer on Wednesday. The Colorado Senate must confirm that nomination. Dyer will leave the Colorado Legislature after serving 12 years in the House and three in the Senate, which he was elected to in November 1998. His term would have ended next year. On the PUC, which pays about $87,000 a year, Dyer will vote along with other commissioners on such things as utility rates and regulations. As a senator, Dyer makes about $30,000 a year. "It’s a huge jump in pay, but I’m going to spend a lot of it on airplane tickets," said Dyer, who said he won’t be reimbursed for travel expenses. Party members shocked; colleagues offer praise By K.W. Harp Shock, disappointment and praise summed up local reactions Wednesday to Sen. Jim Dyer’s announcement that he will vacate his Senate seat. "People down here are a little bit tender after the experience with Ben Nighthorse Campbell," said Suzanne Garcia, chairwoman of the La Plata County Democrats. Sen. Campbell, R-Colo., was a Democrat until March 1995, when he abruptly switched parties. "We found that Ben still votes both ways, and it turned out to be all right, but it hurt a lot of people. I think the same thing will happen with Jim because the people spoke; the people elected him into office. "We were counting on him to do a job, and for personal reasons he decided to pursue other opportunities. ... Governor (Bill) Owens must have made him an offer he couldn’t refuse." Dyer, D-Durango, will keep his Senate seat until May 9. He will then move to the Public Utilities Commission. Local officials praised Dyer on Wednesday for his representation of Southwest Colorado. Republicans supported the man, even if they don’t support his politics. "While we are philosophically apart from the party standpoint, I do believe Jim has always represented pretty faithfully," said Jim Wanebo, member and past chairman of the La Plata County Republican Central Committee. "Politics aside, I think he’s done a good job representing Durango." City and county officials also praised Dyer for his work. Republican County Commissioner Fred Klatt said he was happy for Dyer and his new job. "I think we’ve been well served by Jim," Klatt said. "Regardless of the fact we’re of different political parties, he’s a good friend of mine. ... Jim has always taken a strong stance for us locally. Jim has never lost the viewpoint that small government is important to the process." Dyer’s relationship with Durango has been excellent, said Mayor Jim Sheppard, and Dyer’s move is a loss for the city. "I feel he has been a very fine senator and represented our area very well," Sheppard said. "He’s always been responsive to our needs and responsive when he could do things for us at the state level." The move may leave constituents confused and possibly angered, Garcia said, but right now the focus must be on keeping a Democratic majority in the Senate. "I’m just beginning to get reactions, and I think that people on both sides are going to be very disappointed," she said. "That’s the initial reaction I’ve gotten – disappointment with his choice. "I know that there are a lot of what we call ‘yellow dog’ Democrats, and those are the people that vote for Democrats no matter what. Those are the ones that, when Ben changed parties, they were devastated. "This situation is quite a bit different, so I think it’s mostly just sadness. We’re shocked, and we’re saddened."
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