Colorado Black Caucus

                      Elected Officials Organize - Strength in Numbers

                                      

                                                                              by Annette Walker

     In 2010 Angela Williams and others in the community were concerned about the dwindling number of African-American elected officials.  "Speaker of the House Terrance Carroll not only was the only African-American in the state legislature, but was term-limited," she said.

     The previous year there had been another loss in the legislature.  Peter Groff, who had become the President of the Senate, resigned to take a position with the Obama administration.

     "When Michael Hancock decided to run for Mayor, I was concerned that there would be no African-Americans on the City Council," Williams continued.

     Now Williams is elated.  "We have moved from the idea that there might be no one in the Legislature of City Council to the reality of having two in each body.  Furthermore, there are 14 African-American elected officials in the state of Colorado."

     "What a difference two years can make," she said amusedly.

      Believing that the African-American community should maintain the momentum, Williams convened other elected officials to establish the Colorado Black Caucus (COBC).  She is the chairwoman.  In addition to state legislators and Denver City Council members, the Caucus includes school board members, Regional Transportation District (RTD) board members, a county commissioner, a University of Colorado Regent and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.

     Although no a member of the COBC, former Aurora City Councilman Ryan Frazier continues involvement in the metropolitan area.  He placed second in Aurora's mayoral race and last year challenged Congressman Ed Perlmutter for his seat.  Frazier is a Republican and Williams points out that the COBC is nonpartisan.  African-American Republicans have been elected to office in Colorado.

     The objectives of COBC are: 

          o To stimulate an interest in public affairs among African-American leaders.

          o To increase political involvement and influence of African-American leaders.

          o To unite African-American elected officials in Colorado and communities of color.

          o To call for action to ensure government on national, state, county, and local levels reflect the interest of African-American perspectives.

     Among the immediate concerns of COBC are:  a) Efforts to suppress the minority vote.

     "Although the state Supreme Court rejected the motion to prevent the mailing of ballots to inactive voters failed, I am certain there will be more attempts made," Williams said.

     b) The Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis.  There is legislation and proposals to alleviate the burden upon those at risk of foreclosure.

     c)  The legislature must balance the state budget and the COBC will monitor how any budget cuts affect people of color and other underserved communities.

     The formation of the Colorado Black Caucus is actually a rebirth.  "The first Black Caucus was established in the 1970s and lasted until the late 1990s," said Gloria Tanner who served in both the state House and Senate.   George Brown, then a State Senator, along with City Councilman Elvin Caldwell, Representative Arie Taylor, school board member Rachel Noel, Representative Wellington Webb along with Tanner established the first Caucus which had the same objectives as the newly formed COBC.

     With an African-American population of only four percent and the Denver metropolitan area with about 10%, the state of Colorado has fared well with elected officials.  Over the past 60 years there have been two lieutenant-governors, a secretary of state, several City Council members, the leaders of both chambers of the State legislature, and two of the most recent mayors of Denver.

     Members of the newly-formed Colorado Black Caucus are: 

          o Michael Hancock, Mayor of Denver

          o Angela Williams, State Representative, D-Denver, District 7

          o Rhonda Fields, State Representative, D-Aurora, District 42

          o Albus Brooks, Denver City Council, District 8

          o Christopher Herndon, Denver City Council, District 11

          o Rene Bullock, Commerce City Council, at-large

          o Steven J. Jordan, Commerce City Council, at-large

          o Joe Neguse, CU Board of Regents, 2nd Congressional District

          o Vorry Moon, Centennial City Council, District 1

          o Allegra 'Happy' Haynes, Denver Public School Board, at-large

          o Nate Easley, Jr., Denver Public School Board, District 4

          o Barbara Deadwyler, RTD Board of Directors, District 8

          o Jeff Walker, RTD Board of Directors, District D

          o Darryl Green, El Paso County Commissioner, District 1