Thirty-five Years Ago this week in The Colorado Statesman … With the inauguration of President-elect Ronald Reagan fast approaching, Holly Coors, Reagan’s Colorado campaign coordinator, had dispatched a crew of Republicans to Washington, D.C., to help “sift through bureaucratic red tape” at the Intergovernmental Affairs Agency, on the prowl for ways to cut federal regulations. Among the group: state Rep. Frank DeFilippo, Freda Poundstone, Duane Woodard and Anne McGill Gorsuch. The nation’s capital was in turmoil, with shell-shocked bureaucrats wandering the streets looking for work, now that the gravy train was over, DeFilippo reported.

“There were throngs of them all around, and as I was leaving town they threw lily petals to me,” he joked, adding that he felt no sympathy for the federal workers who spent more and more tax money without any contact with the private sector. Waiters and waitresses were overjoyed because tips from the Reagan people were much bigger than they had been when Jimmy Carter’s folks were picking up the tab. After going through mountains of paperwork, interviewing staffers and examining the 1982 budget, DeFilippo and Woodward wandered over to the Department of Energy to see if they could lend a hand there and were made consultants. Other tidbits from the visit: DeFilippo was outraged that a District of Columbia traffic official announced he had purposefully screwed up traffic patterns so people would be discouraged from driving. Gorsuch “racked up points” with the transition team because there were so few women in high-level government jobs. The Coloradans ate Thanksgiving dinner at the Watergate, and G. Gordon Liddy’s ghost floated around them, DeFilippo recalled. …

… Senate Minority Leader Regis Groff, a Denver Democrat, said he feared that the Colorado Senate might start mimicking the U.S. Senate, which was taking an aggressively conservative stance. With the elevation of current GOP state Reps. Cliff Dodge of Denver and Steve Durham of Colorado Springs to the upper chamber, the Senate majority was looking “a little more distinctive,” Groff worried, bringing with them “the clear philosophy they developed in the House,” where the two were part of the “House crazies” faction. The 1981 session could see Republicans hone in on their standard issues — water, highways and tax relief— or could follow national trends. While he predicted that President-elect Ronald Reagan would temper his rhetoric once he got into office, Groff said Republican U.S. Sens. Jesse Helms, Strom Thurmond, Jake Garns and Orin Hatch frightened him. “I don’t know what will cause them to be more rational. If we follow their behavior in our Senate, we could be faced with a lot of problems.” Groff said he was concerned about moves to dismantled affirmative action, school integration and voting rights. “My hope is that our own Legislature is made up of more thoughtful men and women who won’t be impressed with the reactionary nonsense in the U.S. Senate. That would be the worst thing.” …

… Chuck Henning, a lobbyist for savings and loan associations, regaled newly elected legislators with tips at a dinner at a downtown hotel, capping a whirlwind several days of freshman orientation. After learning how to draft a bill and how to follow parliamentary procedures, the rookies got the low-down from Henning on how to deal with politicians, his fellow lobbyists and the press. Quoting from state lawmakers through the ages, he dispensed these pearls: “If you can’t stand the kitchen, stay out of the heat.” “The sword of Damocles is hanging over Pandora’s Box.” “The amendment was intended to do what I intended it to do.” As for dealing with that pesky Fourth Estate, Henning had this advice: Be accessible and answer phone calls promptly but don’t be a pest. Don’t tell them how to write their stories and don’t ask to see it before it’s printed. Don’t talk down to reporters, especially the old pros. If you give an exclusive story, make sure it stays an exclusive. And don’t argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel.

Fifty-five Years Ago this week in The Colorado Statesman … While plans were under way for President-elect John F. Kennedy’s transition and inauguration, Denver attorney Byron “Whizzer” White told a meeting of the Denver Democratic Club that he was leaving open the possibility of serving in the new administration but didn’t want a job with the national party. “If there is anything I can do in the next few months or years to help, I will be glad to do so,” said White, a friend of Kennedy and the just-concluded national chairman of the Citizens for Kennedy organization. White predicted that Kennedy “will be a great president,” calling him “pragmatic-practical.” …

… The Bureau of Reclamation would be spending $1 billion in Colorado over the next 30 years on the Colorado River Storage project, said Felix Sparks, director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board. Denver, he added, was in a favorable position due to recent water acquisitions, doubling the amount of water available for the metro area. “It will be many years before Denver need worry about water,” he said. …

… The Denver Junior Police Band was designated the official marching band to represent Colorado in the inaugural parade in Washington, D.C. The Junior Police Association sponsored six bands and officials had chosen 105 boys from among them to make the trip, traveling by train first to Chicago and then on to the capital. Once there, the itinerary would include a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the FBI Crime Laboratory. The Al Kaly “Mule Train” unit of the Colorado Springs Shriners would also be part of the inaugural parade. The unit was made up of 22 Shriners mounted on “well trained” mules.

— ernest@coloradostatesman.com