Fifteen Years Ago this week in The Colorado Statesman … Father John Beno, a former Democratic state senator from Pueblo, died at age 69 and was remembered as a bigger-than life curmudgeon with one of the best senses of humor ever to reside at the state Capitol. The priest headed up the Pueblo County Democratic Party in 1975 and was elected to the state Senate in 1978 for the first of his two terms, serving on the powerful Joint Budget Committee. But a 1983 church canon prohibited priests from serving in public office, so the popular lawmaker kept his vows and didn’t run for another term. Jay Fox, the Statesman’s No More Mr. Nice Guy dining critic, recalled memorable meals with Beno, who served as vicar of the Archdiocese of Pueblo in the 1980s and was a member of the Pueblo Community College advisory board after leaving the Legislature. “Probably one of the most beloved of any elected officials to serve this great state,” Fox noted, “his wisdom and philosophy was so well respected by members of both sides of the political aisle.” Noting that it was unusual to run into someone who loved to eat as much as he did, Fox recalled a steak-eating contest at the community college arranged by Tony Zeiss, PCC’s president. Beno and Fox went head to head, downing some five pounds of top sirloin each until Fox gave up. Zeiss declared Beno the winner and said the contest was over, but Beno became “nearly unglued,” saying in no uncertain terms that just because Fox was done eating didn’t mean he had to quit, and he ordered another steak. …

… U.S. Sen. Wayne Allard landed in the pages of Mad Magazine, a “zany high point for the Loveland veterinarian.” To celebrate the 400th issue in the humor magazine’s 48-year history, the madcap publication asked people in government, entertainment and the arts, “What drives you mad?” Only 13 responses made the cut, and most of them were cute, but Allard’s entry, which ran with a flattering caricature, was pretty darn serious: “What drives me mad is the national debt and Congress and the president’s inability to put in place a plan to repay it.”

Twenty-five Years Ago this week in The Colorado Statesman … “There’s more to life than cutting ribbons,” said Denver Mayor Federico Peña, in the wake of his announcement that he wouldn’t be running for another term in the May 1991 election. It was time, he said in a surprise press conference, “to step down graciously and let the next generations of leaders take over.” Political analysts swiftly assembled in television studios to deliver “the kind of retrospective usually seen only when someone dies,” a Statesman reporter chuckled. And the daily papers went all out the next morning, with headlines, photo spreads and commentaries “on a magnitude usually reserved for a major Broncos win.” Immediately, the names of potential candidates started emerging: District Attorney Norm Early, Auditor Wellington Webb, Councilwoman Cathy Reynolds, Deputy Mayor Bill Roberts, state Rep. Pat Grant, businessman and former mayoral candidate Don Bain, Councilwoman Stephanie Foote, former state Sen. Paul Powers, attorney Dick Young, former state Rep. Miller Hudson, dairyman Dick Robinson, Councilwoman Mary DeGroot, state Department of Natural Resources Director Ken Salazar and Peña chief of staff Ann Bormolini. Meanwhile, John Frew, a former brokerage house CEO, the architect of both airport campaigns and with experience running the campaign and office of U.S. Sen. Tim Wirth, was said to be discussing the possibility of a run. “He would be an attractive candidate, he knows things like the airport inside and out, and he’s a possible,” said a highly placed politico. “Maybe a dark horse but possible.” Clearly, the field was not only wide open but “extremely muddy,” the Statesman noted. …

… Before the dust from Mayor Federico Peña’s announcement that he wouldn’t run for reelection had settled, a “mystery poll” was floating around that said District Attorney Norm Early would cruise to victory over former mayoral candidate and Republican Don Bain, City Auditor Wellington Webb and any other mayoral contenders. It was all hush-hush, but word had it that Floyd Ciruli’s company had conducted it at the behest of lobbyist Maria Garcia Berry for one of her clients — all signs pointed to the Taubman Company, because the rumors said it involved a developer of the Cherry Creek Shopping Center. At first she said she knew nothing about it but then amended that to say she wouldn’t comment. Ciruli was being similarly tight-lipped, but the survey supposedly was far-reaching, asking about everything from the mayor’s race to downtown development. Early drew support from all across the city, winning among the young and old, men and women, rich and poor, Republicans and Democrats, according to someone who claimed to have seen the results. …

… Don Bain, a prominent Republican, meanwhile, was brushing off criticism from some quarters that he’d chipped in $250 to U.S. Sen. Tim Wirth when the Democrat was working to retire some debt from his 1986 Senate campaign. “I certainly never contributed to him while he was running against Ken Kramer. And he certainly never supported me when I was running for mayor.” Bain maintained that the contribution shouldn’t cause a problem with Republicans. “If people make the judgment that anyone who ever voted for or supported the opposite party is a scoundrel, then so be it,” Bain said. “This isn’t a Latin American dictatorship where people resolve disputes through violence — we have to work within the two-party system.”

— ernest@coloradostatesman.com