Thirty Years Ago this week in The Colorado Statesman … I’d Rather Be in Denver — Dale Tooley’s Own Story, reached the top of the local best-seller lists just a few weeks after its release, according to both The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News. The former Denver district attorney had completed his autobiography just a couple of months before his death in April 1985. Tooley “epitomized the ideal of the civic citizen,” wrote arts columnist Miller Hudson in his front-page review. Politicos might be disappointed that there were only a few, brief passages describing Tooley’s futile quest for the mayor’s office after having been designated Mayor Tom Currigan’s successor, Hudson noted, but “Dale was not the kind of man willing to waste time on reminiscence of failure.” The longtime prosecutor provided insight into several famous cases, including Bill Riley, the “six million dollar man” from Income Mortgage and Realty, and the “enterprising defense lawyer (who) persuaded a judge to hear his motion to dismiss a drunk driving charge on the grounds that his client was too drunk to form the intent to drive while drinking.” But it was the rich tapestry of Tooley’s friends that shone through the pages. It was Tooley who suggested that Marilyn Van Derbur enter the Miss Boulder contest, a move that led to her Miss America crown. He also introduced South Dakota Sen. George McGovern to a young Denver lawyer named Gary Hart, a pairing that changed national politics forever. “It’s a shame there will be no sequel for Mr. Denver,” Hudson concluded. …

… State Rep. Molly Markert, D-Aurora, was inaugurating something new under the dome, an internship program at her legislative office. “I refer to us collectively as a ‘tennis team,’ because we’re all on the ball,” Markert cracked. The three Markert interns would each work two days a week researching proposed legislation, tracking bills of interest to constituents and helping solve problems for residents of House District 30, all while earning college credit. Sharon Cely and Leslie Milsten, both of CU Boulder, and Sandy Kimberling of CSU were all considering careers in government, law or international relations. …

… Week by week, the menu for the Democrats’ upcoming Jefferson-Jackson dinner at the Radisson Hotel, featuring keynote speaker Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd, was leaking out. The appetizer for the annual fundraiser would be cold trout in a lemon and caper sauce, revealed Tom McCoy, the state Dems’ press secretary. “And it’s a sizable hunk of trout,” he added. Dessert would be a “sumptuous” chocolate Grand Marnier cake. …

… The Republicans were gearing up for their own big fundraising dinner, featuring Vice President George Bush. “We have a tremendous field of candidates this year, and the party is committed to helping the final nominee beat the Democrats in November,” said state GOP Chairman Bo Callaway. State Finance Director June Weiss declared, “Colorado is the most important state in the nation this year.” The Victory Trust Fund dinner would be held at the Downtown Marriott and already 70 patron tables had sold for $2,500 per table, Weiss said. In the meantime, the vice president’s son, Neil Bush, was one of the stars at the Arapahoe County Lincoln Day dinner, which featured “a herd of elephants” anxious to hear from the many candidates running for senator and governor and the open 5th Congressional District seat. Speaking on behalf of Hal Krause — who was vying to take over for U.S. Rep. Ken Kramer, himself one of several candidates hoping to fill the seat U.S. Sen. Gary Hart was vacating — Bush said he didn’t usually get involved in primaries, “but I view this as the general election because the race will be determined by the primary.” Bush added, “Dad was a businessman and served the Republican Party loyally as chairman of the party. Hal Krause has those characteristics.” Joking about the sheer number of Lincoln Day dinners in the state, gubernatorial hopeful Ted Strickland said, “Lincoln’s birthday starts in mid January and goes through mid April. It should be renamed ‘Eating your way across Colorado.’” Mississippi Rep. Trent Lott, the Arapahoe County dinner’s keynoter, appeared to be overwhelmed by the number of GOP candidates in one room. “I’ve never before been in a county which is all Republican,” Lott said. “In Mississippi, if we have one or two, we’re in heaven.” He said if he’d had to pick one member of his freshman congressional class to become president, it would have been Bill Armstrong, who was now Colorado’s junior senator. Lott congratulated Republicans for getting rid of “President Gloom” in 1980 — that would be Jimmy Carter, who lost to Ronald Reagan — and applauded the Colorado GOP for convincing “Governor Gloom” (Democrat Dick Lamm) not to run for a fourth term.

— ernest@coloradostatesman.com