It is an enormous shock to read of the death of Ray Kogovsek, a superb public servant and a tireless supporter of his home town, Pueblo. I had the opportunity to serve in the Colorado House of Representatives for six of the years in which he served in the state Senate and it was always crystal clear that he had the deep respect of every one of us who had been elected to serve, Republicans and Democrats.

Although he was active in many legislative areas, he had a special commitment to Pueblo. When was as members of the Joint Budget Committee visited Pueblo, Ray would always be there to greet us, to explain the needs of his community and then to make sure that we provided the funds needed by Pueblo’s various programs. Here is a photo I took of Ray with Bob Kirscht back in those days.

It was an honor serving in the Legislature at the same time as Ray. My condolences to his family.