History books often give the impression wars are won by generals. For those who have served in battle, it is evident wars are actually won by sergeants. The best generals, like Dwight Eisenhower, recognize this. All of which brings me to my remembrance of Wayne Knox, Colorado’s longest serving legislator.

There are no constitutional amendments that carry his name today, although he nearly single-handedly propelled the GAVEL Amendment to voter approval in 1988. An acronym, GAVEL was shorthand for “Give A Vote to Every Legislator.” Prior to enlisting Colorado Common Cause in this campaign, Knox had long railed against flagrantly anti-democratic practices at the legislature.

First elected to the House in 1962 from Denver, when parties still selected countywide slates of candidates, the top ‘vote-getters’ won seats in an at-large election. It would require a U. S. Supreme Court decision to end this practice nationally and force the creation of individual legislative districts.

Across Dixie, free-for-all elections had been used to prevent black candidates from winning legislative contests. Following the 1970 census, the Republican majority that controlled the redistricting commission placed Wayne Knox and relative newcomer Dick Lamm into the same Denver House district. Knox volunteered to step aside in favor of Lamm, who was spearheading what would be a successful voter rejection of Colorado’s 1976 Winter Olympics. He who would go on to successfully run for governor two years later.

In 1974 Wayne returned to the Legislature for another 22-year run. Why did he step aside for Lamm in 1972? Perhaps it was because he felt he would lose the primary, but Knox was also a solid Democratic soldier.

Rep. Knox never aspired to higher office, but was content to serve as a sergeant major in his Democratic caucus. For all but two of his 32 years in the House, when Democrats briefly seized the majority in 1976 during a post-Watergate backlash, he served in the minority.

During a two-year stint as chair of the House Education Committee, the Senate remained under Republican control. Nonetheless, Wayne worked closely with Senate Education chair Al Meiklejohn from Jefferson County to assure full funding for public schools. A teacher himself, Knox served as a passionate defender of K-12 educators. Within the Democratic caucus he was one of only a few legislators who fully understood the intricacies of Colorado’s school funding formulas. Yet, what frustrated him most was the dictatorial powers legislative rules provided to Committee chairs and the Republican practice of enforcing a ‘binding caucus’ by requiring Republican members to vote for positions adopted by a majority within their caucus irrespective of a legislator’s personal opinion. No amendments, particularly Democratic amendments, were permitted.

One of the reasons I departed the legislature after two terms was the fact that more than half my bills had been denied a public hearing. They were ‘pocket-vetoed’ by committee chairmen. It was one thing to lose, another not to be heard. The GAVEL Amendment that Knox championed in 1988 ended this practice by guaranteeing a public hearing for every bill, together with the elimination of the binding caucus, closed caucuses and other procedural abuses. This opened up Colorado’s legislative process by providing a platform for every legislator, regardless of his or her political agenda.

My personal affection and lasting respect for Wayne is connected to my decision to organize a mutiny against Democratic Minority leader Bob Kirscht in 1980. Space does not permit a full recounting of the events that persuaded me to quit the Democratic caucus while a freshman and announce I would not return until House Democrats elected new leadership. In truth, this was the rashness of being 33 years old and highly resistant to be being pushed around.

My first recruit to rebellion was Wayne Knox. We both were aware that Kirscht had been quietly working with Republican Speaker Bob Burford to scuttle our bills. Wayne recruited long-serving Rep. Jerry Kopel to our cabal, and we successfully replaced Kirscht with Federico Peña in 1981, to the surprise of nearly everyone at the Capitol, including many within our own caucus.

It was Wayne who crafted our strategy to use our incumbency representing safe Democratic districts to raise money, then funnel these dollars to seed the campaigns of potential incoming freshmen. This transfer of dollars probably wouldn’t be permissible today, but it was inside the rules then. Better still, it worked.

For nearly a decade, despite needing oxygen, Wayne showed up regularly at Democratic functions with his tank in tow. Last year he spent a few weeks at the assisted living facility across the street from my home. Visiting him there, he bemoaned the fact that Colorado teachers’ salaries had slipped to 49th in the nation. He would ask, “Who can be proud of that?” Our teachers will miss his insistent voice. 

Miller Hudson is a public affairs consultant and a former state legislator. He can be reached at mnhwriter@msn.com.