Forty Years Ago This Week: Several loud and persistent rumors surrounding the vacated position for the Region 8 director of the Department of Education was enough to warrant a response from one of the supposed candidates for the role, state Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Arvada.

“I know that my name has been placed before the Secretary of Education,” Tancredo said. “And I’ve been told that I’m one of three or four being considered, but that’s all I know for sure.”

Tancredo candidly told reporters that earlier in the week he’d called Secretary of Education Terrel Bell’s office and spoke with an assistant about the status of the appointment.

“It pays $44,500 a year,” Tancredo said. “The appointment will be announced within a month.”

Tancredo, who had managed Elitch Gardens before launching his political career, said he would gladly accept the appointment.

Asked who he’d like to see take over his house seat, Tancredo responded that he knew of a few people who were interested but he didn’t feel it was appropriate to preempt their own announcements.

“Sure I will tell somebody who I think should take my seat, but I don’t think now is the time or the place,” Tancredo said. “I don’t even know that I’m leaving it vacant.”

Tancredo said his appointment would be largely based on whether Secretary Bell wanted a political or career appointment to the position.

“If the Secretary of Education wants a career person it will be someone from within the department or in the field of education,” Tancredo said. “My appointment would be political.”

Fifteen Years Ago: Even in the midst of a heated race between Peggy Lamm, Ed Perlmutter and Herb Rubenstein for the empty 7th Congressional District seat, the Democratic primary candidates expressed their wholehearted support for 1st Congressional District U.S. Rep. Dianna DeGette, D-Denver. President George W. Bush had just used his first ever veto to kill one of DeGette’s signature pieces of legislation, which would have secured federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

Rick O’Donnell, the sole Republican running for CD 7, said he supported Bush’s veto. Two days later Bush made an appearance at a $1,000 per plate fundraiser for O’Donnell in Cherry Hills.

Lamm called O’Donnell “a puppet of the Bush administration. The president and O’Donnell are flat-earthers who ignore real science.”

Perlmutter chimed in as well, saying he thought it was convenient that the fundraiser took place in Cherry Hills instead of a location in the 7th Congressional District.

“Why?” Perlmutter said. “Because they know that the 7th has had enough of their right wing agenda. These guys are turning the clock back on our country.”

Rubenstein said that O’Donnell’s support of Bush’s veto made it abundantly clear that, “if you had a medical problem, you shouldn’t be a Republican. And if you have a friend who has a medical problem, you shouldn’t be a Republican either.”

O’Donnell’s campaign staff said that the criticism from his Democratic challengers completely missed the point of Bush’s veto.

“Rick O’Donnell is opposed to the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of human embryos,” said campaign manager K.C. Jones. “The president’s veto and this ensuing debate is about how taxpayer dollars should be spent.”

Jones clarified that O’Donnell supported federal funding for researching on the “most promising” stem cells – those which are obtained from either adults or umbilical-cord blood.

Jones also argued that no one within the 7th CD was all that fussed with embryonic stem cells, but rather securing the nation’s borders to stop illegal immigration, refining federal spending, cutting the deficit and funding affordable health care.

“Not once has anybody said federal funding for embryonic stem cell research is their number one issue,” Jones said.

Rachael Wright is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series, with degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University, and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and The Gazette.