Forty Years Ago This Week: State Rep. Jack Fenlon, R-Aurora, found himself running afoul of the state Republican Party when he endorsed Elsie Lacy for Aurora City Council in a letter to his constituents.

Lacy, who served as treasurer on Fenlon’s 1982 campaign was running for re-election to city council, had a primary challenge from fellow Republican Roger Hayes. Hayes filed a complaint with the state party alleging a violation of the bylaws.

In the 1980s, the state GOP provided each state legislator $500 for political mailings in their districts, but party by-laws prohibited the state organization from endorsing in races where there were Republican primaries. Party officers responded to the complaint quickly to Hayes’s complaint and asked Fenlon to reimburse the party coffers for the mailing, promising Fenlon funds for another mailing as long as he stuck to the guidelines.

“It’s all part of the job,” Fenlon said. “The bottom line is the letter was paid for at my expense not the taxpayers’ and not the state party’s.”

But Hayes didn’t think much of Fenlon’s response.

“It’s like robbing a bank and then paying it back,” Hayes said. “I don’t give the endorsement much weight. I lost most of two minutes sleep over it.”

Kay Riddle, political director for the state GOP, said that Fenlon’s endorsement had slipped through the usual checks, but once it was discovered the matter was handled swiftly.

In other news, the Colorado Democratic Party’s chairman, Floyd Ciruli, publicly called for the resignation of Secretary of the Interior James Watt after his remarks at a political action committee dinner where he referred to his advisors as “a woman, two Jews, a black, and a cripple.”

“Watt’s latest remarks simply affirm what most people have knows for three years,” Ciruli said, “that he is unqualified for cabinet service and should be removed immediately.”

Ciruli also questioned why Colorado’s Sen. Bill Armstrong had remained silent on the issue and said that he was “incapable of recognizing that his recommendation and support of Watt was, and is an error of judgement.”

Thirty Years Ago: After months of rampant speculation that he would be launching a campaign for governor, former U.S. Sen. Bill Armstrong announced that he would “not run for political office in 1994.”

“I am absolutely not a candidate for governor,” said Armstrong. “I will be involved to the extent of voting, but I don’t have any plans to become personally involved in a campaign.”

After retiring from the senate in 1991, Armstrong had kept a low profile until his name appeared on a list of speakers for the Republican Leadership Conference Estes Park and he attended the dedication of Focus on the Family’s complex in Colorado Springs.

According to polling, Armstrong rated higher than any other Republican gubernatorial hopeful in statewide name recognition.

One anonymous Republican lamented Armstrong’s decision, “If Bill had run, we would have a very interesting race for governor with clear cut differences.”

Contrasting the positives of name recognition, GOP skeptics argued that Armstrong’s dedication to religious causes and his involvement with Colorado for Family Values were at odds with a large portion of Colorado voters.

An anonymous state Democratic Party officer said he had hoped for a race between Armstrong and incumbent Gov. Roy Romer. Romer would win, the party officer argued, and “the loss would stymie the Religious Right movement and stem the tide of public sentiment for discriminating social reforms. In the process, Armstrong would cause anarchy in the Republican Party and create opportunities for Democrats to win.”

Political Consultant Eric Sondermann said that, “As a Senator, Armstrong was very passionate and sincere about his beliefs. He avoided the extremist label. But out of office … he can’t have it both ways.”

Sondermann also argued that Amstrong’s strong support of Amendment 2 made him the “ultimate polarizing figure.”

“Republicans can’t afford further polarization, particularly in the upcoming election year,” said Sondermann.

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.