Thirty Years Ago This Week: Millionaire Republican candidate for Colorado governor Bruce Benson announced that, if elected in November, he would not be taking a salary. Instead he had other big plans for the money he would otherwise be paid as the state’s chief executive.

“My plan is to forego taking a salary once I’m elected, and to personally pay for any official travel my wife Marcy and I might have to make outside the state to conduct state business,” Benson said at a press conference.

During his month-long, 77-stop trip around the state, Benson repeated that outside the Denver metro Area, Gov. Roy Romer was seen as the governor of Denver, not the rest of the state due to his having largely ignored or forgotten the needs of Coloradans outside the capital city.

“We plan to change all that,” Benson said.

He outlined a plan to open satellite offices around Colorado to address concerns in a more timely manner. The offices would be funded by the salary he wouldn’t be taking as governor. To further offset cost, Benson said that the staffing for these new offices would consist largely of volunteers and part-time employees. 

Twenty Years Ago: With mere days to go before the 3rd Congressional District assembly, former Gov. Roy Romer announced his endorsement of former state Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa, to replace retiring Rep. Scott McInnis.

In his endorsement speech, Romer lauded Salazar’s strong family values and familial connection to the district stretching back 150 years.

“John’s parents taught him the values of faith, hard work, and integrity, and he has applied these values to his work as a veteran of the U.S. army, member of the Rio Grande Water Conservation Board, and as a state representative in the Colorado House,” said Romer. “As a farmer, John knows the importance of protecting Colorado’s water, improving the rural economy, and providing affordable and accessible health care for our working families. I know that in Congress John will serve as a strong voice for Colorado’s rural values.”

Salazar thanked the former governor for joining him in the race, saying he hoped to bring better healthcare, a more stable economy and a healthier environment to Colorado’s working families.

“I have served in public office for almost 40 years,” Romer said, “and in that time I have known few public servants that have worked as diligently to meet the needs of their constituents as John Salazar.”

In other news, Gov. Bill Owens signed the Commonsense Consumption Act into law, calling it a “preemptive measure that defends a key industry from frivolous lawsuits.”

House Bill 04-1150, which was sponsored by Rep. Lynn Healey, R-Colorado Springs, and Sen. Mark Hillman, R-Burlington, prohibited consumers from filing lawsuits against fast food restaurants for obesity or weight gain resulting from consumption of their products.

“Frivolous lawsuits impose a heavy toll on consumers,” Owens said. “They affect the bottom line, as companies incur costs that ultimately result in higher prices.”

In tandem with the fast food act, Owens signed legislation that would allow employers and employees to open Health Savings Accounts. Senate Bill 04-94, sponsored by Sen. Bob Hagedorn, D-Aurora, and Rep. Lola Spradley, R-Aurora, made it possible to open HSAs that which could be used to pay for qualified medical expenses not covered by health insurances. Both employers and employees could contribute to the savings account and the funds could be placed in a variety of investment vehicles, which could then be withdrawn and used on medical payments, tax-free.

“The Medicare bill passed by Congress last year created an important new vehicle to help consumers and businesses obtain some relief from soaring health insurance costs,” Owens said. “The legislation I am signing allows Coloradans to take advantage of this innovative reform.”

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.