Thirty Years Ago This Week: Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Benson made a shocking admission – at least to those not closely acquainted with the man – during a debate with Gov. Roy Romer.

Benson stated that “the people have a right to know” that he had a “rotten driving record” and was arrested twice for DUIs in both 1980 and 1981. When asked by moderator Clifford May of The Rocky Mountain News if he had any skeletons in his closet, Romer joked, “I’m for population control but I have seven kids.”

Benson also faced attacks in the press and from the Democratic Party for writing three checks, totaling $1,500 to support the campaign for Denver International Airport. Benson had vociferously criticized the airport and the annexation of land in Adams County and struggled to explain the checks.

When Benson said that he wrote the first check to “get a solicitor off my back” Romer shot back; “Is this going to be a pattern? To continue to give money to something you say you don’t believe in?”

Lynn Ellins, a political consultant with NoVember Associates said that she doubted that the DUI admission would hurt Benson’s campaign as it was unprompted, but if the press continued to hound him he would be seen as a sympathetic character to voters.

“But, he told at least two stories on DIA contributions, and the press will keep hammering him on that,” Ellins said.

In addition to the news coverage of his DUIs and inconsistencies in his story about his donations to DIA, Benson was also facing scrutiny of his personal life – so much so that Romer called for an end to it during the debate saying that a Colorado television station was “totally out of line” for suing to unseal the documents of Benson’s previous divorce.

“Those records were closed,” Benson said, “to protect my ex-wife and children.”

Twenty Years Ago: A new political action committee, Colorado Families First, founded by Jared Polis, Tim Gill of the Gill Foundation and philanthropist Pat Stryker, launched its first airing of a television ad criticizing Republican U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, CD-4, for her “vocal support for toll roads” and her 2001vote as a state senator against a nursing home bill.

“We think it’s just a scandalous vote,” said Tim Knaus spokesman for Colorado Families First and former chairman of the Colorado Democratic Party. Knaus said that HB 01-1189 would have limited the ability of nursing homes and other residential care facilities from billing the estates of patients after their deaths.

“Musgrave’s vote on that bill is still very relevant,” Knaus said, “particularly for the seniors of the fourth congressional district. She doesn’t vote with them. She votes with the nursing home industry.”

Knaus argued that the examination of Musgrave’s voting record was of great public interest and especially for Colorado Families First, which concerned itself with public policies relating to seniors, the environment, transportation, jobs and education.

“The opposition to HB 01-1189, which would have regulated the industry, was just outrageous,” Knaus said. “At the time, my parents were in nursing homes.”

The ad also highlighted Musgrave’s continued support for toll roads as the best way to finance transportation works which Knaus said was extremely flawed and misguided.

“Coloradans along the I-76 agricultural corridor have been taxed enough for roads which aren’t in the greatest condition.”

Knaus said that Colorado Families First was taking a hard look at elected officials; both their voting records and what they said since being elected.

“We’ve started with Musgrave’s record, be we don’t intent to end there,” Knaus said, “But we don’t have enough money top talk about all of them!”

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 Colorado Springs Gazette.