Thirty-Five Years Ago This Week: Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Robin Heid’s campaign to petition onto the November ballot was brought to an abrupt halt when state elections officer Donetta Davidson ruled him ineligible.

Davidson said that while Heid had successfully submitted his 1,000 signatures before the August deadline, he was still registered as a Republican and, according to election law, candidates must be either registered within their party or else unaffiliated.

Heid spoke out vociferously on the ruling, stating that Secretary of State Natalie Meyer was “arrogant” and exhibited “blatant disregard of both state and federal rulings.”

“Even if the law is wrong, we can’t disregard it,” said Davidson in response to Heid’s accusations. “Robin Heid is off the ballot but the Libertarian Party can still fill his gubernatorial slot if with another candidate if they choose someone by Sept. 12.”

In other news, “Certain Republicans want Andrews/Bickel to go light on Romer,” Republican gubernatorial candidate John Andrews argued at a luncheon meeting of the Denver Lions Club.

Andrews was referring to a significant swath of high-powered Republicans and much of the business community who had thrown their support behind Democratic Gov. Roy Romer. While in previous years Romer had enjoyed the support of a smaller cohort of Republicans, his base of support had expanded substantially in response to Amendment One.

Amendment One to Article X of the Colorado Constitution would have required voter approval for certain state and local government revenue increases, would restrict property, income, and other taxes, and would limit increases in state spending.

Romer publicly attacked the proposed amendment, saying that it would give the power to waive any tax increase to the electorate and thereby forever change the landscape of representative government in Colorado.

On a plane ride down to the Colorado State Fair, Senate President Ted Strickland, R-Westminster, told The Colorado Statesman, Andrews “is not my type of candidate. I disagree with him on several issues.”

Senate Al Meiklejohn, R-Arvada, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, voiced his support for Gov. Romer as well as his opposition to Andrews’ support of the voucher system as a part of his platform for “educational reform.”

Vocal Republican businessman Jim Sullivan, CEO of SullivanHayes brokerage and development company, had also just declared his support for Romer when he very publicly said, “God bless the Governor.”

Andrews didn’t mince words when calling out Republican leaders for jumping on the Romer “bandwagon.”

“It neutralizes the effect of the two-party system,” Andrews quipped, “and melds the two parties into a murky mess.”

Andrews’ confusion and frustration at the party were partially warranted. At the June state assembly, delegates had voted for, by a two-thirds majority, a resolution in support of Amendment One.

“Tax limitation is just what we need for this economy,” Andrews said. “I have faith in the people that they will correctly decide when taxes should be raised. What are they so afraid of?”

It had become apparent to Andrews that 1990 may not have been “his year,” but he likened the 1990 gubernatorial race to the Johnson/Goldwater election of 1964.

“Like Goldwater, I don’t mind being identified as more right than the bigs can accept,” Andrews said. “I’m ahead of my time just like Goldwater was ultimately shown to be several years ahead of his time.”

Rachael Wright is the author of several novels including The Twins of Strathnaver, with degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University, and is a contributing columnist to Colorado Politics, the Colorado Springs Gazette and the Denver Gazette.