It’s budget time at the state Capitol, and generally, it’s a humorless situation. It certainly was that way in the House last week, with a 15-hour reading of the long bill at 661 pages that resulted in lawmakers having to work on Saturday, and that meant Republicans – except for two who were marked as “absent,” which almost never happens – missed their state assembly in Pueblo. 

The Senate, which is normally the adults in the building, has its own quirks during the budget process.

One of those is commandeering the press table for the annual budget day barbecue, because they have to have somewhere to camp the hamburger buns, mustard, and such.

A Senate staffer, who will not be named but is well aware of this effrontery, came up with a motto for the commandeering.

“Democracy dies between two hamburger buns.” 

Another, from Capitol M: “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press,” unless there’s barbecue involved. Then, all bets are off!

Happily, barbecue is a bipartisan effort in the Senate.

Senate President James Coleman, when asked what his BBQ specialty is, said he is “staying out of the way.”

He’s a smokin’ man, wings, chicken and turkey, primarily.

“We’re cookin’ up a subpar budget,” he quipped.

Capitol M did not actually see the esteemed Mr. President flipping burgers on Wednesday, but he had the hat for it.

Last week, the legislature was honored with a visit from someone rarely seen around the Capitol: Gov. Roy Romer, the 39th governor of Colorado and the last to serve three terms. His time on the first floor ended in January 1999.

The occasion was a resolution naming a portion of I-25 through central Denver in his honor. Everyone, including Democrats and Republicans, lined up to get their photos taken with the former Democratic governor.

He was joined by a large contingent of the Romer family, including sons Chris, a former state senator and Paul, a Nobel Peace Prize winner in economics.

The section of I-25 was chosen, according to resolution co-sponsor Rep. Alex Valdez of Denver, because at his heart, Romer was a builder. Valdez pointed out that it was under Romer’s leadership that Denver International Airport was built, as well as the T-Rex project on I-25 that made the highway just a bit more usable.

Romer, now 97, was the last governor from rural Colorado. Born in Garden City, Kansas, just across the state line, Romer grew up in Holly, in Prowers County, where his grandfather ran the Holly Mercantile, later the local John Deere dealer. 

Romer earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Colorado State University and a law degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and later served as a legal officer in the Air Force.

Just six years after he graduated from law school, he was elected to the Colorado House for two terms, followed by one term in the Senate. He was elected state treasurer in 1976, serving until 1987, when he became governor. 

“He didn’t just hold office, he inhabited it,” Valdez said. “Whether as a representative, a senator, our state treasurer, or our governor, Roy is a man of action.”

“By naming this highway in his honor, we ensure that every traveler moving through the heart of our city and our state is reminded of that kid from Holly who never stopped building and never stopped working for our state,” Valdez added. 

House Majority Leader Rep. Monica Duran, who cosponsored the resolution, added that “at a time of change, he brought people together. He worked across differences. He delivered real results, not for recognition, but because it was the right thing to do and what leaders do.”

After his time as governor, Romer went to California to lead the Los Angeles Unified School District as its superintendent, and continued to be active in education issues after stepping down from the school district in 2007.

However, according to Assistant House Minority Leader Ty Winter, whose district includes Holly, the sponsors made one small error he intended to fix.

The resolution names the highway the Gov. Roy Romer Memorial Highway, and that was apparently an affront to Winter, who offered an amendment to strike the word “Memorial” (which only appears in the resolution designating the name of the sign that will one day grace I-25). 

“The man from Holly still stands!” thundered Winter. “Touche,” quipped Valdez. Winter then withdrew the amendment. 

Romer was accorded a rare honor – addressing the House.

He told lawmakers about his time in the House. “You’re not just effective here, you’re effective symbolically throughout this world, that no one man or woman runs a government. t’s a collective process,” he said.

He recounted being invited to a poker game early in his time in the House at the Englewood home of then-state Sen. Peter Dominick, who later represented Colorado in the U.S. Senate.

Romer, arriving late to the gathering, was assigned to the high-stakes table and won everyone’s money, walking home at 3 a.m. with $900 in IOUs from Republican lobbyists.

Feeling nervous, he went to the House Speaker the next morning and asked the Speaker to help him clear those IOUs. The Speaker went to the Sergeant at Arms, and by noon, Romer had the money.

Romer said it illustrated the camaraderie people had beyond partisanship. “If you have a personal problem, go to the colleagues that you work with and say, ‘Hey, give me advice, give me counsel. How do I get out of this dilemma?’”

He told the House members he respects them and the historical process they represent.

“It’s critical that we keep democracy working and for all of us to realize that our view of the truth is always partial. Therefore, we need to listen hard to people who disagree with us.”