Forty-Five Years Ago This Week: With few Republican candidates announced for the gubernatorial race, the political rumor mill was in full force. Secretary at the Department of Housing and Urban Development Phil Winn, a former Colorado Republican Party chairman, felt compelled to announce that he had no plans to return to Colorado to run against Gov. Dick Lamm.

John Fuller, the GOP’s finance chairman, was rumored to want Winn to run and had allegedly approached several high-profile Republican activists to secure their backing for the idea. 

“Winn is ultimately qualified to run against Lamm,” Fuller said. But when pressed about his wrangling of political support for Winn, Fuller equivocated. “I can’t get into that right now. We’ll discuss at an appropriate time, but now isn’t an appropriate time.”

Winn told The Statesman, “I’ve never been coy. I’ve been approached many times, but I’ve made no decision. I talked with John Fuller two weeks ago. He’s talked to me about running many times. It depends on the conditions. Right now it’s not even up for consideration.”

Winn did say that many people had urged him to run for governor but wouldn’t divulge their names. 

“There’s no question John wants me to run,” Winn said. 

Similar ‘will they, won’t they’ nervous energy was also focused on the lieutenant governor’s race, where former congressional candidate Benjamin R. Loye’s name kept popping up. Loye had just been appointed by Colorado Chief Justice Paul Hodges to the Colorado Reapportionment Commission.

“I’m very pleased to be appointed to the commission,” Loye said. “I think I can contribute quite a bit. I hope the commission will recognize and adhere to the ‘one man, one vote’ concept in redistricting. My goal is to be fair to all citizens of the state.”

Regarding his potential political moves, Loye said he had no idea how the rumor started that he was running for lieutenant governor. 

“I’ve made no overtures or statements to that effect,” Loye said. “I’m flattered at the rumor but I haven’t even thought it through. I’m not thinking about 1982, I’m just looking forward to working with the commission now.”

Twenty-Five Years Ago: “It’s wrong to screen women and then turn around and tell them treatment is not available,” said Gov. Bill Owens in a press conference, announcing that a bill to address breast and cervical cancer treatment would be added to the agenda of the legislative session on growth and redistricting.

“The state has a cancer screening program in place for low-income women, but treatment is often difficult because women must either drive long distances or they encounter treatment delays,” said Jane Norton, director of the Colorado Women’s Cancer Control Program. 

Senate Bill 63, which had been killed the previous legislative session, would have provided for cancer treatment for low-income women. Owens said the reason it was defeated in House Appropriations was that there was no state money available to match funds for the federal cancer treatment program.

Owens decided to tap into tobacco settlement funds to supply “long-range and reliable funding for his bill. Karen Reinerston, state director of Medicaid, said the treatment program would use 10% of the tobacco settlement funds, $750,000 the first year and $1.6 million by the third year. The monies would be a 35% match to the 65% available from the federal government.

“Every dollar we put in, we’ll get two dollars back from the feds,” said Nancy McCallum, director of the state budget office.

Sen. Norma Anderson, R-Lakewood, and Rep. Lola Spradley, R-Beulah, sponsored the bill at Owen’s request.

“I am confident the legislature will pass the bill I’m about to suggest and will reduce breast and cervical cancer throughout the state,” Owens said.

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.