Republican icon Sen. Norma Anderson, who announced her retirement from the state Senate Monday, may well rank as the last of the giants of the Colorado General Assembly.
Term limits and rising partisanship both work strongly against future legislators winning the respect that Anderson commanded from both sides of the aisle.
Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald said her fellow Jefferson County lawmaker’s departure “leaves a huge hole in the Senate. Her institutional memory was impeccable. She was a very strong moderating force and she had the force of personality to maintain that moderation.”
Anderson was the last leader of either party first elected to the legislature before term limits went into effect in 1998. She rose to majority leader in the House before moving to the Senate, where she later won the same post. Majority leaders need to master the arcane rules and mores of the legislative process. While Anderson had those skills in abundance, she also had a matchless understanding of the state fiscal process, and a toughness leavened with humor that made her an invaluable ally or a formidable opponent. She was a crucial and active part of the bipartisan campaign that won approval of Referendum C last November.
Talking with Post editors Tuesday, Anderson was frustrated over the tone of legislative work. “Things are more partisan now; you do things that are good for the party, not for the state. When Bev Bledsoe was speaker of the House, he said that what was good for the state was good for the party. I believe so strongly in that,” she said.
Much of the growing polarization comes from within Colorado’s Republican Party. Former Senate President John Andrews told The Associated Press Tuesday that Anderson and other moderates such as former U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell and state Rep. Mark Larson of Cortez are out of step with conservatives on issues including taxes, labor unions, abortion and the role of government. “I think if there is a thread with what these three have said and done recently, they seem to be facing up to the reality that maybe their times have come and gone,” Andrews said.
The timing of Anderson’s retirement may allow the vacancy committee in Senate District 22 to fill her shoes before the legislature convenes Jan. 11. We hope their choice is, like Anderson, a pragmatist who will keep the Bledsoe credo in mind.
After 19 years of outstanding service, Norma Anderson has earned our respect and admiration many times over. Ironically, her departure comes at a time when her expertise and moderation are needed more than ever.
