State Treasurer Walker Stapleton, left, his family and Senate President Bill Cadman, right, laugh as Stapleton correctly states his middle initial while taking the oath of office Tuesday on the west steps of state Capitol in Denver. (Channel 2 KWGN)
State Treasurer Walker Stapleton is jokingly referring to himself as the Rodney Dangerfield of Colorado inaugurations after today’s activities.
The official program for the inaugural event listed Stapleton as secretary of state and Wayne Williams as the state treasurer. It’s the other way around.
And when Chief Justice Nancy Rice asked Stapleton to take the oath, she said, “Repeat after me. I, Walker P. Stapleton,” to which the treasurer said, “I Walker R. Stapleton.” That got a big laugh. (The R, BTW, is for Roberts. Maybe Rice was when she said P.)
Also sworn into office were Attorney General Cynthia Coffman, Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia and Gov. John Hickenlooper.
Hickenlooper announced the kickoff of a Random Acts of Kindness campaign. The goal is perform 10,000 random acts of kindness between now and July 14 which marks the start of the third Biennial of the Americans in Denver.
State Sen. President Bill Cadman told the crowd that the first official act of kindness was performed by Stapleton’s mother, Debbie, for giving him a hand warmer. He then performed the second act by handing it over to Hickenlooper, who didn’t wear gloves for the event. , felt balmy compared to four years ago when Hickenlooper was sworn in for his first term.
Republican Wayne Williams, left, with his wife Holly and other family members, takes the oath of office Tuesday as Colorado’s next secretary of state from Supreme Court Justice Nancy E. Rice, right. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
