Former Rep. Cheri Gerou (CGA)
Former Republican state Rep. Cheri Gerou is once again walking the halls of the Capitol.
The Evergreen lawmaker joined Gov. John Hickenlooper’s administration on Oct. 19 as the manager of the State Buildings Program in the Office of the State Architect. She is making a salary of $7,916 a month, or $94,992 a year, according to an administration spokesman.
Gerou returned to her stomping grounds Thursday when she attended a Joint Budget Committee meeting. First elected in 2008, Gerou served on the powerful budget committee before in 2012.
Her tenure was marked by a few stormy episodes, notably her with Crisanta Duran, a Denver Democrat who is now House majority leader; with gun lobbyist Joe Neville, who is the son of Sen. Tim Neville; and a clash with Sen. Vicki Marble, who .
The Office of the State Architect, under Larry Friedberg, is playing a more significant role in helping the state look at its building needs after lawmakers approved in the 2015 session to amplify its mission.
In an interview, Gerou, an architect, said she applied for the job and received it. She stepped away from her own architecture firm to take the position. In her new role, she said she is overseeing state code issues and the construction process on projects costing $2 million or more.
