On Jan. 23, as part of the Sturm College of Law’s Meet the Gubernatorial Candidate Series, Lieutenant Governor Donna Lynne visited the campus and introduced herself to an intimate audience where she spoke about her past history in government and her goals for Colorado’s future.
As the first to be a combined lieutenant governor and chief operating officer, Lynn—who was appointed by current governor and endorser John Hickenlooper—compares her job to that of a vice president but without the ability to break ties or influence legislation directly. The Colorado Constitution, she references, simply says that there shall and will be a lieutenant governor present if the Governor is absent. According to Lynn, the work and focus of a lieutenant governor can vary depending on the individual itself. “We work on natural resources, we work on health care, education, transportation, criminal justice,” she lists. Earlier that Tuesday she had a press conference regarding a bill that will soon be introduced proposing the elimination of purchasing and using bump stocks in the state. This led her to be a few minutes late to the discussion.
Although originally from New Jersey and receiving her education and first work experience in the east coast (New York, New Hampshire, Washington D.C.), Lynn has been a part of Colorado government since 2005 when she was recruited to run Kaiser Permanente. In her introduction to the audience, Lynn had admitted that—prior to being Lt. Governor—she was a DU Board of Trustees member.
In Colorado, she said, there are minimal obstacles in becoming politically active—something she admires. “When I got here it was clear to me, I’m from the east coast, and sometimes in some of these older more traditional spaces there are barrier to entry, barriers to being engaged and that wasn’t the case for Colorado. I think that’s one of our hallmarks that you can come here and get engaged,” she said.
The lieutenant governor campaign will focus on infrastructure investment, environmental protection and making healthcare affordable, she said. Alluding to other potential democratic nominees, she pointed out that other’s desires for free college, free kindergarten and 100 percent renewable energy in Colorado by 2040—although appealing—are challenging to accomplish. “These are all great aspirations but as a state we’ve resisted paying for even minor changes in our education system,” she admitted. She hopes that potential voters ask candidates what it will take to accomplish these goals—specifically how will taxes be affected and how will they work alongside Colorado’s legislative branch. Her promise to her constituents is to be clear about the details of her proposals.
