The week began with the traditional pre-session fundraisers for the four legislative caucuses. Since DFER contributed close to $500,000 for the Senate and House Democrat campaigns, we were top line sponsors at the Senate Democrat and House Democrat events. Joe and I spent the evening talking with Democrat leadership and lawmakers, getting to know freshman legislators, talking with the leadership team of the Colorado Education Association, thanking supporters of Senate Bill 191, and, of course, speaking with a few DFER skeptics.
The next evening, at Governor Hickenlooper’s inaugural celebration, Joe was introduced to western culture, replete with barbeque, western wear, cowboy boots, country bands, and line dancing, where we celebrated with U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Denver Public Schools’ Superintendent Tom Boasberg, state lawmakers, and members of the DFER-CO Advisory Committee.
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