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In late 2001, I called a friend in Westcliffe to learn more about a sex scandal that involved a politician from Custer County, former state Rep. Larry Swartz. He had resigned from the legislature in 1997 to accept an appointment to the state parole board from Gov. Roy Romer, and had been re-appointed by Gov. Bill Owens in 2000.
Swartz's home had just been searched for child
pornography, and the sheriff found videos and photographs.
Owens instantly fired Swartz from the parole board. That
was about the size of the scandal. My friend and I swapped
a few one-liners. We might as well enjoy a few laughs
when a politician gets caught with his pants down,
my
Westcliffe friend concluded, But it doesn't really
change much.
That certainly seems true in Colorado, where we don't worry so much about such matters, as evidenced by the yawns in reaction to tales about our previous two governors, Roy Romer and Bill Owens.
Owens moved out of the governor's mansion for a while because he and his wife, Frances, had agreed on a separation. Then they reconciled. After he left office, they divorced.
There were all sorts of juicy rumors, among them one about a love child growing up in Texas, but if anyone called for Owens to resign, I missed it.
This may have stalled Owens's national political career,
which had looked promising. One right-thinking publication
had touted him as America's best governor
and there
was serious talk of the vice-presidency or even the Oval
Office. But in Colorado, whatever happened to the Owens
household was generally deemed a private matter.
Before Owens, Roy Romer was governor for 12 years; he also chaired the Democratic National Committee from 1997 to 1999.
When the rumors emerged during his 1990 and 1994
campaigns for governor, Romer vehemently denied that he was
having an extramarital affair with an assistant, Betty Jane
Throneberry. I don't have a sexual relationship with her
now, nor have I ever,
he said in 1990, and in 1994 his
campaign manager dismissed it as ugly gossip about old
rumors that were put aside years ago.
But in 1998, he admitted he'd had a 16-year relationship
with Throneberry, a professional relationship that grew
into a supportive personal one.
Colorado yawned,
although this might also have thwarted any national career
for Romer.
In New York, though, Gov. Elliot Spitzer had to resign
last week for zipper problems. It can certainly be argued
that Spitzer's case was far more serious, since he
apparently violated state and federal laws. But there might
have been violations here, since adultery is illegal in
Colorado. In our statutes it is defined and
prohibited.
But there has been no penalty since
1971, even though a 1925 court held that this evil and
immoral example
will debase and demoralize
society.
So it might be argued that two of our recent governors engaged in conduct prohibited, although not punished, by state law -- but there was certainly no public outcry, no demands for further investigation, no calls for resignation. Indeed, these matters are barely remembered.
One wonders why there's a major scandal in New York but not in Colorado. In part, I think it's because we're aware that we are electing human beings to secular office; we know there's a difference between the state capitol and the College of Cardinals. Spitzer also had a virulent case of self-righteousness, which doesn't play well here.
Further, I like to think we have a healthy suspicion of government. We often figure these government types are cheating us -- so why wouldn't they be cheating on their spouses, too?
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