Chris Romer
Encyclopedia
Chris Romer is a politician in the U.S. state
of Colorado
. Elected to the Colorado State Senate as a Democrat in 2006, Romer represented Senate District 32, which encompasses south Denver
.
On November 30, 2010, Romer announced his candidacy for Mayor of Denver. He then resigned from the state senate, and, after qualifying for the runoff election, lost the race to Michael Hancock
.
, earning a bachelor's degree in economics
.
Mr Romer worked as a financial consultant focusing on biomass energy plants and transit development projects such as Denver Union Station. Romer has worked as a public finance
banker with JPMorgan Chase, working on public projects including the Denver International Airport
, Children's Hospital, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts
, National Jewish Medical and Research Center
and FasTracks
. While at JPMorgan Chase, Romer was the lead banker on bond deals implicated in a pay-to-play investigation surrounding New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson; The investigation was concluded without any action or charges. Romer himself was never accused of wrongdoing.
In late 2008, Romer left his position at JPMorgan Chase to work with the Knowledge is Power Program, a Denver network of charter schools. He was named the group's president in December 2008.
At the age of 28, Romer founded the Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation, a non-profit providing mentoring and scholarships to at-risk children; he has also served as its president. He has chaired the Colorado Children's Campaign and served on the boards of the Denver School of Science and Technology
, the Metropolitan State College of Denver
Foundation, and Open World Learning, as well as Denver's New America Schools, where he spent two years as a volunteer superintendent. He was also a founder and president of Great Education Colorado which advocates for improved funding of Colorado schools and promotes education reform; in 2006, the group proposed an increase in severance tax
es provide funding for public schools, but the measure was never placed on the statewide ballot.
Romer was also a leader behind Colorado's Amendment 23, a ballot measure approved by voters in 2000 which guarantees state funding levels for Colorado public schools, and a member of the Colorado Supreme Court
Nominating Commission.
. Romer emphasized his financial and budgetary expertise in the contest, ultimately prevailing over both opponents in the historically Democratic district. In the general election, Romer won election to represent the 32nd Senate District, defeating Republican Dave Lewis with 70 percent of the popular vote.
In December 2006, outgoing Rep. Dan Grossman resigned from the legislature slightly before the end of his term because of newly enacted ethics laws. Instead of appointing Romer to the remainder of Grossman's term, Gov. Bill Owens appointed Donna R. Johnson
, Grossman's long-time legislative aide, to the remaining month of the Senate term. Romer supported her brief appointment as a state senator and was sworn in himself on January 10, 2007.
During the 2007 legislative session, Romer introduced a proposal to sell operations of the Colorado Lottery
to a private firm in order to raise funds for public schools.
The proposal would have been referred to Colorado voters in a statewide ballot measure, and would have used the proceeds from the sale to endow a trust fund to support college scholarships, public schools, state parks, and veteran's services. After facing criticism on legal grounds, and from Governor Bill Ritter, who had offered a competing proposal for school funding, Romer pulled the measure from consideration.
Romer also introduced a measure to require that Colorado high school students demonstrate English competency as a requirement for graduation. Garnering support largely from Republicans, the measure passed the state senate, but was voted down in a house committee due to concern over mandating requirements upon local school districts. Romer also joined Republicans in supporting a measure to enact statewide science and math standards, and introduced a measure that created a pilot dual enrollment
program for Colorado students.
Although Romer made a number of proposals to amend the state budget, only one — a requirement that private prison operators provide information on cost breakdowns — was adopted.
Following the regular session, Romer served on the legislature's interim committee on allocation of severance tax
and federal mineral lease revenues.
During the 2008 session, Romer floated a proposal to charge a toll Interstate 70
users traveling to mountain ski resorts during weekend rush hour
s as a way of reducing congestion; the proposal garnered a strong negative reaction and competing suggestions from members of the public. In response to the feedback, Romer proposed a mechanism for citizen participation in a collaborative online bill-drafting process, declaring "I want to have the first Wikipedia
bill, where the citizens write the bill." Romer proceeded to create a website using Google Groups
to solicit public comment and proposals; he later introduced a bill based in part of suggestions received online. The proposal would charge tolls to low-occupancy vehicles during peak hours, and create reversible HOV
lanes. The bill was denounced by legislators representing the I-70 mountain corridor, and was defeated in a house committee. Romer then offered his support to a competing proposal to charge $5 tolls along I-70, which ultimately died for lack of support.
Romer also planned on sponsoring legislation to educate consumers on scams, to create statewide high school graduation standards, to allow homeowners to collect rainwater for irrigation, and to eliminate CSAP testing for high school students. Romer was also the senate sponsor of a proposal to increase severance tax
es to provide additional funding for higher education, and sponsored a successful bill creating the Colorado Clean Energy Finance Program to provide below-market rate loans to homeowners for energy efficiency
projects.
In the contested 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, Romer supported Barack Obama
.
After several deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning
in his district, Romer pressed for quick consideration of a bill to require carbon monoxide detector
s in new homes at the start of the 2009 session; Romer was the bill's Senate co-sponsor. Romer also floated a proposal to alter the inflation formula used to allocate money to education under Colorado's Amendment 23, in order to increase the legislature's flexibility in allocating funds.
Romer introduced legislation changing taxi cab regulations, attempting to increase competition by shifting burden of proof onto parties opposing new cabs. The bill had bi-partisan support.
As part of a comprehensive education package, Romer sponsored Senate Bill 256 which overhauls the state’s education system by rewarding student and teacher performance. Romer remarked, “I think you will hear about this around the country. This is a good move for Colorado and is a big, big deal”.
A bill introduced by Romer to allow in-state tuition to immigrant children, after being amended to become effective upon passage of the federal DREAM Act, failed in the Senate.
During the 2010 session, Romer introduced legislation that would provide tax credits to businesses who re-hire laid-of workers. According to the bill’s note, 7,300 workers would be rehired sooner because of the incentives provided.
Romer introduced Senate Bill 109 stating “I think this is the beginning of the end of the Wild West”. After some heated controversy, Romer helped negotiate a compromise in the legislature, and the Bill was signed into law on June 7, 2010.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Elected to the Colorado State Senate as a Democrat in 2006, Romer represented Senate District 32, which encompasses south Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
On November 30, 2010, Romer announced his candidacy for Mayor of Denver. He then resigned from the state senate, and, after qualifying for the runoff election, lost the race to Michael Hancock
Michael Hancock (Colorado politician)
Michael B. Hancock is the 45th and current mayor of Denver, Colorado. He was sworn in on July 18, 2011 after defeating Chris Romer in a runoff election on June 7, 2011. He is Denver's second African-American mayor.-Biography:...
.
Biography
Born in Denver, the son of former Colorado governor Roy Romer, Romer graduated from Denver's East High School and then attended Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, earning a bachelor's degree in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
.
Mr Romer worked as a financial consultant focusing on biomass energy plants and transit development projects such as Denver Union Station. Romer has worked as a public finance
Public finance
Public finance is the revenue and expenditure of public authoritiesThe purview of public finance is considered to be threefold: governmental effects on efficient allocation of resources, distribution of income, and macroeconomic stabilization.-Overview:The proper role of government provides a...
banker with JPMorgan Chase, working on public projects including the Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
, Children's Hospital, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts
Denver Center for the Performing Arts
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts ' is an organization in Denver, Colorado which provides a showcase for live theatre, a nurturing ground for new plays, a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit, a graduate-level training school for actors, acting classes for the community and rental...
, National Jewish Medical and Research Center
National Jewish Medical and Research Center
National Jewish Health is a research institute located in Denver, Colorado specializing in respiratory, immune and allergic research and treatment. It was founded in 1899 to treat tuberculosis, and is today considered one of the world's best medical research and treatment centers...
and FasTracks
FasTracks
FasTracks is a twelve-year, $6.5 billion public transportation expansion plan for the Denver-Aurora and Boulder metropolitan areas in Colorado, USA, developed by the Regional Transportation District...
. While at JPMorgan Chase, Romer was the lead banker on bond deals implicated in a pay-to-play investigation surrounding New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson; The investigation was concluded without any action or charges. Romer himself was never accused of wrongdoing.
In late 2008, Romer left his position at JPMorgan Chase to work with the Knowledge is Power Program, a Denver network of charter schools. He was named the group's president in December 2008.
At the age of 28, Romer founded the Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation, a non-profit providing mentoring and scholarships to at-risk children; he has also served as its president. He has chaired the Colorado Children's Campaign and served on the boards of the Denver School of Science and Technology
Denver School of Science and Technology
The Denver School of Science and Technology is a public charter high school in Denver, Colorado. It has received financial support from various corporations, individuals, and foundations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. -External links:*...
, the Metropolitan State College of Denver
Metropolitan State College of Denver
The Metropolitan State College of Denver is a four-year college and now offers certain Graduate programs located in Denver, Colorado, United States. As of 2009, Metro State had the second-largest enrollment of undergraduates of any college in Colorado...
Foundation, and Open World Learning, as well as Denver's New America Schools, where he spent two years as a volunteer superintendent. He was also a founder and president of Great Education Colorado which advocates for improved funding of Colorado schools and promotes education reform; in 2006, the group proposed an increase in severance tax
Severance tax
Severance taxes are incurred when non-renewable natural resources are separated from a taxing jurisdiction. Industries that typically incur such taxes are oil and gas, coal, mining, and timber industries....
es provide funding for public schools, but the measure was never placed on the statewide ballot.
Romer was also a leader behind Colorado's Amendment 23, a ballot measure approved by voters in 2000 which guarantees state funding levels for Colorado public schools, and a member of the Colorado Supreme Court
Colorado Supreme Court
The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices.-Appellate jurisdiction:...
Nominating Commission.
2006 election
Romer faced two other candidates for the Democratic Party nomination for the state senate — community activist Jennifer Mello and Rep. Fran ColemanFran Coleman
Fran Coleman is a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Colorado, who served as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives representing District 1 before vacating her seat to unsuccessfully run for the Colorado Senate in the 2006 elections; she left office in January 2007.- References :...
. Romer emphasized his financial and budgetary expertise in the contest, ultimately prevailing over both opponents in the historically Democratic district. In the general election, Romer won election to represent the 32nd Senate District, defeating Republican Dave Lewis with 70 percent of the popular vote.
In December 2006, outgoing Rep. Dan Grossman resigned from the legislature slightly before the end of his term because of newly enacted ethics laws. Instead of appointing Romer to the remainder of Grossman's term, Gov. Bill Owens appointed Donna R. Johnson
Donna R. Johnson
Donna R. Johnson is a former legislator and legislative aide in the U.S. state of Colorado. A long-time legislative assistant to Sen. Dan Grossman, Johnson was appointed to the Colorado State Senate by Gov...
, Grossman's long-time legislative aide, to the remaining month of the Senate term. Romer supported her brief appointment as a state senator and was sworn in himself on January 10, 2007.
2007 legislative session
In the 2007 session of the General Assembly, Romer served on the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources & Energy Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and was vice-chairman of the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee. During the session, Romer was also named the chair of a select Senate committee on renewable energy.During the 2007 legislative session, Romer introduced a proposal to sell operations of the Colorado Lottery
Colorado Lottery
The Colorado Lottery is run by the government of Colorado. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association .The Colorado Lottery began on January 24, 1983, initially selling only scratch tickets. Its first drawing took place on April 23, 1983...
to a private firm in order to raise funds for public schools.
The proposal would have been referred to Colorado voters in a statewide ballot measure, and would have used the proceeds from the sale to endow a trust fund to support college scholarships, public schools, state parks, and veteran's services. After facing criticism on legal grounds, and from Governor Bill Ritter, who had offered a competing proposal for school funding, Romer pulled the measure from consideration.
Romer also introduced a measure to require that Colorado high school students demonstrate English competency as a requirement for graduation. Garnering support largely from Republicans, the measure passed the state senate, but was voted down in a house committee due to concern over mandating requirements upon local school districts. Romer also joined Republicans in supporting a measure to enact statewide science and math standards, and introduced a measure that created a pilot dual enrollment
Dual enrollment
In education, dual enrollment involved students being enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. It may also refer to any individual who is participating in two related programs, but such a general form of usage is uncommon....
program for Colorado students.
Although Romer made a number of proposals to amend the state budget, only one — a requirement that private prison operators provide information on cost breakdowns — was adopted.
Following the regular session, Romer served on the legislature's interim committee on allocation of severance tax
Severance tax
Severance taxes are incurred when non-renewable natural resources are separated from a taxing jurisdiction. Industries that typically incur such taxes are oil and gas, coal, mining, and timber industries....
and federal mineral lease revenues.
2008 legislative session
In the 2008 session of the General Assembly, Romer served on the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources & Energy Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, and was vice-chair of both the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee.During the 2008 session, Romer floated a proposal to charge a toll Interstate 70
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 is an Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a Park and Ride near Baltimore, Maryland. It was the first Interstate Highway project in the United States. I-70 approximately traces the path of U.S. Route 40 east of the Rocky...
users traveling to mountain ski resorts during weekend rush hour
Rush hour
A rush hour or peak hour is a part of the day during which traffic congestion on roads and crowding on public transport is at its highest. Normally, this happens twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening, the times during when the most people commute...
s as a way of reducing congestion; the proposal garnered a strong negative reaction and competing suggestions from members of the public. In response to the feedback, Romer proposed a mechanism for citizen participation in a collaborative online bill-drafting process, declaring "I want to have the first Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
bill, where the citizens write the bill." Romer proceeded to create a website using Google Groups
Google Groups
Google Groups is a service from Google Inc. that supports discussion groups, including many Usenet newsgroups, based on common interests. The service was started in 1995 as Deja News, and was transitioned to Google Groups after a February 2001 buyout....
to solicit public comment and proposals; he later introduced a bill based in part of suggestions received online. The proposal would charge tolls to low-occupancy vehicles during peak hours, and create reversible HOV
HOV
HOV may refer to:* High-occupancy vehicle lane* Ørsta-Volda Airport, Hovden in Hovden, Norway* Hovig* A small street gang located in Naperville* see Hov...
lanes. The bill was denounced by legislators representing the I-70 mountain corridor, and was defeated in a house committee. Romer then offered his support to a competing proposal to charge $5 tolls along I-70, which ultimately died for lack of support.
Romer also planned on sponsoring legislation to educate consumers on scams, to create statewide high school graduation standards, to allow homeowners to collect rainwater for irrigation, and to eliminate CSAP testing for high school students. Romer was also the senate sponsor of a proposal to increase severance tax
Severance tax
Severance taxes are incurred when non-renewable natural resources are separated from a taxing jurisdiction. Industries that typically incur such taxes are oil and gas, coal, mining, and timber industries....
es to provide additional funding for higher education, and sponsored a successful bill creating the Colorado Clean Energy Finance Program to provide below-market rate loans to homeowners for energy efficiency
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
projects.
In the contested 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, Romer supported Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.
2009 legislative session
For the 2009 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Romer was named to seats on the Senate Transportation Committee and the Senate Education Committee, where he served as vice-chair.After several deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide . Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect...
in his district, Romer pressed for quick consideration of a bill to require carbon monoxide detector
Carbon monoxide detector
A carbon monoxide detector or CO detector is a device that detects the presence of the carbon monoxide gas in order to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. CO is a colorless and odorless compound produced by incomplete combustion. It is often referred to as the "silent killer" because it is...
s in new homes at the start of the 2009 session; Romer was the bill's Senate co-sponsor. Romer also floated a proposal to alter the inflation formula used to allocate money to education under Colorado's Amendment 23, in order to increase the legislature's flexibility in allocating funds.
Romer introduced legislation changing taxi cab regulations, attempting to increase competition by shifting burden of proof onto parties opposing new cabs. The bill had bi-partisan support.
As part of a comprehensive education package, Romer sponsored Senate Bill 256 which overhauls the state’s education system by rewarding student and teacher performance. Romer remarked, “I think you will hear about this around the country. This is a good move for Colorado and is a big, big deal”.
A bill introduced by Romer to allow in-state tuition to immigrant children, after being amended to become effective upon passage of the federal DREAM Act, failed in the Senate.
2010 legislative session
In the 2010 session of the General Assembly, Romer served on the Senate Business, Labor and Technology committee, the Senate Health and Human Services committee, and the Senate Local Government & Energy committee.During the 2010 session, Romer introduced legislation that would provide tax credits to businesses who re-hire laid-of workers. According to the bill’s note, 7,300 workers would be rehired sooner because of the incentives provided.
Romer introduced Senate Bill 109 stating “I think this is the beginning of the end of the Wild West”. After some heated controversy, Romer helped negotiate a compromise in the legislature, and the Bill was signed into law on June 7, 2010.