An Eye on the Golden Dome: Dispatches from the State Capitol

Story by Hank Lacey

Update, Jan. 13, 2025, 6:25 pm

The Colorado General Assembly welcomed 25 new members in the past week. They include five new senators and about two dozen new representatives, including District 49’s Lesley Smith.

Senators making their first appearance in the upper chamber are Scott Bright of District 13, elected to replace term-limited Kevin Priola; Lisa Frizell of District 2; Matt Ball, a former aide to Denver mayor Mike Johnston, to represent District 31; former University of Colorado regent John Carson, who will represent District 30; and Iman Jodeh, who will serve District 29.

Ball, Carson, and Jodeh, a former state representative, were chosen by vacancy committees. Bright and Frizell are Republicans; the others are Democrats.

In the House the Democratic newcomers include immigration lawyer Cecelia Espenoza, U.S. Air Force veteran and attorney Sean Camacho, former congressional staff member Lindsay Gilchrist, software engineer and product manager Amy Paschal, USAF veteran Lisa Feret, Lakewood City Council member Rebekah Stewart, lawyer Jacque Phillips, Aurora Public Schools governing board member Michael Carter, Littleton City Council member Gretchen Rydin, Larimer County chief deputy assessor Yara Zokaie, and Durango school board member Katie Stewart.

New Republican representatives are engineer and U.S. Navy veteran Rebecca Keltie, former legislative aide and USAF veteran Jarvis Caldwell, Castle Rock Town Council member Max Brooks, Fort Lupton City Council member Carlos Barron, Ryan Gonzales of Greeley, Elbert County commissioner Chris Richardson, retired firefighter Larry Suckla, former Morgan County GOP chair Dusty Johnson, and educator Lori Garcia Sander.

The GOP’s Dan Woog, who previously represented District 19 for a single term before losing a reelection bid in 2022 and is not new to the General Assembly, won the seat again and has also returned.

Update: Jan. 13, 2025, 5:00 pm

Welcome to a new Estes Valley Voice feature aimed at keeping readers informed about the work of our state government. Turn here to learn about the debates in the General Assembly, the significant actions of the governor and state agencies, and the work of the attorney general, secretary of state, and treasurer.

We will update this feature regularly with relatively short dispatches.