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How Jerry Kopel learned from his 1976 loss, and won in 1978
New: David Kopel's business
case study, Jerry
Kopel Cares: An Analysis of the Marketing and Organizational
Techniques in Gerald Kopel’s 1978 Campaign. In 1976, Kopel was upset
by Republican challenger Paul Swalm. Kopel had to reinvent his
political campaign style in order to face Swalm again in 1978.
Refuseniks
Denver Public Library Exhibit on the Soviet
Refuseniks and Kopel's efforts to free them.
Slide show
in Powerpoint format
Chris Leppek,
Reliving the glory days, Intermountain Jewish News. Oct. 1, 2009.
Article on the successful campaign by Colorado legislators Jerry Kopel and
Tilman Bishop to free the Leningrad Three.
Boston Globe story of ceremony
honoring Rep. Jerry Kopel and Sen. Tilman Bishop: Hinda Mandell,
Cry of liberty. Foundation will honor refuseniks whose 1970 attempted
hijacking drew world attention to the Soviet Union’s oppression of Jews. Boston
Globe, Oct. 8, 2009.
Jerry Kopel,
Freeing
the Leningrad Three.
Articles by Jerry Kopel
 Full list
of Jerry's articles, on this website.
Colorado Statesman
archive of
Jerry Kopel columns from 2008 to 2012. (In reverse chronological
order. The columns as published in the Statesman may have
slight differences from the versions here on this website.)
Subject areas:
Biography
Colorado History
Colorado Legislature
Colorado Politics & elections,
including Denver.
Constitutional
Amendments
and other Ballot issues
Consumer and Tort Issues
Criminal Law
Gambling
Sunrise/Sunset
(occupational licensing)
Most of the articles on this website
were originally published in the Colorado Statesman,
Colorado's weekly political newspaper. Jerry Kopel's column, which ran
from 1992 to 2012, won 7 public service awards from the Colorado Press
Association.
Jerry in the News
Local lawmakers tell Longmont constituents that partisan divides don't always
produce gridlock. By John Fryar. Longmont Times-Call. Mar. 21, 2012.
Colorado Senate president wants truth clause on statehouse-witness registration
sheets. By Lynn Bartels. Denver Post.
Mar. 14, 2012.
Jerry
wins First Place in the Colorado Press Association's 2006 Public Service
writing category, for his column in the Colorado Statesman.
University of Colorado School of Journalism. Alumni article on
Jerry -- a "C" student in the J-school, who was told he should try
another field.
Jerry parties with the
Denver Bar Association.
Denver Public Library and other Archives
The Gerald Kopel Papers, which cover Kopel's entire legislative
career from 1964 to 1992, are housed in the Denver Public Library's
Western History Collection. The papers are perhaps the most
extensive archive of the public career of any American state
legislator from the 20th century. For more information on the
collection, and a link to an HTML table of contents,
click here. For the Denver Public Library's online Table of
Contents and information,
click here.
Jerry Kopel's Report. Jerry's
newsletter to constituents, from 1967 to 1998.
Available in the Denver Public Library.
The Dolores Kopel Papers, cover
the life and career of Jerry's wife Dolores, who was one of the
first female lawyers in Colorado. She served as United States
Bankruptcy Trustee for Colorado and Kansas. Table of Contents
here.
Short
biography of
Dolores Kopel.
Reported legal cases of
Gerald and Dolores Kopel.
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Colorado House of Representatives Memorial
Adopted March 21, 2012. Video of the day's House session is
here. Audio file, in
mp3. The Memorial begins at 12:49 and ends at 1:23:30.
Speakers in order
Current Representatives:
Matt Jones (sponsor)
Rep. Spencer
Swalm
Rep. Lois Court
Rep. Beth McCann
Rep. Dickie Lee
Hullinghorst
Rep. Chris Holbert
---
Former Representatives:
Ruth Wright (Minority Leader)
David Skaggs (Minority Leader; U.S.
Rep.)
Wellington Webb (Mayor of Denver)
Dorothy Rupert (State
Senator)
Barbara Holme (State Senator)
Phil Hernandez
Bill
Owens (Governor)
Bill Thiebaut (Senate Majority Leader; Pueblo
District Attorney)
Bob Allen (Majority Leader)
J.D. McFarlane
(Colo. Attorney General).
Dennis Gallagher (Denver City Auditor).
---
Rep. Jones.
Denver Post coverage of the Memorial,
by Lynn Bartels.
A Republican governor and a Democratic congressman honor the late
Jerry Kopel. Includes full text of the House Memorial
Resolution. Mar. 21, 2012.
Colorado Statesman coverage, by
Peter Marcus.
Jerry Kopel, a “legislator’s legislator,” remembered fondly by his
colleagues. Mar. 23, 2012.
Jerry Kopel Celebration of Life
Held at the
Denver Botanic Gardens, Feb. 4, 2012. Video
file (in .mp4).
Audio file (in .wav) of the Celebration.
Program: Opening remarks by Master of Ceremonies Dennis Gallagher.
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette.
Rep. Wilma Webb.
Gov. Richard Lamm.
Reading of a letter from Regent Tilman Bishop.
Jerry's
grandchildren Kathleen, Margaret, and Andrew.
Jerry's
son David.
Note: The audio starts with Gallagher's introduce of
Well. Total runtime is for video is 57 minutes, audio is 34:30.
Jerry Kopel, 1928-2012
Jerry Kopel passed away peacefully on
January 21, 2012. He had been seriously ill for a while, and was
definitely ready to move onward. While our family misses him, we are
happy that his spirit has been liberated from the maladies of his
body.
Persons who would like to make a gift in
Jerry's memory are encouraged to
donate to the
Denver Public Library. Page 2 of the online donation form will
give you the opportunity in the Comments field to make the donation
a Memorial for Jerry Kopel. The funds will be used to support the
Western History Collection at the Library, which is the repository
of Jerry's papers.
David Kopel
Memories of and Tributes for
Jerry Kopel
Colorado
Bar Association resolution honoring Gerald H. "Jerry Kopel.
"Mr. Colorado Legislature" inspired awe.
Pueblo Chieftain. By Tom
McAvoy. Jan. 29, 2012.
Colorado House of
Representatives. Rep. Matt Jones informs the House of Jerry's
passing. Bipartisan remarks from legislators. Jan. 23, 2012.
Video. From 12:10 to 17:54. (The video file can be downloaded in
either .mp4 or .wmv
here.)
Former Colorado lawmaker Gerald Kopel
remembered for love of state.
Denver Post. By Tim McGhee. Jan. 23, 2012.
Former state Rep. Jerry Kopel passes away.
Colorado Statesman. Jan. 23, 2012.
Jerry Kopel, the Legislator’s Legislator. By Morgan Smith. Colorado Statesman.
Sept. 27, 2011.
Prepping Legislators. By Dennis Gallagher, Accountability
and other matters. Nov. 30, 2010.
U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Denver). Remarks in the Congressional
Record, "Celebrating 80th Birthday Of Gerald (Jerry) Kopel And 56th
Anniversary of Jerry And Dolores Kopel." June 12, 2008 (pages E1229-30).
Text.
PDF.
Passing the Martin Luther King Holiday
Feb. 19, 1993
The Martin Luther King holiday for 1993
has come and gone and not too many people remember the trauma of
getting the measure passed in 1984. Certainly Wilma Webb, the
chief sponsor of HB 1201, does.
About a year ago, then-Rep. Webb opened
her wallet, pulled out a small slip paper on which three words
written, and showed it to me. The paper was slightly worn, but I
remembered what happened on March 25, 1984, and how knowledge of
the Rules of the Colorado House helped make success for the King
Holiday finally possible.
In 1984, Colorado had reached the point
when something regarding a King Holiday was going to happen.
There were two camps in the House: those
who supported Rep. Webb’s position that the state declare the
holiday legislatively, and those who supported then-Speaker
Bledsoe’s position that the issue should be placed on the
November 1984 ballot as a statute referred to the voters for a
decision. In the committee of the whole on February 22, 1984,
the Bledsoe position was defeated; but in the report of the
committee of the whole, an amendment was offered by Rep. Bill
Artist to have the issue decided in the November election. The
Artist amendment passed 33-32. Who says one vote doesn’t count?
The measure passed easily on third
reading, and went to the Senate where, during the second reading
on March 21, 1984. the Artist amendment was stripped from the
bill. The bill passed third reading March 22, 1984 by a vote of
23 to 5. Now the measure came back to the house
If the leadership position held, the
measure would go to conference committee to resolve the
difference tween the two houses. Although Representative Webb
would be on the conference committee, the other two House
members would not be friends of her position on the referral.
And the rules require two members of each house on the
conference committee to approve the committee report.
On the day before the issue is to be
debated in the House, Rep. Webb posed the issue to me: Whatever
motion was voted on would be the one that would pass the house.
How can she ensure that vote would be on her motion to concur in
the Senate amendment?
The normal procedure would be for her, as
chief sponsor of the bill, to make a motion to concur. Then
someone from the opposite camp would make a substitute motion
for conference committee. We probably would have a measure on
the ballot in November, because the majority the House members
did not want to be seen as having voted “against” a motion on
the bill, which could be interpreted by election opponents as
being totally against the holiday.
I suggested strategy. There is nothing in
the rules to prevent her from making a series of motions and
deciding the order of voting. She would be recognized by the
Speaker. Her motion would be to adhere to the House position and
reject the Senate amendment.
After such a motion, she would be
recognized to speak on the motion. When recognized again, she
would make a motion for a conference committee.
And when recognized again, she would make
the motion to concur with the Senate position, and that would be
the motion was voted on first. The following day, the day of the
vote, Rep. Webb wanted to go through the series again to be sure
they were done in proper sequence. I tore off a piece of paper
and wrote:
Adhere
Conference
Concur
Rep. Webb was recognized by the Speaker.
She made a motion to reject the Senate amendment and to adhere
to the House position. Democratic House members from their seats
called out: “No, Wilma, that’s wrong.” Legislators turned to
each other and asked, “Why did she do that?”
Rep. Webb raised her hand, and the
Speaker recognized her. Everyone expected her to now explain.
Instead she said: “Mr. Speaker, I move the House reject the
Senate amendment and request a conference committee.” The House
became quiet. Checkmate occurred whether or not Rep. Webb would
be the one to make the final motion. She raised her hand again,
and was recognized. “Mr. Speaker, I move the House concur in the
Senate amendment.”
The motion passed 38-26 and the bill was
readopted by a vote of 38-26. The House Journal for that day
would listed only 2 of the 3 motions Rep. Webb made (conference
and concurrence), but the House tape has all three motions.
I have no doubt that putting the issue on
the ballot 1984 would have resulted in defeat. I believe only
two states have supported the King holiday by way of election.
The year 1984 was conservative landslide. After election day,
there were only 18 Democrats in the House and 11 in the Senate,
the lowest number in 38 years.
The moral of the story? Learn your
rulebook. You never know what can be used to defeat into
victory.
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Update on legislative bills (and also about me)
June 17, 2011
There were two sunrise bills and one sunset
bill that you read about in my previous columns, and now you have the
final read on what happened in those three regulatory attempts.
Senate Bill 207 by Sen. Lois Tochtrop,
D-Thornton, and Rep. Kevin Priola, R-Brighton, would have regulated
roofers. The bill passed Business Affairs and Appropriations with
moderate amendments. A number of bills were laid over to a date after
the Legislature adjourned. But SB 207 was defeated on second reading
April 27, the only Senate bill I found to be so treated.
I thought the amount of insurance the bill
required for roofing companies would have put many out of business
unless the cost was reduced. I think a lot of voters may be angry at
getting no response to the yearly complaints about roofers. Perhaps
this bill was only a first step and a bill introduced in 2012 will
have heavy lobbying in its favor.
Normally there is an amendment to the “report
of the committee of the whole” which would have listed the votes for
and against the measure. There was no amendment offered.
• • •
The 1-page House Bill 1195 by Rep.
Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs, and Sen. Linda Newell, D-Littleton,
passed on the last day of the 2011 assembly. It sets up a voluntary
licensure of private investigators (PI).
The big difference is the term “license.” You
don’t want to get caught using that word on your calling card unless
you are licensed by convincing the director that you have 4,000 hours
of verifiable experience or 2,000 hours plus sufficient education. You
need knowledge of statutes dealing with investigation whether you have
4,000 or 2,000 hours of verifiable experience.
CRS 12-58.5-104 (1) (b) states, “Nothing in
this article requires private investigators engaging in private
investigation in this state to obtain a licensure under this article.”
It costs you money and subjects you to
disciplinary action as a licensed PI. It is voluntary now, but knowing
what is coming after a majority of the PIs become licensed (LPIs)...
that is when the amended law will (I believe) be changed to also cover
ALL the non-LPIs, doing away with unlicensed PIs.
• • •
One new law, Senate Bill 187 by Sen.
Linda Newe, D-Littleton, and Rep. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, amends
regulation for 18,000 to 19,000 persons working in mental health
occupations. By fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012, the fiscal note
expects new authority for mental health boards to level
administrative-type fines will produce greater than $2 million dollars
annually.
It covers psychologists, social workers,
marriage and family therapists, licensed professional counselors,
registered psychotherapists (formerly the grievance board) and an
addiction counselors’ board.
The most diverse group within mental health
occupations are the unlicensed psychotherapists who will now be
“registered” instead of just being in the database. There is no
minimum education requirement for the registered, so the amount of
education varies from high school to a Ph.D.
The “registered” are “regulated” and those who
are registered can use the term “regulated” and “registered” along
with “psychotherapists” since they are required to know the statutes
related to their occupation. They are regulated under many of the same
disciplines as the licensed psychologists.
Psychotherapists have to tell patients the
difference between licensing, registration, and certification
including the educational experience and training required. As more
information is required from registered persons, the more open the
regulated unlicensed persons can be to punishment for failure to
supply what the statute requires.
Presently the mental health boards have four
public members on the board unconnected to the profession and three
members who are from the profession covered. That changes and SB 187
gives the professional members four seats to three seats for public
members. Legislators should study the number of complaints filed after
July 1, 2011. How many of the complaints resulted in disciplinary
hearings.
• • •
The age of 80 is an unwelcome
boundary. Today 70 is almost as good as 60. But 80 is more like 90 on
some days. I passed 80 a few years ago and don’t enjoy the daily “If I
get up what is going to go wrong today?”
Jody contacted me in December of 1992 as I was
retiring from the Legislature. She asked if I would like to be a
columnist for The Statesman. My first column appeared in December of
1992. More than 700 columns later, I am still writing but not on a
given schedule or a promise of being printed.
Depending on my health at a particular time, I
will present information you might not get otherwise.
June is a good month to do this. June is my
83rd birthday month and my 59th anniversary of marriage to Dolores.
The nice thing about the several decades since
I began these columns is the response from readers of The Statesman
wherever I travel in Colorado. These are strangers and our one
connection is “I write and they read.”
They read and come
up with a hand out to shake. And I am so grateful that they care to do
that.
(Jerry Kopel served
22 years in the Colorado House.)
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