Stratton Rollins Heath Jr. (born December 28, 1937) is an American politician and former state legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado who previously served as the Colorado State Senate Assistant Minority Leader. Elected to the Colorado State Senate as a Democrat in 2008, Heath represented Senate District 18, which encompasses Boulder, Colorado and portions of Boulder County. Heath served as State Senate Majority Caucus Leader from October 2013 to 2014.[1] Prior to winning elective office, Heath was the founding chairman of ProgressNow, a progressive advocacy organization.[2] Term limited, he did not run for re-election in the 2016 elections, so his term ended in January 2017.[3] Heath is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder.
Rollie Heath | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Majority Leader of the Colorado Senate | |
| In office October 9, 2013 – January 7, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Morgan Carroll |
| Succeeded by | Mark Scheffel |
| Member of the Colorado Senate from the 18th district | |
| In office January 7, 2009 – January 11, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Ron Tupa |
| Succeeded by | Steve Fenberg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 28, 1937 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Education | University of Wisconsin, Madison (BS, JD) |
| Website | Official website |
Political career
editHeath was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2002. He lost to incumbent Republican governor Bill Owens.[4]
Legislative career
edit2008 election
editHeath faced University of Colorado Regent Cindy Carlisle in the August 12, 2008, 18th District Democratic primary, defeating her 56% to 44%.[citation needed]
Heath was unopposed in the November 2008 general election. Heath's candidacy was endorsed by the Denver Post[5] and the Boulder Daily Camera. [6]
Colorado General Assembly
editFor the 2009 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Heath was named to seats on the Senate Business, Labor, and Technology Committee, the Senate Education Committee, and the Senate Finance Committee.[7]
In November 2008, Heath was named to a special legislative Committee on Job Creation and Economic Growth, tasked with developing recommendations on bolstering Colorado's economy before the 2009 legislative session.[8] Heath has sponsored legislation to re-instate the Colorado Credit Reserve program to assist small businesses in obtaining loans,[9] and in 2008 announced plans to sponsor legislation to provide matching funds to startup companies in the "clean energy" field.[10]
On October 9, 2013, Heath was elected as Majority Leader of the Colorado State Senate after the preceding Majority Leader Morgan Carroll was elected to replace recalled Colorado State Senator John Morse as president of the Colorado Senate.[11]
References
edit- ^ "State Senate District 18". COMaps. Archived from the original on 2009-02-04. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ "Happy 50th Anniversary, Josie & Rollie!". Colorado Statesman. August 8, 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
- ^ Ballotpedia. Retiring incumbents. Viewed: 2016-01-13.
- ^ Christian, Nichole M.; Cushman Jr, John H.; Day, Sherri; Dillon, Sam; Lewis, Neil A.; Pear, Robert; Pristin, Terry; Shenon, Philip; Steinberg, Jacques; Wayne, Leslie (2002-11-06). "The 2002 Elections: West; Colorado". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-22.
- ^ Editorial Board (23 October 2008). "The Post's picks for state Senate". Denver Post. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
- ^ Norris, Wendy; Bob Spencer (3 November 2008). "State candidate endorsement watch". Colorado Independent. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
- ^ Jensen, Erika (13 November 2008). "Senate Democrats Announce Committee Assignments". The Cherry Creek News. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
- ^ "Legislative Leaders Convene Committee On Job Creation & Economic Growth" (Press release). Colorado House Democrats. 20 November 2008. Archived from the original on 11 May 2010.
- ^ Mook, Bob (13 January 2009). "Bill to boost small-business loans reaches Senate". Denver Business Journal. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
- ^ Sealover, Ed (30 December 2008). "Jobs will be legislature's job No. 1". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2009-01-09.
- ^ Ivan Moreno (October 9, 2013). "Rollie Heath named Colorado Senate majority leader". dailycamera.com. Retrieved October 9, 2013.