Political Quotes

“I rise today to first recognize the life of a very unique and remarkable Coloradan, and then I will speak to a cause that is near and dear to me, as it is I think to the Presiding Officer as well, and that is our wind energy industry and the threat it faces. I wish to speak about a man by the name of Randy Atkinson whom we lost this year on October 9, 2012, at the way-too-young age of 60. He was a firefighter. He dedicated himself to serving his community and, as he put it, brothers and sisters in Colorado's fire departments. Randy was an example to all of us because he dedicated his entire adult life to helping others. He started at the age of 19, in 1972, by joining the Denver Fire Department and Denver Firefighters Local 858. Not long after that, he took a more active role in representing his fellow firefighters as an advocate and a legislative consultant for the Colorado Professional Firefighters and Denver Local 858. He was held in high esteem not just by his fellow firefighters but by Colorado legislators on both sides of the aisle. Why was that? He was intelligent. He was caring. He had a great sense of humor. We all appreciated that when we came into contact with him, whether we were Democrats or Republicans. He was a leader and because of that he kept rising through the ranks. In 1995, he was elected president of the Colorado Professional Firefighters.…”