January 9, 2008 1:25 PM
"Go to the light, Doouug -- and hurry up will ya!"
If anti-tax crusader and representative-elect Douglas Bruce had shown up for today's launch of the legislative session, he would have found a Darth Vader helmet sitting on his desk in the House Chamber.
But the Colorado Springs lawmaker, who was chosen by a Republican Party committee last month to fill a vacancy, has irked members of his own party by not being sworn in until Monday. By delaying his oath he will serve less than half the unexpired term and would be eligible for eight more years in office under Colorado term limits, instead of just six.
A House staffer swiftly removed the Darth headgear, but the prickly El Paso County commissioner might need some protection from snarky comments hurdled over his tardy arrival.
"We also eagerly...look forward to the arrival of Representative-elect Douglas Bruce upon completion of his leisurely drive north from Colorado Springs," House Republican Leader Mike May, R-Parker, dryly noted during his opening-day address.
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