January 14, 2008 6:50 AM
Showdown Under the Dome: Rep.-elect Bruce irks GOP colleagues with Swear-in Audience Demand
By Alan Gathright
GOP lawmaker-come-lately Douglas Bruce may be painting himself into a lonely corner by refusing to take the oath of office today unless it's before an unprecedented full state House audience.
The cantankerous anti-tax crusader has vowed to enter the House chamber as the guest of another lawmaker and stubbornly refuses to take the oath until House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, a Denver Democrat, grants his wish for a public swearing-in ceremony.
Some fellow Republicans are fed up with the rookie lawmaker's “My Way-or-No Way” demands.
By refusing to take the oath, Bruce is robbing his Colorado Springs constituents of a voting representative and distracting from the Republican Minority’s bid to position itself as the Can-Do party that will solve state problems – without raising taxes.
“I’ve been clear about that: I think Doug Bruce should be here and at work and representing his district," House GOP Leader Mike May said last week.
First, Representative-elect Bruce ignored the pleas of May and Romanoff by delaying showing up until five days after the start of the legislative session. This allowed Bruce, who was appointed to fill a vacant seat, to exploit a technicality and extend his potential term of office by two years.
Now he’s balking at taking the oath of office, accusing Romanoff of “demeaning” him with a swearing-in before an empty chamber at 8a.m. – two hours before the House opens for business on Mondays. Bruce claims the speaker holds a grudge against him as the author of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, a constitutional amendment restricting state spending.
Yet, in a Dec. 17 letter, Romanoff and May congratulated Bruce on his appointment to the legislature with a hearty "Welcome aboard!"
But the leaders of both House parties urged him to arrive -- and be sworn in -- by the legislature's Jan. 9 commencement.
"We are unaware of any situation in which a member has delayed taking his or her oath in order to influence the application of our constitutional term-limit provision," Romanoff and May wrote. "Your constituents and your colleagues deserve your full participation as a member of the Colorado General Assembly."
But Bruce insists on a royal swearing-in before the full house, calling anything else a "secret" ceremony that undermines his "credibility."
"I will stick around as long as it takes," Bruce said Friday. "It will not be a proceeding in secret."
May held out hope that "when he gets here, I think he’ll come and do his job and do it well."
The hitch: As an unsworn representative-elect, Bruce can’t vote – or even take his seat with fellow lawmakers during House session. He’ll be relegated to the chamber sidelines as a “guest.”
How will the standoff end?
"Have you heard the new buzz about the movie "There Will Be Blood"? quips a House Republican. "It's about Doug Bruce coming to the legislature."
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