Rollie Heath
{{Short description|American politician (born 1937)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Rollie Heath
|image = Rollie Heath.jpeg
|office1 = Majority Leader of the Colorado Senate
|term_start1 = October 9, 2013
|term_end1 = January 7, 2015
|predecessor1 = Morgan Carroll
|successor1 = Mark Scheffel
|state_senate2 = Colorado
|district2 = 18th
|term_start2 = January 7, 2009
|term_end2 = January 11, 2017
|predecessor2 = Ron Tupa
|successor2 = Steve Fenberg
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1937|12|28}}
|birth_place = Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Democratic
|spouse = {{marriage|Josie Ward|1961}}
|education = University of Wisconsin, Madison (BS, JD)
|website = {{URL|senrollieheath.com|Official website}}
}}
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.{{cite web |url=http://comaps.org/district18s.html |title=State Senate District 18 |accessdate=2008-11-09 |work=COMaps |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204000823/http://comaps.org/district18s.html |archivedate=2009-02-04 }} Prior to winning elective office, Heath was the founding chairman of ProgressNow, a progressive advocacy organization.{{cite news|title= Happy 50th Anniversary, Josie & Rollie!|url=http://www.coloradostatesman.com/content/992962-happy-50th-anniversary-josie-rollie|accessdate=24 February 2015|publisher=Colorado Statesman|date=August 8, 2011}} Term limited, he did not run for re-election in the 2016 elections, so his term ended in January 2017.Ballotpedia. [https://ballotpedia.org/Colorado_State_Senate_elections,_2016 Retiring incumbents]. Viewed: 2016-01-13. Heath is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder.
Political career
Heath was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2002. He lost to incumbent Republican governor Bill Owens.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/06/us/the-2002-elections-west-colorado.html?scp=1&sq=bill+owens+rollie&st=nyt | work=The New York Times | title=The 2002 Elections: West; Colorado | first1=Nichole M. | last1=Christian | first2=John H. | last2=Cushman Jr | first3=Sherri | last3=Day | first4=Sam | last4=Dillon | first5=Neil A. | last5=Lewis | first6=Robert | last6=Pear | first7=Terry | last7=Pristin | first8=Philip | last8=Shenon | first9=Jacques | last9=Steinberg | first10=Leslie | last10=Wayne | date=2002-11-06 | accessdate=2010-05-22}}
Legislative career
=2008 election=
Heath faced University of Colorado Regent Cindy Carlisle in the August 12, 2008, 18th District Democratic primary, defeating her 56% to 44%.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}
Heath was unopposed in the November 2008 general election. Heath's candidacy was endorsed by the Denver Post{{cite news |author=Editorial Board |title=The Post's picks for state Senate |url=http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_10681469 |work=Denver Post |date=23 October 2008 |accessdate=2008-11-09 }}
and the Boulder Daily Camera.
=Colorado General Assembly=
For 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.{{cite news|first=Erika |last=Jensen |title=Senate Democrats Announce Committee Assignments |url=http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/content/view/3530/2/ |work=The Cherry Creek News |date=13 November 2008 |accessdate=2008-11-24 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090109013850/http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/content/view/3530/2/ |archivedate=January 9, 2009 }}
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.
{{cite press release |title=Legislative Leaders Convene Committee On Job Creation & Economic Growth |date=20 November 2008 |publisher=Colorado House Democrats |url=http://cohousedems.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/11/legislative-leaders-convene-committee-on-job-creation-economic-growth.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511012829/http://cohousedems.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/11/legislative-leaders-convene-committee-on-job-creation-economic-growth.html |archivedate=11 May 2010 }} Heath has sponsored legislation to re-instate the Colorado Credit Reserve program to assist small businesses in obtaining loans,{{cite news |first=Bob |last=Mook |title=Bill to boost small-business loans reaches Senate |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/01/12/daily23.html |work=Denver Business Journal |date=13 January 2009 |accessdate=2009-02-05 }} and in 2008 announced plans to sponsor legislation to provide matching funds to startup companies in the "clean energy" field.{{cite news |first=Ed |last=Sealover |title=Jobs will be legislature's job No. 1 |url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/30/jobs-will-be-legislatures-job-no-1/ |work=Rocky Mountain News |date=30 December 2008 |accessdate=2009-01-09 }}
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.{{cite web|author=Ivan Moreno| title=Rollie Heath named Colorado Senate majority leader |url=http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-news/ci_24278702/rollie-heath-named-colorado-senate-majority-leader |date=October 9, 2013 |publisher=dailycamera.com|accessdate=October 9, 2013}}
References
{{reflist|1}}
External links
- {{official website|http://www.senrollieheath.com}}
- [http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2016A/directory.nsf/MemberDetailPage?OpenForm&district=18&chamber=senate Rollie Heath at Colorado General Assembly]
- [https://votesmart.org/candidate/30162/rollie-heath-ii#.VqbgoPHvOac Rollie Heath at Project Vote Smart]
- {{ballotpedia|Rollie_Heath|Rollie Heath}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=Gail Schoettler}}
{{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Governor of Colorado|years=2002}}
{{s-aft|after=Bill Ritter}}
{{s-end}}
{{Colorado State Senators}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Rollie}}
Category:Democratic Party Colorado state senators
Category:2016 United States presidential electors
Category:University of Wisconsin Law School alumni
Category:Candidates in the 2002 United States elections
Category:21st-century members of the Colorado General Assembly