If Republican state Sen. Greg Brophy of Colorado is to be believed, a strange gecko-like creature — with a head eerily similar to Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter’s — recently was spotted near metropolitan Denver. Brophy even released a YouTube video as evidence. The senator wants to honor the creature, which he calls “taxasaurus,” by making it Colorado’s official state reptile, The Denver Post writes. Brophy hopes his idea will become law before the Democratic National Convention comes to Denver in August. After a series of high-profile statehouse scandals, Alaska legislators last year tightened ethics laws to limit what gifts lawmakers may accept. So tough are the rules, however, that state Rep. Richard Foster (D), in need of a kidney transplant, may not accept a donated one from a legislative aide, the Anchorage Daily News discloses. While the law allows for exceptions for medical emergencies, donated items must be worth less than $250, and a kidney likely surpasses that cost. Another state lawmaker, Rep. John Coghill (R), has introduced a bill to soften the rules.
Hillary Clinton this week won Florida’s Democratic presidential primary without picking up a single delegate, but things turned out worse for a city council candidate in Idaho. Ryan Blick won more votes than three incumbents on the Castleford City Council, but was disqualified from the race due to a provision in state law, The Idaho Statesman notes. Blick forgot to register to vote in Castleford, automatically making him ineligible to hold a seat on the council.
The District of Columbia long has fretted about its non-state status. To add insult to injury, Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) repeatedly must remind state legislators what his name really is. Maryland House Speaker Michael E. Busch (D) last week introduced “Michael Fenty” to those assembled for Gov. Martin O’Malley’s (D) State of the State speech, The Washington Post observes. Two weeks earlier, a New Hampshire legislator also mangled Fenty’s name, according to The Post. “As long as you get the mayor part right,” Fenty replied on both occasions.
In Massachusetts, next week’s “Super-Duper Tuesday” — when the Bay State and 23 others express their preference for presidential nominees — could turn into “Super-Super Tuesday.” That’s because the undefeated New England Patriots could be participating in a Super Bowl victory parade in Boston that day, The Boston Globe reveals. One city official wondered about a potential parade’s effect on voter turnout: “With all due respect to the New England Patriots — and I wish them well; I hope they win — holding the election of the next president of the United States is a little more important.”
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