Health care executive picked to be Colorado’s next lieutenant governor
DENVER – Gov. John Hickenlooper picked Donna Lynne, a vice president from Kaiser Health, as his new lieutenant governor Wednesday.
Lynne will begin on May 2 if both the House and the Senate confirm her appointment. She would replace Joe Garcia, who announced in November that he will leave the position to become president of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Hickenlooper touted Lynne’s background in business – she oversees an $8 billion budget and 16,000 Kaiser employees in Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington – and outlined her extensive public service on boards and commissions. She serves on the board of Denver Museum of Nature and Science and previously was chairwoman of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
“Make sure that my son, Teddy, doesn’t hear this. But if a lightning bolt came down and struck me dead, I think Donna Lynne has the background and the skills that she could certainly be governor from day one,” Hickenlooper said.
Like Hickenlooper before he became the mayor of Denver in 2003, Lynne is a newcomer to elected office – but not to politics.
“I’ve worked for four New York City mayors, and there probably isn’t a place more political than New York City. And, in fact, I worked for three Democrats and one Republican and was serving at their discretion,” Lynne said. “I figured out politics pretty early.”
Lynne, 62, was recently promoted within Kaiser and said the decision to leave was difficult.
“I don’t think I would have done this had not the governor asked me, but I know his passion for the state and for government services. And he is a very persuasive guy,” she said.
Lynne will also serve as the Chief Operating Officer of the state, a position that hasn’t been filled in several years. She’ll receive a salary for that position in addition to her salary as lieutenant governor, which is set by law. Garcia also collected two salaries, one for his elected office and one for a second position in the governor’s office.
Colorado changed the law in the 1960s to make the lieutenant governor elected in a single-ticket with the governor instead of through an independent election.
The law requires a nomination from the governor to be confirmed by both the state House and Senate. Republicans hold the Senate and Hickenlooper said he has talked to them about his pick.
Senate President Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, seemed receptive to the nomination.
“As a longtime community leader and activist she certainly would bring valuable experience and perspective to the job if confirmed,” Cadman said in a statement. “At a time when health care is such a significant focus of public concern for government, business and individuals, hopefully she’ll be just what the doctor ordered.”
It’ll be up to the House and Senate to determine in which chamber the confirmation process will begin. Only a couple of Republicans were at the announcement Wednesday, but Hickenlooper blamed that on the snowstorm. Meetings of both the House and the Senate were canceled after Denver was walloped by a spring storm.
Donna Lynne, President and CEO of Kaiser Permanente Colorado, at the Regional offices in Arvada, CO., Monday, Oct. 14, 2013. (Photo by Barry Gutierrez)
Donna Lynne, front, a top Kaiser Health executive, speaks during a news conference to announce her nomination to be Colorado’s lieutenant governor Wednesday, March 23, 2016, at the State Capitol in Denver. Lynne, if confirmed by both houses of the Colorado Legislature, would succeed Joe Garcia, who is stepping down to be president of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Donna Lynne, back, nominee to be Colorado’s new lieutenant governor, smiles during a news conference as Governor John Hickenlooper, front, announces her nomination Wednesday, March 23, 2016, at the State Capitol in Denver. Lynne, a top Kaiser Health executive and longtime supporter of Hickenlooper, would replace Joe Garcia if confirmed by both chambers of the Colorado Legislature. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)