[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 133 (Thursday, September 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1907-E1908]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING THE PUBLIC SERVICE OF COLE FINEGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 2003

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge Cole 
Finegan, who for the past sixteen years has made significant 
contributions to the political, philanthropic, legal and social fabric 
of Colorado. Cole has recently been selected to serve as the City 
Attorney for Denver by Mayor John Hickenlooper, where he will serve 
with distinction.
  A native of Oklahoma, Cole graduated from Notre Dame in 1978. He 
completed his law degree at Georgetown University in 1987, where he 
worked for the Tax Lawyer Law Review.
  No stranger to the House, his public sector experience began with 
Congressman Jim Jones of Oklahoma, for whom he served as a legislative 
aide, campaign manager and later as chief of staff.
  Cole later served as chief legal counsel and policy director for 
Colorado Governor Roy Romer, handling all legal matters for the 
governor and advising on all judicial appointments. As policy director, 
he supervised the development of policy on economic, environmental, 
health care, energy, telecommunications, transportation and education. 
Those close to Governor Romer will confirm that Cole was highly 
respected and had the affectionate esteem of the Governor and his 
staff, in large part because he respected dissenting opinions and 
always found time to mentor those who were less experienced.
  As a senior member of the law firm, Brownstein, Hyatt and Farber, 
Cole worked on land use issues, regulatory and administrative matters 
and election law. I am proud to say that he also found time to serve as 
my counsel, and has been a trusted advisor for the time I have served 
in Congress. Other members of the House will recognize Cole's 
involvement with the Democratic National Campaign Committee, and his 
friendship, political advice and steady support for so many of our 
colleagues.
  Cole's service has not been limited to partisan matters, however. His 
commitment to educational opportunity is demonstrated by his service as 
Vice Chair of the Denver Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors, 
a member of the Board of Directors of the I Have a Dream Foundation, a 
member of the Urban Land Institute, and a member of the Advisory Board 
of Directors for the Community College of Denver. He has also served on 
the Colorado State Board of Agriculture governing Colorado State 
University and the Board of Trustees for the State Colleges of 
Colorado.
  This long list of public accomplishment for such a young man, 
however, is not what impresses me most about Cole Finegan. I count him 
as a friend and a role model because Cole has lived the adage in 
politics that ``one can disagree without being disagreeable.'' He is a 
man of accomplishment in the public arena to be sure, but he is also a 
man with a great and good heart.

  One story may suffice to demonstrate my point: I learned only 
recently that Cole has for many years provided legal service to an 
indigent man whom he befriended during a past political campaign. Many 
busy and successful lawyers with high-rise offices overlooking Denver's 
fashionable 17th street would find it more convenient to pass this work 
on to a subordinate or even quietly ignore a face from the past. Cole 
made time to treat this man like a valued human being, and in fact, 
most of those who've worked with Cole, including those who've found him 
to be a worthy adversary, will insist that Cole's great gift is that he 
honors the humanity in people.
  In short, I believe Cole Finegan deserves to be mentioned here--not 
because he is a highly successful public servant--but because he has 
proven that excellence in public service does not have to come at the 
expense of being a good and kind human being.
  With his unique blend of public, private and nonprofit experience, 
Cole Finegan will bring wisdom and experience to the office of Denver's 
City Attorney and assume a leadership role that will build innovative 
ideas and management to city government. I wish him well in this 
exciting endeavor and thank him for his commitment to public service 
and the citizens of Denver and Colorado.

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