Chris Romer
Chris Romer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Public official, CEO |
| Years active | 2006–2010 (politics), 2019–present (CEO) |
| Known for | Colorado State Senate, CEO of Project Canary |
Chris Romer (born 1959) is a former American public official from Colorado. He was elected as a Democrat to the Colorado State Senate in 2006, representing District 32 located in south Denver. As of 2022, Romer holds the position of CEO at Project Canary, an independent organization that provides ESG data throughout the energy sector.
On November 30, 2010, Romer declared his intention to run for Mayor of Denver. He subsequently resigned from his senate seat and, after advancing to the runoff election, was defeated by Michael Hancock.
Biography
A native of Denver and son of former Colorado governor Roy Romer, Chris Romer completed his early education at Graland Country Day School and Denver's East High School. He then earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University.
Romer has played a key role in establishing multiple mission-driven public-private B-Corp enterprises, including Guild Education and Project Canary. The latter specializes in mitigating methane emissions within the oil and gas industry through engineering-based certification and ongoing monitoring. His prior experience includes financial consulting for biomass energy facilities and transit initiatives such as Denver Union Station. Additionally, he worked in public finance banking at JPMorgan Chase, where he contributed to financing projects like Denver International Airport, Children's Hospital, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, and FasTracks.
In late 2008, Romer departed JPMorgan Chase to join the Knowledge is Power Program, a charter school network based in Denver, becoming its president by December of that year.
At 28 years old, Romer established the Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation, which offers mentoring and scholarships to disadvantaged youth; he has also served as its president. His leadership roles have included chairing the Colorado Children's Campaign and board membership on organizations such as the Denver School of Science and Technology, Metropolitan State College of Denver Foundation, Open World Learning, and New America Schools—where he volunteered two years as superintendent. He founded and led Great Education Colorado, advocating for enhanced school funding and educational reforms; in 2006, this group proposed raising severance taxes to support public schools, although the initiative did not reach the ballot. Romer played a significant part in passing Colorado's Amendment 23 (2000), which secured guaranteed state funding levels for public education. He also served on the Colorado Supreme Court Nominating Commission. In 2019, he launched Project Canary with the goal of combating climate change by reducing methane emissions through precise monitoring and certification.
2006 election
During the Democratic primary for state senate in 2006, Romer contended with community activist Jennifer Mello and Rep. Fran Coleman, emphasizing his expertise in finance and budgeting. He secured the nomination in this Democratic-leaning district and went on to defeat Republican Dave Lewis in the general election with approximately 70% of the vote.
Following outgoing Rep. Dan Grossman’s early resignation in December 2006 due to new ethics regulations, Governor Bill Owens appointed Grossman’s assistant, Donna R. Johnson, rather than Romer to complete the remaining month of Grossman’s term. Romer supported this decision and was officially sworn into office on January 10, 2007.
One of Romer’s daughters is Rachel Romer Carlson, who is the founder and CEO of Guild Education.
2007 legislative session
During the 2007 session, Romer was a member of the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources & Energy Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and held the position of vice-chair on the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee. Additionally, he led a select Senate panel focused on renewable energy initiatives.
Romer put forward a proposal to privatize the Colorado Lottery with the aim of creating an endowment to support scholarships, parks, and services for veterans, thereby funding public education. However, following legal challenges and opposition from Governor Bill Ritter, who advocated a different approach to school financing, Romer ultimately withdrew this proposal.
He also introduced legislation mandating that Colorado high school students demonstrate proficiency in English to graduate. This measure received primary backing from Republicans and passed the Senate but was halted in a House committee amid concerns over imposing uniform requirements on local school districts. Furthermore, Romer supported a bipartisan initiative to establish statewide standards in science and mathematics and launched a pilot dual enrollment program for students.
Among his budget-related efforts, only one succeeded: a requirement for private prison operators to provide detailed disclosures of their cost structures.
Following the session's conclusion, Romer participated in an interim committee responsible for overseeing the distribution of revenues from severance tax and federal mineral leases.
2008 legislative session
In 2008, Romer served on the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources & Energy Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. He also held vice-chair roles on both the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee.
He proposed implementing tolls on Interstate 70 travelers heading to mountain ski resorts during weekend peak times as a strategy to alleviate traffic congestion. Due to significant public resistance, Romer initiated an inclusive online bill drafting process via a Google Groups platform to collect citizen feedback. The resulting legislation suggested tolls targeting low-occupancy vehicles during rush hours alongside reversible high-occupancy vehicle lanes but was defeated by legislators representing communities along I-70. Subsequently, Romer endorsed an alternative $5 toll proposal which also failed to gain legislative approval.
Romer planned bills addressing consumer protections against fraudulent schemes, establishing uniform statewide high school graduation standards, permitting rainwater harvesting for irrigation purposes, and eliminating CSAP testing for high school students. He championed a measure to increase severance taxes aimed at enhancing higher education funding and successfully supported the Colorado Clean Energy Finance Program, which provides below-market loans for home energy efficiency improvements.
During the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, Romer publicly endorsed Barack Obama.
2009 legislative session
In 2009, within the Colorado General Assembly, Romer served on the Senate Transportation Committee and was vice-chair of the Senate Education Committee.
In response to several carbon monoxide poisoning fatalities within his district, Romer advocated for prompt enactment of legislation mandating carbon monoxide detectors in newly constructed homes, co-sponsoring this bill. He also proposed modifying the inflation adjustment formula under Amendment 23 to grant lawmakers greater flexibility in allocating education funds.
Romer introduced bipartisan legislation reforming taxi regulations by transferring the burden of proof onto those opposing new taxi licenses in an effort to encourage increased competition.
As part of comprehensive education reform efforts, Romer sponsored Senate Bill 256 which revamped Colorado’s education system by linking funding allocations directly to student achievement and teacher performance. He characterized this legislation as a landmark development with significance extending beyond state borders.
A bill he introduced aimed at providing in-state tuition rates to immigrant children contingent upon federal DREAM Act approval did not pass in the Senate.
2010 legislative session
During the 2010 session, Romer was a member of the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and the Senate Local Government & Energy Committee.
He proposed a bill providing tax incentives to companies that rehired workers who had been laid off, with an estimated impact of facilitating the return of 7,300 employees to the workforce. Additionally, Romer sponsored Senate Bill 109, which was the nation's inaugural regulatory framework for medical marijuana, designed to establish formal industry guidelines. Although the bill generated debate, he successfully brokered a legislative agreement, leading to its enactment on June 7, 2010.