Ron May (Colorado legislator)

Infobox State Senator
name=Ronny J. "Ron" Maycite web |url=http://www.leg.state.co.us/2001/inetc&j.nsf/(jousen)/8A229D430C5339A0872569D100012B2A/$FILE/jour_001.pdf |title=Senate Journal - January 10, 2001 |accessdate=2007-11-18 |format=pdf |work=Colorado General Assembly ]

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width = 150
height = 200
state_senate=Colorado
state=Colorado
district=10th
term_start=January 10, 2001
term_end=October 31, 2007
preceded=Ray Powers
succeeded=Bill Cadman
office2 = Member of the Colorado House of Representativesfrom the 15th district
term_start2 = January 1993
term_end2 = January 10 2001cite web |url=http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS2004a/csljournals.nsf/3C2D62D305D3DAB18725698300768538/938CD80DED618BFF87256DDE0054D486/$FILE/Jn07.pdf |title=House Journal - January 7, 2004 |accessdate=2007-11-18 |format=pdf |work=Colorado General Assembly ]
predecessor2 =
successor2 = Bill Cadman
date of birth=birth date and age|1934|09|16cite web |url=http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=2652 |title=Senator Ron May |accessdate=2007-10-21 |format=html |work=Project Vote Smart]
place of birth=Sherman, Texas
date of death=
place of death=
spouse=Onilla
profession=
religion=
party=Republican|

Ronny J. "Ron" May (born September 16, 1934) is a former Colorado legislator. An Air Force veteran, May was elected to the Colorado Springs, Colorado city council, then to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican in 1992. Serving eight years in the state house, May was then elected to the Colorado Senate in 2000 and again in 2004. After serving for over two decades in elected office, May, noted for his work on technology issues, retired from government in 2007 to become a fellow with the Center for Digital Government and "Government Technology" magazine.

Biography

Born in Sherman, Texas, May attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where he played college baseballcite news |first=Ed |last=Sealover |title=Ron May will resign from state senate | url=http://www.gazette.com/articles/year_28650___article.html/state_seat.html |work=Colorado Springs Gazette |date=20 October 2007 |accessdate=2007-10-21 ] , and earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska. After joining the United States Air Force in 1954, May was a pilot and navigator, logging over 3,800 hours of flying time, before being sent to receive training as a programmer analyst on early computer technology in the 1960s, beginning a lifelong interest in information technology, which has included service on Colorado's Information Management Commission, the Multi-Use Network, and as a charter member of the United States Internet Council.cite web |url=http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/story.php?id=90398 |title=Colorado Senator Ron May |accessdate=2007-03-14 |author=Center for Digital Government |format=html |work=In The Arena]

May retired from the Air Force in 1974 and settled in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he served on the Colorado Springs city council from 1981 to 1985, then in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1993 to 2000.

In the legislature, May also established a reputation as a quiet but consistent social and fiscal conservative who focused on transportation and technology issues. Having worked on the expansion of Powers Boulevard in eastern Colorado Springs in the 1980s, May sponsored legislation that created the first ongoing budgetary set-aside for roadway funding in Colorado. After federal speed limits were revoked in 1995, May sponsored the Colorado legislation to raise speed limits on rural Interstate highways to 75 miles per hour.cite news |first=James |last=Brooke |title= 10-State Swath of West Will Soon Hit 75 M.P.H. |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9505EEDE1539F93BA35756C0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print
work=New York Times |date=8 May 1996 |accessdate=2007-11-18 ] May was also noted for his opposition to labor unions, and repeatedly introduced legislation to strengthen Colorado's right-to-work legislation.cite news |first=Cara |last=DeGette |title=Grudge Match | url=http://www.csindy.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A1995 |work=Colorado Springs Independent |date=3 August 2000 |accessdate=2007-10-21 ]

Most noted for his legislative work in the area of technology, May chaired the legislature's Joint Computer Management Committee and was a member of the Colorado legislature during the installation of Internet service in the Colorado State Capitol in the 1990s. He is credited setting up the buildings' first wireless internet network, eliminating the need to remove interior marble facades in order to install new wiring. As a member of the state's Information Management Commission, May also helped established the Colorado General Assembly's online legislative information system, and has called this his "biggest contribution" in technology issues. In 2006, May sponsored legislation which created the state position of chief information security officer and provided state funding to the Colorado cyber-security office.cite news |author=Staff Report |title=Colorado Passes Bills on Computer Security, Hardware and Software Standards, System Oversight |url=http://www.govtech.com/gt/99769?topic=117671
work=Government Technology |date=7 June 2006 |accessdate=2007-11-22 ] Outside the legislature, May also operated a firm specializing in computer consulting for small businesses.cite news |first=Carl |last=Hilliard |title=Colorado Primary Makes Gov Nervous |url=http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=14083
work=Stateline.org |date=1 August 2000 |accessdate=2007-11-18 ] cite news |first=Jim |last=McKay |title=Colorado State Senator Ron May, One of Government Technology's 25 'Doers Dreamers and Drivers' |url=https://www.govtech.com/gt/93287
work=Government Technology |date=4 March 2000 |accessdate=2007-11-18 ]

In 2000, May ran for the Colorado State Senate, facing activist Douglas Bruce in the Republican primary; in the solidly Republican district, winning the primary virtually assured a general election victory. In an unusual move, the local Chamber of Commerce and state party leaders, including Governor Bill Owens, endorsed May in the party primary contest, which May won by only 112 votes.cite news |first=Jennifer |last=Brown |title=Springs Republican May leaving state Senate | url=http://origin.denverpost.com/news/ci_7226128 |work=Denver Post |date=19 October 2007 |accessdate=2007-10-21 ]

May was elected to the Colorado State Senate in the 2000 general election — defeating Democrat Dan Tafoya and Libertarian Patricia Glidewell [http://www.elections.colorado.gov/DDefault.aspx?tid=459 Colorado Secretary of State ] ] — and was unchallenged for re-election in 2004,representing Senate District 10, which includes eastern Colorado Springs, Colorado and rural El Paso County, Colorado.cite web |url=http://comaps.org/district10s.html |title=State Senate District 10 |accessdate=2007-10-21 |format=html |work=COMaps ] During Republican control of the legislature, he rose to become chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.cite news |first=Kyle |last=Henley |title=County in a precarious position | url=http://www.gazette.com/articles/paso_6829___article.html/rep_elect.html |work=Colorado Springs Gazette |date=28 March 2007 |accessdate=2007-10-21 ] After Democrats obtained control of the legislature, May became Minority Caucus Chair. During the 2007-2008 legislature session, May served on the Senate State, Veterans & Military Affairs Committee and the Senate Transportation Committee.cite web |url=http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/Senate/members/Sen10.htm |title=Senate Committees of Reference |accessdate=2007-10-21 |format=html |work=Colorado General Assembly]

Nearing the end of his second term, barred by term limits from running again, May announced his resignation from the legislature, effective October 31, 2007, to become a senior fellow at "Government Technology" magazine and the Center for Digital Government; in 2005, the magazine had named him one of their top 25 "Doers, Dreamers and Drivers." State Representative Bill Cadman was appointed by a vacancy committee to fill May's seat.cite news |first=Tom |last=McGhee |title=Senate move opens House to TABOR author | url=http://origin.denverpost.com/ci_7364059 |work=Denver Post |date=4 November 2007 |accessdate=2007-11-07 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.state.co.us/gov_dir/leg_dir/Senate/members/Sen10.htm Legislative web page]