September 24, 2015 11:34 AM UTC

Longtime Local Political Fixture Katy Atkinson Dies

•  
• by: Colorado Pols

Sad news today from Lynn Bartels, blogging from the Secretary of State’s office:

Political consultant Katy Atkinson, who started out working for Republicans and eventually handled high-profile nonpartisan ballot measures, died today.

Atkinson was a sought-after spokesperson by reporters because she knew Colorado politics and she quickly returned phone calls.

“Katy Atkinson was smart and witty and just a delight to be around,” said Dick Wadhams, the former chairman of the Colorado Republican Party and a veteran political consultant. “That’s what made her just a great person to work with in politics. In the most intense situation, she could laugh.”

Atkinson had a long career in supporting roles for innumerable local political campaigns and stories. Generally associated with Republicans, Atkinson was a key part of a moment of bipartisan common sense in 2005 that culminated in the passage of Referendum C–a five-year timeout from the worst impacts of the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR) that helped the state recover from the post-9/11 economic downturn. Atkinson also helped a bipartisan coalition successfully fight the so-called “Bad Three” Doug Bruce-backed anti-tax ballot measures in 2010, Amendments 60, 61, and Proposition 101.

She’ll be missed on both sides of the aisle.