Lynn Bartels, Mother of Dragons

I was going to describe Lynn as the Dean of the Delegation, the term used to describe the lead political reporter in Washington D.C. who everyone looked to, to offer the first interpretation of political events. They were usually with the Post or Times. David Broder and Dan Batz come to mind. There really isn’t much of a “delegation” of political reporters in Denver but what there is of it, Lynn Bartels is the dean. But she would probably prefer to be the Mother of Dragons – the job is definitely edgy.

We will miss her. Bartels is Colorado’s most influential and respected political reporter. As a journalist, Lynn saw her responsibility to her readers as a part of public service. She contributed to the accountability and transparency of our system.

But a branch of state government that is responsible for election integrity is benefited and, compared to the newspaper business, there is more job security.