From the Valley to Mexico City

Then-Vice President Joe Biden (L) speaks with then-Interior
Secretary Ken Salazar before a ceremony in a First State
National Monument, New Castle, Del., Mar. 26,
2013 | Patrick Semansky/AP 

The San Luis Valley was part of the North American Spanish Empire, and one of its sons is about to go to its capital, Mexico City, as the U.S. Ambassador.

An incredible journey, Ken Salazar has gone from a cabinet officer for Gov. Roy Romer in the 1990s, to the state’s attorney general and the U.S. Senate in the early 2000s. Then President Barack Obama offered him Interior Secretary, with bouts of private practice between elected and appointed positions. One job was especially brief as Hillary Clinton put him in charge of her transition to the White House. But now President Joe Biden has announced his intent on nominating Salazar the new ambassador to Mexico.

He will arrive about the time the new embassy opens in the Polanco, moving from its old sprawling complex on the Paseo, a nice welcome for what is likely to be a high-profile job representing the Biden administration with the edgy President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and a host of difficult issues. Vice President Harris has already had a visit to discuss immigration, borders and trade. It will be a full agenda for Salazar, but he fortunately has the experience with land and water at Interior, criminal justice as the Colorado Attorney General, and immigration and trade in the Senate.

Congratulations Ken.

See blog: Statewide Footprint