Michael Merrifield (born 1946/47) is an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. He served four terms (2002-2010) as a Representative in House District 18. He was chairman of the House Education Committee and also served on the House Transportation and Energy Committee. After leaving the legislature in 2010 due to term limits, he campaigned to serve as an El Paso County Commissioner in District 5, but lost. In 2011, he campaigned for a seat on the

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010. Colorado Springs is the second-most populous c ...

City Council, but was defeated by Lisa Czelatdko. Following his unsuccessful campaigns, he became Colorado state coordinator for

Mayors Against Illegal Guns Everytown for Gun Safety is an American non-profit organization which advocates for gun control and against gun violence. Everytown was formed in 2013 due to a merger between ''Mayors Against Illegal Guns'' and ''Moms Demand Action for Gun Sens ...

. In 2014, Merrifield was elected to the

Colorado State Senate The Colorado State Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of about ...

for

District 11 District 11 can refer to: *District 11 (Ho Chi Minh city), Vietnam *District 11 (Zürich), Switzerland * District 11, an electoral district of Malta *Colorado Springs School District 11, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States *District 11 (H ...

. He served until the end of his term in 2019 to which he retired from politics. Merrifield was mentioned as a possible candidate for the office of the

Governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor (United States), governor is the head of the Executive (government), executive branch of Government of Colorado, Colorado's state government and is cha ...

in the 2018 election, however, he declined a candidacy and endorsed Cary Kennedy for Governor.

Biography

Michael taught music in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and

for over 30 years and has received numerous awards for his outstanding leadership in the field of education. Prior to serving in the Colorado House, Michael served on the

Manitou Springs Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to traveler ...

City Council. He received a MA and a BA in music education from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. Michael is active in the Colorado Music Educators Association (CMEA),

American Choral Directors Association The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting the field of choral music A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Lat ...

, and the

Colorado Education Association The Colorado Education Association (CEA) is a statewide federation of teacher and educational workers' labor unions in the state of Colorado in the United States. The CEA is a voluntary membership organization of 40,000 K-12 teachers and educatio ...

. He received the Crystal Apple award in 2000 as one of Colorado Springs School District 11's finest educators. Merrifield is an avid mountain biker and backcountry skier. He wrote ''Colorado Gonzo Rides,'' a well-known mountain bike guidebook. He has a son and a daughter. He lives in

Legislative career

While serving on the House Transportation and Energy Committee, Merriifield worked to alleviate congestion on Colorado's roadways while also taking steps to

combat climate change Climate change mitigation (or decarbonisation) is action to limit the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that cause climate change. Climate change mitigation actions include conserving energy and replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sour ...

. His 2008 "Renter's Bill of Rights" legislation granted basic legal rights to Coloradans who live in leased housing to make sure they have safe, habitable living conditions. It also set up tenant responsibilities for care of a residence. He also sponsored the "Rest in Peace" bill, which prohibits protesters from coming within 100 feet (or 150 feet if using a public address system) of mourners."Owens Signs Rest In Peace Bill"
KKTV, May 26, 2006

References

External links

Legislative website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrifield, Michael Living people 1940s births Politicians from Colorado Springs, Colorado University of Arizona alumni Colorado city council members Democratic Party Colorado state senators Democratic Party members of the Colorado House of Representatives 21st-century members of the Colorado General Assembly Year of birth missing (living people)