Edward Casso | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 32nd district | |
| In office January 10, 2007[1] – January 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Val Vigil |
| Succeeded by | Dominick Moreno |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1974 (age 49–50) Thornton, Colorado |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Selena |
Edward Casso (born 1974[2]) is a former legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. Elected to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Democrat in 2006, Casso represented House District 32, which encompasses suburbs of Denver, Colorado in northwestern Adams County, from 2006 to 2012.[3]
Born in Thornton, Colorado, Casso earned a bachelor's degree in political philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1997.[4] He was the first member of his family to attend college. While at CU, Casso was president of the CU College Democrats.[2] There, he was a precinct committeeperson for the Boulder County Democratic Party[4] and a member of the vacancy committee that appointed Ron Tupa to the Colorado State Senate.[2]
After moving to Adams County, Casso served as a precinct committeeperson, co-captain of house district 32-D, and vice-chair and later chair of the Adams County Young Democrats.[2] He has also served as chair of the Colorado Democratic Party Outreach Commission, and worked as an intern for Congressman David Skaggs.[4]
Before being elected to the legislature, Casso worked as a teacher in an alternative high school during summers,[5] and as a substitute teacher for Denver Public Schools.[6] Casso resides in Commerce City, Colorado;[2] he and his wife, Selena, have two children: Cecelia and Aristotle.[4]
In the 2006 Colorado legislative elections, Casso defeated Republican Tracey Snyder with 57 percent of the popular vote.[3] Casso was endorsed by the Denver Post,[7] but not the Rocky Mountain News.[8]
In the 2007 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Casso sat on the House Education Committee and the House State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee. [9]
During the 2007 session, Casso sponsored two bills to revise the ways in which schools' CSAP test scores were reported. One, which would have exempted scores from special education students,[10] was killed in a Senate committee;[11] the other, which would have exempted scores for students whose parents opt the students out of the test, was killed in a House committee at Casso's request because of concerns that it would jeopardize federal school funding.[10]
Following the legislative session, Casso was present at the Colorado State Capitol during an incident in which state troopers shot and killed a mentally ill individual gunman targeting Gov. Bill Ritter. Casso observed the dead body and afterwards supported increased security, including metal detectors, for the state capitol building.[12][13][14] He also served on the interim legislative Health Care Task Force[15] and the Police Officers' and Firefighters' Pension Reform Commission between legislative sessions.[16]
In October 2007, Casso was honored by LARASA, the Latin American Research And Service Agency with the Lena L. Archuleta Education Service Award, for his work in the legislature, including a vote in committee that benefitted LARASA Learning Centers.[17][18]
After the legislative session, Casso was elected deputy whip for the House Democratic Caucus.[19]
In the 2008 session of the Colorado General Assembly, Casso sits on the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee and the House State, Veterans, & Military Affairs Committee. [20]
After killing a bill he sponsored to extend a combined high school-community college program to school districts on the Ute Mountain and Southern Ute Indian Reservation, at the request of tribal leaders,[21] Casso is expected to travel to the reservations to discuss the program following the legislative session.[22]
Casso sought a second term in the legislature in 2008 and faced no opposition in either the August Democratic primary[23] or the November general election.[24]
For the 2009 legislative session, Casso was named to a seat on the House State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee and as vice-chair of the House Business Affairs Committee.[25] He was also nominated for the post of House Majority Caucus Whip, but lost the caucus' vote for the post to Rep. Claire Levy.[26] Casso has also sponsored legislation to declare September 11 a state holiday.[27][28]
After Casso praised Gov. Bill Ritter's decision not to run for a second term in January 2010 and harshly criticized the sitting Democratic governor, House Speaker Terrance Carroll replaced Casso as vice-chair of the House Business Affairs Committee with Rep. Sara Gagliardi.[29]
Representative Casso announced he would not seek reelection in the 2012 General Election.[30] Casso is succeeded by former legislative aide Dominick Moreno who was elected over his Republican opponent.[31][32]
Casso formed an exploratory committee for the 2016 election to the United States House of Representatives in Colorado's 6th congressional district.[33]