26 Facts About Don Marostica

Don Marostica was born on March 7,1948 and is a real estate developer and former legislator in the US state of Colorado, currently serving as director of the state's Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

Don Marostica, regarded as a moderate Republican, focused heavily on fiscal issues as a legislator, including transparency and loosening budgetary restrictions, and sat on the legislature's Joint Budget Committee during the 2009 session.

In July 2009, Don Marostica resigned from the legislature to accept the post of economic development director in the cabinet of Democratic Gov.

Don Marostica was born in Sterling, Colorado and graduated from Roosevelt High School in Johnstown.

Don Marostica attended Colorado State University on football and wrestling scholarships, graduating in 1970 with a degree in physical science and geology.

Don Marostica entered the real estate industry in 1977 and is currently a partner in Loveland Commercial, LLC In 1982, during a downturn in the real estate market, Don Marostica declared bankruptcy and had judgements from creditors filed against him.

Don Marostica had tax liens filed against him both in the early 1980s and in the mid-1990s, and has since paid all back taxes.

Don Marostica was elected to the Loveland City Council in 2001, serving for three years, including a span as mayor pro tem, before resigning in 2004 because of professional conflicts of interest.

Don Marostica has served on over 60 boards and commissions in the Loveland area, with an emphasis on transportation-related issues.

Don Marostica has served as the chair of the board of directors of the Poudre Valley Health System Foundation and the Medical Center of the Rockies Foundation, and on the bond oversight committee for the Thompson School District.

Don Marostica is an avid motorcyclist and regularly participates in the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and Ride to the Wall, a cross-county ride ending at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

In seeking the 51st House district state house seat, representing Loveland, Don Marostica first faced a challenge from Kevan McNaught in the Republican primary.

McNaught was endorsed by the Colorado Club for Growth, who criticized Don Marostica for his support of higher taxes and his use of eminent domain when he was a member the Loveland city council.

In contrast with McNaught's conservative credentials, Don Marostica was considered by observers on both the left and the right to be a moderate Republican; he supported Colorado's 2005 Referendum C, a loosening of state spending restrictions under the state's Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

Don Marostica declared his "favorite bill" among those he sponsored during the session to be a measure to exempt owners from property tax on buildings leased to public universities, an idea Don Marostica attributed to a local developer.

Don Marostica sponsored legislation signed into law to allow statutory counties, cities, and towns to spend money on marketing in addition to advertising, in response to a lawsuit challenging the town of Estes Park's ability to engage in marketing.

Don Marostica helped to lead an effort to allow the state to tap the financial reserves of Pinnacol Assurance, a quasi-governmental worker's compensation insurer, in order to balance the state budget.

Don Marostica faced pressure from prominent Republicans, including Independence Institute President Jon Caldara and former state treasurer Mark Hillman, to drop his support; in response, he referred to Hillman and Caldera as "has-beens" and "losers," earning him additional criticism from House Republicans; Don Marostica later promised to apologize to Hillman and Caldera.

Don Marostica was the prime sponsor of the bill in the House, where, after surviving an attempted Republican filibuster in the Senate, it was ratified, and later signed into law.

Don Marostica broke with other Republicans as the only member of his party to vote in support of a failed effort to repeal Colorado's death penalty; the proposal passed the Colorado House by one vote, but was defeated in the Senate.

Don Marostica sponsored bills to allow golf carts, scooters, and small electric vehicles to travel on some public roads, to allow state veterans organizations to provide burial for unclaimed remains of Colorado military personnel, and to allow building inspectors from other municipalities to assess structural damage to properties, a proposal stemming from a May 2008 tornado in Windsor, Colorado.

Don Marostica announced plans to introduce legislation to expand the definition of cigar bars to increase the number of establishments exempt from Colorado's indoor smoking ban, but withdrew the legislation after facing opposition from Democrats; that same week, he denounced as "inappropriate and offensive" a British National Health Service flyer distributed by a lobbyist linking smoking to erectile dysfunction, calling for an ethics investigation into the flyer.

Don Marostica resigned his House seat to take the position, and handed control of his development company to his partner and son in order to avoid conflicts of interest, Don Marostica named opening Asian markets to Colorado exports as a priority for his time in the new position, in addition to encouraging new venture capital investment and retaining existing major employers despite the late-2000s recession.

Don Marostica was replaced in the House by small business owner Brian DelGrosso, and on the legislature's Joint Budget Committee by the more conservative Rep.

In late 2009, Don Marostica was involved in attracting a wind turbine parts supplier to Colorado, announcing a renewed emphasis on natural gas development on Colorado's Western Slope, and pushing to speed the permitting process for oil and gas operations.

In 2010, Don Marostica pushed for additional incentives for the "creative industry," including arts, media, and film, in Colorado.