People & politics.

Maine Representative Abigail Holman, a "tremendous political force, died in a ski accident in April. She was participating in an annual charity race and had crossed the finish line when she hit a tree. The first-term, 45-year-old legislator was a lawyer who had served as former Governor John McKernan's legal counsel and legislative director in the early 1990s. Following that she was director of the Maine Forest Products Council. "Abby was a woman of phenomenal principle, strength and talent," said Speaker Glenn Cummings. "She did her homework. She truly loved being in the Legislature." A rose was placed on her desk for a week, following a tradition when someone dies in office. Holman's husband, a respected writer, died in 2005. She is survived by her daughter, who turned 8 the day after Holman's death.

Colorado legislative leaders have launched an ethics investigation of a lobbyist for Colorado Concern, a lobbying group. Representatives Alice Borodkin and Nancy Todd accused William Mutch of orchestrating calls to their constituents saying they sponsored a bill that would increase taxes on their homes. Todd said there is no such bill. The calls were made while the legislature was considering a bill to make it easier for home buyers to get warranty repairs from builders. Colorado Concern has placed Mutch on paid leave until the matter is resolved.

Senator Vic Heinold has resigned from the Indiana Legislature to take a job with the Consolidated Grain and Barge Company in Mandeville, La. Hienold was first elected in 2004. The Republican precinct members from his district will select his replacement. "I know of no one who has worked any harder and accomplished any more in the time he's been here," Senate President Pro Tem David Long said of Heinold.

Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by Prince Philip, addressed a special session of the Virginia General Assembly in May to help commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. The queen toured the newly restored Capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson, and met with all the living Virginia governors. She visited Williamsburg following her address and toured the Historic Jamestowne archaeological site on Jamestown Island. In 1607, 104 English explorers founded the first English settlement in the New World at Jamestown. Twelve years later they created the House of Burgesses, which became the Virginia General Assembly, the oldest legislature in the country. The queen is not the first British leader to address the General Assembly. Winston Churchill did in 1946 and Margaret Thatcher in 1995.

The Colorado Supreme Court unanimously ruled against four Republican voters who challenged a redistricting plan that favored Democrats. The justices said the suit was "precisely the kind of undifferentiated, generalized grievance about the conduct of government that we have refused to countenance in the past." The Republicans had wanted the court to replace a redistricting plan drawn by a Democratic state judge in 2002 with a plan created by the GOP legislature in 2003. The court-ordered plan was adopted when the divided Colorado General Assembly could not agree on its own map in time for the 2002 election.

Call him governor--for the third time. New Jersey Senate President Richard Codey is second in line for the governor's office, and he has served there three times without being elected. This accidental governor is stepping in now while Governor Jon Corzine recuperates from a serious car crash. The first time he stepped into the governor's office was for three and a half days before Governor Jim McGreevey was sworn in 2002. He assumed the role again 14 months later in 2004 when McGreevey admitted he had a relationship with a man to whom he had given a state job and left office. "I've got to be a leader who's respectful and understanding of the situation," Codey said. "I am not an elected governor. I have an elected governor over me." Nevertheless, "don't take me for a potted plant." Codey was applauded by a small crowd after he left a basketball game he coached on a recent weekend. Why? Because he was wearing his seat belt.

New York freshman Senator Joe Griffo is sponsoring a bill to limit terms for statewide officials--governor, comptroller and attorney general--to two four-year terms. It would also establish a limit of eight years for leadership positions--Assembly speaker, Senate majority leader and two minority leaders. Under the legislation, committee chairs could serve only six years in their posts. Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, 78, who has served as Senate leader since 1995, said he would honor the bill if passed even though it exempts incumbents.