CML says goodbye to a great leader and family man

CML family and friends are mourning the passing of Ken Bueche, retired CML executive director, who passed away Wednesday, July 16, at the age of 87 and surrounded by his family.

Ken was CML executive director from 1974-2005 and retired with nearly 40 years of total service to CML. His reputation as an attorney, advocate, and ultimately executive director of the League is legendary. 

“Ken Bueche is a steel rod masquerading as a cupcake,” joked former Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm back in 2005. “Ken knows and has always known exactly what he wanted, where his bend points were, and has a mind that can outthink and outfox most legislators I ever knew.”

Former Denver City Council Member, CML president, and National League of Cities president Cathy Reynolds said of Ken when he retired that his “brilliance was in his amazing talent of finding, hiring, and retaining the best staff in the state.”

Sam Mamet, the retired CML executive director who succeeded Ken, said in 2005, “I have never met anybody with more integrity, with a higher level of professionalism, and a commitment to public service than Ken. He is precise. Everything he does has a purpose. His analysis is on point, always.”

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