The Denver Gazette: It’s one of the worst-kept secrets at the State Capitol. When legislative leaders need to huddle with party members for a quick strategy session — “caucusing,” in their lingo — they typically try to do so out of earshot of the press and public. And it turns into a game of cat and mouse.

The meetings might involve head counts to gauge support for a bill before a key vote; going over talking points to sell the party’s position on a touchy issue; last-minute amendments to stop unfavorable legislation — the kinds of things members of one party don’t want to telegraph in advance to their counterparts across the aisle.

So, they’ll herd their members into the majority leader’s or minority leader’s office — both parties do it, of course — and post a junior staffer outside to serve as a lookout. Any reporter from the Capitol press corps who comes nosing around has to be let in under Colorado’s open-meeting law. But the objective is to finish the meeting before the press finds out.

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