On a recent afternoon, Colorado’s first gentleman met with a lawmaker, toured a homeless youth shelter and chatted with a pair of women dressed as produce.
Marlon Reis’ back-to-back meetings earlier this week are part of a calendar that has begun to fill since his partner of nearly 18 years, Jared Polis, was elected governor last fall.
“He’s willing to talk to everyone — at length,” said Mark Castleman, a volunteer at the farmers market who was also one of Reis’ high school teachers.
On Tuesday, that meant a conversation with a corn cob and a tomato at the grand opening of the Broomfield farmers market.
“I’m sure, to his aides, he’s a handful to keep on schedule,” Castleman said.
While Reis for the last decade has been a part of Polis’ public life — before becoming governor, Polis represented Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District in Washington — he has only begun to carve a path for himself. But he’s on a trajectory to be one of the most public first partners Colorado has seen in recent history.
“When I was in Washington, I had almost zero profile,” Reis said in an interview with The Denver Post — one of just a few he has given since the election. “So the first difference that was immediately apparent to me (after the election) was that I had a profile — people actually knew who I was and they were interested in what my thoughts were.”
His first major step into the spotlight came on election night, when Polis, after declaring victory, introduced Reis as Colorado’s “first-first man” — a historic moment that was met with one of the loudest and longest rounds of applause from a rowdy group of Democrats who were watching results at a downtown Denver hotel ballroom.
Since then, Reis, who made few public appearances on the campaign trail and is known even among friends for his shyness, has only grown in popularity. His official Facebook page, started just five months ago, has nearly 4,000 followers.
“Jared jokes with me that I have a fan club,” Reis said.
While the amount of engagement Reis gets on the social media website is only about half of Polis’ average, his page far outpaces that of other statewide elected officials, such as the secretary of state, treasurer and attorney general, according to CrowdTangle, which tracks social media metrics.
His signature cause is animal welfare, with the environment and civil rights, especially for the LGBTQ community, also ranking high on his priorities.
The latter will be the focus of this weekend when Reis joins Polis, state Rep. Brianna Titone and Peppermint, a singer and actress best known as a contestant on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” as grand marshals for Denver’s Pridefest parade. Following them will be an estimated 200 state employees.
“I’m happy that I get to set an example,” Reis said. “And I’m mindful of the fact that the LGBTQ community — and all minorities, to be honest — are looking to Jared and I and our family and hopefully taking away an inspiring message.”
A Colorado introvert with a passion for animals
Reis, who will be 38 in July, was born and raised in Boulder. He is 5 feet, 10.5 inches tall, with a mop of brown hair, a wide smile and rosy cheeks.
“When people say I look 12, I correct them and tell them I look 12 and a half,” he said during a meeting with a lawmaker. Self-deprecation and dad jokes are in Reis’ wheelhouse.
He owns one “good” suit. It’s fitted and gray and accented by tuxedo loafers. At one time he wanted to be an English professor. At no point did he imagine he would be wearing a tie all day, as is the case more and more.
Reis is a self-proclaimed introvert, even though he comes from a loud Jewish family with East Coast roots.
“I was born in Colorado, but I had a sort of New York upbringing,” he said. “I’m not quite as calm as some of the people in Boulder. They’re very calm.”
His fondest childhood memories are of reading books and writing — all while being surrounded by animals. That early bond with animals is the genesis of his agenda today, he said.
“There has never been a time in my life when I didn’t have animals in my home,” he said. “When I was a child, I think we had five cats — and I’m allergic. But that didn’t get in the way of me always wanting to be close to them.”
His inaugural public event as first gentleman was to open the governor’s mansion — which the first family doesn’t live in — to all manner of cats, dogs and the general public for an adoption fair. Longtime caretakers of the mansion believe it was a first.
“He’s a very dedicated animal rescue advocate, and I think he’ll be able to do wonders to help Colorado do better by animals in need,” said Kim Miller, a volunteer at the event who was tasked with looking after a 4-year-old French bulldog named Hemi. “It’s an issue that’s close to his heart. So now that he’s in a position to elevate the issue, it will be great for all the rescue groups in Colorado to bring it to the forefront.”
Reis also worked with the governor’s office to declare May 1 as Colorado Animal Welfare Day. At the same time, Polis signed into law two animal welfare bills that Reis lobbied for, including one that established new adoption limits for individuals who have a record of animal abuse.
“I want to see animals done right by,” he said.
Opposites attract
Reis’ and Polis’ relationship is built in part on the theory that opposites attract, the first gentleman said.
Polis is boisterous. Reis is shy. Polis thinks in paragraphs. Reis fiddles with sentences until the punctuation is just right. Polis likes to cook. Reis, a vegan, likes to bake.
“I don’t know if either of us is particularly good,” Reis joked, adding that the couple are working their way through old-world family recipes. “But we put our heart and soul into it.”
And Reis fumbles with computers, while Polis made millions as an internet entrepreneur. Though, as Reis likes to point out, both are increasingly relying on their children to help figure out new technology.
“Jared is more mind, and Marlon is more heart,” said longtime friend Bob Morehouse, a Boulder small-business owner. “And that’s a great combination. Not that each doesn’t have both qualities. But Jared is so, so smart and is always thinking about things. And Marlon is really sensitive and feels more than just thinks.”
Reis, who is not legally married to Polis, embraces the differences between himself and the governor. In his view, it’s important for him to be supportive but to not wholly embrace politics. He never wants to compete with the governor, he said.
“He has a limited amount of time, and a lot of big issues come his way,” he said. “I’ve long seen my role as the person who goes in afterward who will listen to your story for 20 minutes. It’s teamwork.”
Finding his voice
When Reis joined Polis in Washington in 2009, not only was he younger than most lawmakers’ spouses, he was one of the first same-sex partners. Today, Reis recounts the numerous times he was mistaken as an intern or an aide whenever he would accompany Polis on official business. He tries to laugh it off, but it seems to still sting.
“I’d say Jared was my partner, and they’d ask if I meant business partner,” he said. “There weren’t many protocols in place to deal with a same-sex partner. And D.C. can be an amazingly traditional place.”
With his newfound platform, he’s not taking anything for granted. And he wants to make sure Coloradans — especially those on the margins — know he’s there for them.
“I like people to think I’ll be on their side,” he said.
To do that, he’s going beyond rubber-chicken dinners. So far, he has visited inmates at the Denver Women’s Correction Facility, an urban farm dedicated to economic equity, and LGBT youths in Colorado Springs, one of the most conservative parts of the state.
“It’s important to meet people where they are,” Reis said. “How can you learn about people if you don’t do that?”
The first gentleman’s outreach hasn’t been lost on Mardi Moore, executive director of Out Boulder, an LGBT advocacy organization that recently presented Reis with an award for his years of volunteer work, including a stint on the group’s board of directors.
“Marlon represents a kind, compassionate person who is dedicated to making the world a better place,” she said. “As we continue to see devastating numbers about bullying, to have somebody who is one of us, as the first gentleman, speaks to kids in ways that are not quantifiable.”
Reis has no plans to slow down. While he has averaged three to four events per week, he plans to dedicate two full days to working out of the state Capitol.
“Everyone in Colorado can expect to see me out there and using the influence — whatever influence I have — to promote good things,” he said, adding later: “I do feel freed up.”
