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John Hickenlooper on Principles & Values
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Governance needs compromise to work
Democracy wasn't designed to be argument-free--it's built on vigorous debate. But democracy also wasn't designed to be combative to its own detriment. Without compromise, the system stagnates under the weight of so many stalemates. This "you're either
with us or against us" mentality hurts our state and our country, and it undermines our democracy. This isn't how our founders envisioned it. They weren't partisan to the point of paralysis. The system worked because they worked together.
Source: 2016 State of the State speech to Colorado legislature
, Jan 14, 2016
Operate government with more common sense and less nonsense
I took what you might call an unconventional path into running for office. I started out here in Colorado as a geologist. During a downturn, everyone in our company got laid off.Next thing I knew I was making beer and starting a brewpub business.
It turned out pretty well. But as every small business person knows, it's not easy out there, especially when bureaucracy gets in the way.
I didn't run for public office until I was 50. Before that, I'd never run for anything. Not even in high school. I ran for public office as a small businessman. I thought government needed to operate with more common sense and less nonsense.
So while we have been doing all we can to make it as easy as possible for business to succeed in Colorado we also have been streamlining the state government, making it more efficient.
Source: 2014 State of the State address to Colorado Legislature
, Jan 9, 2014
Coloradoans' resilience due to shared values, community
We will come through this rough time. We'll do it by working together in the best tradition of the West. Like every river runner knows, when you get into rough water everybody paddles. There's a Yiddish word, 'landsman' which, roughly translated means 'a
fellow villager'--a stranger, perhaps, but still someone you welcome because you know they share a common connection in the village of your ancestors. This value doesn't spring from government. But it can teach all of us to govern together.
Source: 2011 gubernatorial press release #1249674240451
, Nov 9, 2011
Page last updated: Mar 15, 2019