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John Hickenlooper on Local Issues
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51st State Initiative: I got the message on secession
Hickenlooper said that an attempt by 11 rural counties to secede from the state and form their own will ultimately make Colorado stronger. Hickenlooper, campaigning for a second term amid widespread disapproval of his policies in rural areas, has been
trying to mend fences lately and convince rural voters that he also has their interests in mind. "I can't imagine Colorado being Colorado without the eastern plains," he said before the election in which five of the 11 counties voted to proceed with the
so-called 51st State Initiative. "If this talk of a 51st state is about politics designed to divide us, it is destructive. But if it is about sending a message, then I see our responsibility to lean in and do a better job of listening."This week
Hickenlooper told Colorado Counties Inc. that he'd gotten the message, loud and clear. The secession question "really led to discussions that are going to make each of your counties stronger and, I think, ultimately make the state stronger," he said.
Source: The Daily Caller on 2014 Colorado Governor race
, Dec 5, 2013
TBD Colorado: share your vision and priorities for our state
In the coming weeks you will hear details about a privately funded and non-partisan process of civic engagement called "TBD Colorado." Really, we tried to come up with a catchy name but TBD truly captures the intended outcome--it's to be determined.
Like the Colorado Blueprint, TBD Colorado will focus on listening and not imposing top-down, government-driven solutions. Coloradans will be invited to share their vision and priorities for our state. In the sense that entrepreneurs try to find solutions
to the needs and challenges of society, TBD Colorado will seek to tap that same spirit that exists, in part, in all of us in Colorado.
We all have the capacity for creativity and personal reinvention. We all have the capacity to contribute to our communities . and to make Colorado the best state in the nation.
Source: Colorado 2012 State of the State Address
, Jan 12, 2012
Page last updated: Jul 15, 2017