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The guv visits

Hickenlooper touts jobs, more people with health coverage

An icy autumn rain held off just long enough to let Gov. John Hickenlooper meet and mingle with a full patio of supporters Sunday at Carver Brewing Co.

“I get a lot of energy out of meets-and-greets,” Hickenlooper said. The geologist-turned-beer brewer-turned-politician rallied the crowd and encouraged people to vote. “I’m a total extrovert, so going out and meeting different people and getting their energy – I love it.”

About 100 people showed – a who’s who of local Democratic politics.

After shaking hands and smiling for cameras, Hickenlooper spoke about raising standards for Colorado. He touched on health care, saying that 411,000 people have become insured in Colorado.

He said reversible contraception has reduced teen pregnancy by 40 percent, and abortion has been reduced by 35 percent.

He said four years ago, Colorado’s economy was “upside down – $1 billion in debt and fortieth in job creation,” and that in his first three years, Colorado had more natural disasters than any state in history, 13 federally declared disasters.

“Through it all, we never divided,” he said. “We helped our neighbors recover and rebuild. We went from fortieth in job creation to fourth. This year, we’ll be second or third.”

He said Colorado’s standards are on the rise.

“We became a magnet for young entrepreneurs. Five of the top 20 metropolitan areas in the country are in Colorado in terms of technology startups per capita.

Hickenlooper noted that Business Insider Magazine ranked Colorado as the fastest-growing economy in the nation.

He touted raising pollution fines for so-called rascal oil companies from $500 a day to $15,000 a day and being the first state to pass methane-gas regulations.

He said with a universal background check, in 2012, 2,511 people were prohibited form buying firearms, and 236 were subsequently arrested on warrants for violent crimes.

Rain and hail came down, but Hickenlooper didn’t mind. Slowly making his way under a canopy, he called Colorado free-spirited but collaborative.

“It has the highest percentage of people that are here because they want to be here,” he said. “It gives it a sense of place. Not just as a tourist destination, but as a place (to) build your business, build your family and build your life.”

bmathis@durangoherald.com



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