Hickenlooper Stands Out As the Only Candidate With A Plan to Create Jobs for Colorado

Press Release

John Hickenlooper stood out today at the Colorado Decides 2010 "Gubernatorial General Election Debate" as the only candidate with plans to create jobs and prioritize education in Colorado.

"I am running for governor because I believe I can turn this state around faster than anyone else," Hickenlooper said.

Hickenlooper demonstrated how his experience running a successful business, bringing a business approach to government, and balancing difficult budgets for Colorado's largest city makes him the only qualified candidate for governor.

"We have to turn the economy around," Hickenlooper said when asked about Colorado's difficult budget. "Nowhere is there an appetite to raise taxes, so we have to help businesses grow."

While the other candidates in the debate fielded demands to back out of the race or lobbed inaccurate attacks, Hickenlooper focused on issues and how he planned to solve problems through collaboration and good government:

On the Public Employees Retirement Association, Hickenlooper said taxpayers should not have to "carry the water" to fund the program, but said beneficiaries should have input in how the fund is balanced.

On Amendments 60, 61 and Proposition 101, Hickenlooper strongly opposes each one because of the damage they would do to Colorado's economic development.

On Higher Education, Hickenlooper said a stronger higher education system is one of the key tools Colorado has to attract businesses. He said as we deal with difficult budgets at our colleges and universities, we must make sure Coloradans have access to quality education.

On transportation, Hickenlooper said the state should examine practical, measured solutions to Interstate 70 while longer-term solutions that would demand large capital investments are being studied.

Finally, Hickenlooper responded to Tom Tancredo's false claim that Denver is a sanctuary city. Hickenlooper noted that the city has always complied with state and federal laws, and the city has reported thousands of arrestees to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Denver has reported close to 7300 people to ICE since 2006:

2006: 1,351
2007: 1,979
2008: 2,088
2009: 1,853
2010: 1,793
(Source: Denver City Attorney's Office.)

Hickenlooper also noted that following Tancredo's lead on immigration enforcement would place a costly burden on local governments, which is in part why law enforcement groups in Arizona have opposed that state's new immigration law.

Hickenlooper's Job Creation Roadmap can be viewed here.

The debate, which was hosted by Colorado Public Television (CPT12) and CBS 4 will air Friday at 9:30 p.m. on Colorado Public Television.

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