Hickenlooper for Colorado

While We're At It, Our Second Ad!

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The ad, with a tagline "Colorado can do more with less," will be airing in a rotation with Hickenlooper's popular "Shower" ad beginning today.

The ad highlights how Hickenlooper successfully brought a business perspective to government by applying the lessons he learned running brewpubs and restaurants to the mayor's office.

"As a mayor, I'm always looking for ways to save money," Hickenlooper says in the ad. "We've turned the city around and saved millions with big stuff like fewer offices and city workers, but also small stuff like tap water instead of bottled; paper-free Fridays; sweaters in the winter; low AC in the summer..."

Colorado's next governor will face tough budgets, and Hickenlooper is the only candidate with a proven record of doing more with less in both the public and private sector. Balancing Colorado's budget will require significant, painful cuts, but every little bit helps.

Hickenlooper's attention to practical cost-cutting measures is part of how he was able to reduce the size of Denver government by 7 percent.

In "Cheap," Hickenlooper goes on and on about ways he has found to save a little money in every aspect of his life.

Hickenlooper for Colorado has reserved $1.2 million in television ad time, according to reports filed with the Secretary of State's office. The campaign began running ads August 19.

Our First Ad!

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Hickenlooper's "Shower" ad is the first of his gubernatorial campaign, and it picks up where previous quirky Hickenlooper ads left off ... Specifically, in the shower.

"I'm John Hickenlooper, and I guess I'm not a very good politician because I can't stand negative ads," Hickenlooper says as he rinses off in a variety of outfits. "Every time I see one, I feel like I need to take a shower."

As in previous ads, Hickenlooper uses comedy and his distinctly different style to deliver a serious message: our challenges are too significant and too important for partisan politics.

"With all the challenges we face, Colorado needs a governor who brings people together to create jobs and cut government spending," Hickenlooper says. "It's why I won't run negative ads. Pitting one group against another ... or one part of Colorado against another doesn't help anyone."

"Shower" will begin airing Thursday, but supporters who have signed up on www.hickenlooperforcolorado.com got a sneak preview today.

Welcome to My.HickenlooperforColorado.com

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

1) First off head to: http://my.hickenlooperforcolorado.com. The opening screen should resemble the one below.

The top of the page will look identical to our other website with the logo on the left then running left to right there are links to About, Issues, News, Take Action, Store and an orange button labeled Contribute.

Below are the bread and butter of My.Hickenlooper. Scanning down you will see three buttons on the left labeled: Events Make Calls and Sign up See the picture below for a reference.

Below these buttons is our section labeled Notes From the Field. This is our blog where we will post some our field ramblings and helpful hints and tricks to using our site.

To the right of our Notes from the Field is our LOGIN box for existing members.

2) Since this is your first time on our website please click the Sign up button.

This will lead you to the Create New Account page. Please fill out all the fields below taking time to create a strong, secure password. For new users, it is also useful to use your email address as your Username so you won't forget it. When all these are complete click Create New Account at the bottom. See the picture for a guide.

3) After successfully sigining in, you are now a full fledged member of the Giddy Up Colorado Team!

You will now see a similar page to the one you first saw when you came to My.Hickenlooper but with several changes now. The LOGIN Box to the right has been replaced with upcoming events in your areas and from around the state.

**These events are incredibly beneficial and please find a couple that you would like to attend in the near future.**

You will also notice that the Sign up button has now changed to Social Mapping.

These three buttons will be very helpful for you as our campaign moves towards election day. Please take the time - when you have it - to familiarize yourself with these by reading the tutorials posted on the My.Hickenlooper blog!

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

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0500

“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.

###

Hickenlooper and Garcia Push Education Plan for Students; Seek to Replace CSAPS in First Term if Elected

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

"Without a strong education system, job creation and economic development cannot be sustained," Hickenlooper said. "There is no question Colorado's budget challenges will require difficult decisions in education, but the next administration must make education a top priority and lead a collaborative effort to improve the way our students learn."

Hickenlooper's education plan calls for greater participation in concurrent enrollment programs to increase college participation. It also includes providing students and teachers with 21st-century infrastructure, improving transparency in school districts to hold leaders accountable, pushing public-private participation, and decreasing the state's Hispanic achievement gap in graduation in order to prepare Colorado's students for the modern job market.

"Improving education in the current environment will require leadership and collaboration that examines Colorado's education system across every level," Hickenlooper said. "Making Colorado synonymous with innovation has to include supporting great teachers and engaging parents and communities as partners to improve our schools."

Hickenlooper and Garcia were joined by education advocates, business leaders, teachers and parents at Arapahoe Community College to make their education plan announcement.

"I want to know that our leaders are focused on providing a world-class education to the students in this state," said LaShanda Jones, who has two children in Aurora Public Schools. "That's why I'm so appreciative that John Hickenlooper has made education a priority for his campaign."

Dorian DeLong, a teacher from Thornton High School said he was excited by Hickenlooper's pick for Lt. Governor.

"I'm glad to hear John hickenlooper has a vision to support our schools from Kindergarten through higher education," DeLong said. "If there was any question of whether education was a priority to this team - Joe is the answer."

Garcia said he agreed to run on the ticket because Hickenlooper has made education a priority.

"Valuable work has already been done to review the way we educate our young people," said Garcia, who is president of Colorado State University-Pueblo and co-chair of Gov. Bill Ritter's P-20 Education Coordinating Council. "If elected, John and I hope to stand on the shoulders of those who have committed themselves so diligently to finding a sustainable way to ensure Colorado is a national leader in education."

As part of that effort, Hickenlooper committed to carrying out an effort underway that would overhaul the Colorado Student Assessment Program.

"It's the 21st century," Hickenlooper said. "It shouldn't take months to get test results. We should be able to get results quickly when we test our young people in order to empower our teachers and administrators to adapt."

Hickenlooper's education plan includes a comprehensive and integrated approach to education, beginning with early childhood education and moving seamlessly though higher education. He called for more transparency in schools with effective governance and utilizing technology to connect students around the state to the best programs. His plan includes:

Expanding broadband access statewide to allow greater access to the web and share best practices about innovative and effective ways to integrate mobile learning with classroom-based instruction.
Supporting public and private education providers to collaborate and create highly flexible and relevant online courses that can be accessed affordably by schools and districts and used to supplement and/or enrich their "bricks and mortar" (capital) programs.
Building a high quality and accessible on-line course content library at a secondary level using the best teachers and classrooms in the state. Content is shared at little to no added cost to districts and schools.
Ensuring that students and families understand the importance for planning for postsecondary readiness and success and provide access to relevant Career and Technical courses for all students.

For higher education, Hickenlooper calls for the role of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education and its policies to focus on improving access and student achievement. Priorities include:

Employing existing innovations and improve efficiencies in the system through partnerships between public and private colleges and universities.
Creating more flexibility across our higher education systems.
Encouraging public-private collaboration and concurrent enrollment.
Directing new funds through private sector and federal partnerships.
Collaborating with career and technical education, trades apprenticeships and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

Given budget constraints, improving education in Colorado is not an easy task and there are no easy solutions. Yet in talking with students, families, teachers, administrators and education experts in the field throughout the state, Hickenlooper and Garcia know Colorado has an opportunity to do better. They are committed to working in close partnership with Colorado teachers, principals, elected officials and community members to create an education system for students that will make them competitive in a global economy.

"It's important that we collaborate with all the educational stakeholders - teachers, parents, students and business - to continue to create an improved, 21st-century education system," Hickenlooper said. "I want to be a leader in making sure we provide the best education system for students. The fiscal situation of the state makes it harder to do so, but it is important for our kids and our economy to make sure that Colorado is leading the way in education."

###

Hickenlooper's Second Ad is All About Saving Money

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Hickenlooper for Colorado released the campaign's second television advertisement Wednesday, exposing John Hickenlooper's bent for frugality in a spot we simply call "Cheap."

The ad, with a tagline "Colorado can do more with less," wiHICKENLOOPER'S SECOND AD IS ALL ABOUT SAVING MONEYll be airing in a rotation with Hickenlooper's popular "Shower" ad beginning today.

The ad highlights how Hickenlooper successfully brought a business perspective to government by applying the lessons he learned running brewpubs and restaurants to the mayor's office.

"As a mayor, I'm always looking for ways to save money," Hickenlooper says in the ad. "We've turned the city around and saved millions with big stuff like fewer offices and city workers, but also small stuff like tap water instead of bottled; paper-free Fridays; sweaters in the winter; low AC in the summer..."

Colorado's next governor will face tough budgets, and Hickenlooper is the only candidate with a proven record of doing more with less in both the public and private sector. Balancing Colorado's budget will require significant, painful cuts, but every little bit helps.

Hickenlooper's attention to practical cost-cutting measures is part of how he was able to reduce the size of Denver government by 7 percent.

In "Cheap," Hickenlooper goes on and on about ways he has found to save a little money in every aspect of his life.

Hickenlooper for Colorado has reserved $1.2 million in television ad time, according to reports filed with the Secretary of State's office. The campaign began running ads August 19.

###