AP Interview: Hickenlooper sees more wins than losses during 1st year as governor
20.05.12
DENVER — Under pressure to keep energy companies and environmentalists happy, Colorado's geologist-turned-governor stood smiling last month when the Colorado Oil & Gas Association and environmentalists both agreed to sweeping new oversight for a divisive drilling procedure.
It was a telling achievement for Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, who blends pro-business discourse, promises to seek common ground, and a happy-go-lucky demeanor. Approaching his first anniversary in office, Hickenlooper's administration is known more for orchestrating compromise than driving policy.
It's no small feat in Colorado. Hickenlooper presides over a divided Legislature, the House controlled by Republicans and the Senate by his fellow Democrats.
On the governor's first big challenge — cutting nearly half a billion from the state budget — the parties largely agreed to the governor's proposals last year. Hickenlooper also boasts that Colorado was the first state to pass a federally required health insurance exchange, a marketplace for shopping for insurance, with bipartisan support.
Source: The Republic