John Hickenlooper
Hickenlooper at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos (2012)
42nd Governor of Colorado
Incumbent
Assumed office January 11, 2011
Lieutenant	Joseph Garcia
Preceded by	Bill Ritter
42nd Mayor of Denver
In office July 21, 2003[1] – January 11, 2011
Preceded by	Wellington Webb
Succeeded by	Bill Vidal
Personal details
Born	(1952-02-07) February 7, 1952 (age 60) Narberth, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Helen Thorpe
Residence	Denver, Colorado
Alma mater	Wesleyan University
Religion	Quaker
Website	Official website

John Wright Hickenlooper (born February 7, 1952) is an American politician and current Governor of Colorado. A Democrat, he was previously the Mayor of Denver, Colorado from 2003 to 2011.

Early life, education and career[link]

Hickenlooper was born in Narberth, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, part of the suburban Main Line. Hickenlooper was raised by his mother after his father died young.^[2] He is a graduate of Wesleyan University where he received a B.A. in English in 1974 and a master’s degree in geology in 1980.

Before becoming mayor in July 2003 he was a geologist turned entrepreneur. He is often considered a prominent figure in the LoDo urban renewal period during the early 1990s. Hickenlooper owned several restaurants in LoDo in the late 1980s, before the area's renewal. He was one of the founders of the original Wynkoop Brewing Company brewpub; these and others companies contributed to the redevelopment of the area following the arrival of major league baseball in the neighborhood. The area had been known to be dangerous; Hickenlooper is quoted as saying, "I must've had rocks in my head." The rent for Wynkoop's real estate was $1 per square foot per year.^[3]

Mayor of Denver[link]

Hickenlooper's first tasks included handling the city's budget crisis and changing its career personnel system. He has appointed a relatively young crew of appointees to his cabinet. Mayor Hickenlooper is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,^[4] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino. Hickenlooper resigned as mayor at 8am on January 11, 2011, hours before being inaugurated as Colorado's Governor.

Although municipal elections in Denver are nonpartisan, Hickenlooper is a Democrat. Hickenlooper won re-election for the office of Mayor in May 2007 with 87% of the vote. In 2005 he was named by Time Magazine as being one of the 5 greatest big city mayors in the US.^[5]

Political positions[link]

Campaign for the homeless[link]

Hickenlooper has campaigned for increasing homeless services since taking office in 2003. He announced a "10 year plan to end homelessness" at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C.^{[citation needed]}.

Marijuana legalization[link]

In 2006, Denver became the first major U.S. city to legalize the private use of (less than one ounce of) marijuana by those over age 21. Hickenlooper opposed the marijuana legalization initiative, which voters approved 53.49%-46.51%; but, he did say that the vote "reflect[s] a genuine shift in people's attitudes." Under the current Denver Police interpretation of the law, supported by Hickenlooper, the initiative doesn't usurp the state law, the Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS). The CRS currently treats marijuana possession similarly to exceeding a speed limit, with fines of up to $100 and no jail time.^[6]

Greenprint Denver[link]

In his State of the City address on July 12, 2006, Hickenlooper announced an initiative called Greenprint Denver to promote sustainable development and practices and reduce citywide greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the 2006 U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.^[7] The initiative, guided by a leadership group of city and community members, features a series of goals to meet over a five-year period.^[8]

Political campaigns[link]

2006 Colorado gubernatorial race[link]

Hickenlooper was viewed as a possible contender for Governor of Colorado in the November 2006 election to replace term-limited Republican Governor Bill Owens. Despite a "Draft Hick" campaign, he officially announced on February 6, 2006 that he would not seek the Democratic nomination for governor. Later, he threw his support behind Democrat Bill Ritter, Denver's former District Attorney who was later elected.^[9]

2008 Democratic National Convention[link]

Hickenlooper speaks on the first day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

Hickenlooper was an executive member of the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee and helped lead the successful campaign for Denver to host the landmark 2008 Democratic National Convention, which was also the centennial anniversary of the city's hosting of the 1908 Democratic National Convention.

In a controversial move decried by critics as breaching partisan ethics, the Hickenlooper administration arranged for the DNC host committee members, a private non-profit organization, to get untaxed fuel from Denver city-owned pumps, saving them $0.404 per gallon of fuel.^[10]

2008 Senate seat appointment[link]

According to The Denver Post, he was considered to be the frontrunner to fill the United States Senate seat to be vacated by Ken Salazar upon his expected confirmation to be Secretary of the Interior in the Obama Administration.^[11] Hickenlooper had confirmed his interest in the seat.^[12] However, on January 3, 2009, Gov. Bill Ritter appointed Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet to the position.^[13] Bennet previously served as Chief of Staff to Mayor Hickenlooper.

2010 Colorado gubernatorial race[link]

After Governor Ritter announced on January 6, 2010 that he would step down at the end of his term, Hickenlooper was cited as a potential candidate for state governor.^[14] Hickenlooper stated that if Secretary Salazar mounted a bid for governor, he would likely not challenge him in a Democratic primary.^[15] On January 7, 2010, Salazar confirmed that he would not be running for governor in 2010 and endorsed Hickenlooper for the position.^[16] On January 12, 2010, media outlets reported that Hickenlooper would begin a campaign for Colorado governor.^[17] On August 5, 2010, Hickenlooper selected CSU-Pueblo president Joseph A. Garcia as his running mate.^[18] On November 2, 2010, at 8:46 MST CNN projected that Hickenlooper would be the next Governor of Colorado.

Governor Of Colorado[link]

Governor John Hickenlooper

On January 11,2011 John Hickenlooper was sworn in as the 42nd Governor Of Colorado.

Personal life[link]

Hickenlooper's wife, Helen Thorpe, is a writer whose work has been published in The New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, George, and Texas Monthly. They currently live in Denver's Park Hill neighborhood with their son, Teddy.^[19] Upon taking office as Governor, Hickenlooper and his family decided to maintain their private residence instead of moving to the Colorado Governor's Mansion. ^[20]

Hickenlooper told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he and Thorpe attend Quaker meetings and try to live by Quaker values.^[21]

A cousin, George Hickenlooper, was an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker before his death in late 2010^[22]. John made a cameo appearance in George's 2010 film Casino Jack.^[23]

Other relatives include Olga Hickenlooper (a.k.a. Olga Samaroff), a concert pianist who was the first wife of conductor Leopold Stokowski, and Bourke Hickenlooper, who served as a governor of and senator for Iowa.^[24]

Hickenlooper appears in Kurt Vonnegut's novel, Timequake.^[25]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Governor John Hickenlooper official government site
• Hickenlooper for Governor official campaign site
• Profile at CityMayors.com
• Biography at the National Governors Association
• Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Campaign contributions at FollowTheMoney.org
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Appearances at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about John Hickenlooper in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Profile at Notable Names Database

v t e Governors of Colorado Territorial (1861–1876) Gilpin Evans Cummings Hunt McCook Elbert McCook Routt State (since 1876) Routt Pitkin Grant Eaton A. Adams Cooper Routt Waite McIntire A. Adams Thomas Orman Peabody A. Adams McDonald Buchtel Shafroth E. Ammons Carlson Gunter Shoup Sweet Morley W. Adams E. Johnson Talbot T. Ammons Carr Vivian Knous W. Johnson Thornton E. Johnson McNichols Love Vanderhoof Lamm Romer Owens Ritter Hickenlooper

Mark Ferrandino
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 2nd district
Incumbent
Assumed office October 1, 2007[1]
Preceded by	Mike Cerbo
Personal details
Born	(1977-08-09) August 9, 1977 (age 34)[2][3] Nyack, New York[4]
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Gregory Wertsch[5]
Residence	Denver, Colorado
Profession	Fiscal Analyst
Website	Representative Mark Ferrandino

Mark Steven Ferrandino is a legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado and the Minority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives. Appointed to the legislature in 2007, Ferrandino represents House District 2, encompassing south central Denver.^[6] He is the first openly gay male legislator in Colorado history.

Biography[link]

Ferrandino, the son of two Italian-American public school teachers,^[7] was born in Nyack, New York.^[4] He was born with oxygen deprivation and had to have surgery because he was cross eyed.^[8] Suffering from multiple learning difficulties, he took special education classes until the fourth grade. He later joined mainstream classes, played the trumpet and captained his high school track team.^[8] He attended the University of Rochester, earning a bachelor's degree in political science and economics in 1999 and a master's degree in public policy analysis in 2000. While in school, Ferrandino was a collegiate pole vaulter.^[4]

He began his political career in 1997,^[7] spending a semester as intern for Congressman Chuck Schumer of New York.^[4] After working for several years in Washington, DC as a program analyst for the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, and as a policy analyst for the White House Office of Management and Budget,^[4] Ferrandino relocated to Colorado when his partner, Gregory, took a job with the U.S. Customs Service.^[9] He now lives in the Baker neighborhood of Denver and is a member of the Baker Historic Neighborhood Association.^[4] Ferrandino has played the trumpet since the fourth grade and continues to play regularly.^[10]

Ferrandino worked as a senior budget analyst in the Colorado Department of Health Care and Financing from 2005 until his legislative appointment in 2007. He was also active in Democratic Party politics as treasurer of the Colorado Democratic Party^[4][7] and co-captain for Colorado House District 2A. Ferrandino was named Colorado Young Democrat of the Year in 2007.^[4] He is also a former co-chairman of the Colorado Stonewall Democrats,^[9] and served on the board of directors for the National Stonewall Democrats.^[7]

Legislative career[link]

2007 legislative appointment[link]

In September 2007, Rep. Mike Cerbo resigned from the legislature in order to become director of the Colorado AFL-CIO. Ferrandino was elected to Cerbo's seat in the Colorado House of Representatives in September 2007 by the 2nd District Vacancy Committee on a vote of 23–3.^[9] Both Ferrandino and his opponent in the vacancy election, Doug Williams,^[11] were openly gay; Ferrandino became the first openly gay man to serve in the Colorado General Assembly. He currently serves as one of four openly LGBT members of the legislature, alongside Sens. Pat Steadman (D–Denver) and Lucía Guzmán (D–Denver), as well as Rep. Sue Schafer (D–Wheat Ridge).

Ferrandino was sworn into the legislature on October 1, 2007,^[12] and was elected to a full term in November 2008. Assuming he is re-elected at two-year intervals, term limits will prevent him seeking a fifth House term in 2014, despite the fact that he would not have served four full terms.

Ferrandino has declared his legislative priorities to include health care, consumer protection, and TABOR reform.^[10]

2008 legislative session[link]

For his first legislative session, in 2008, Ferrandino was named to the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee and the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.^[13] Ferrandino has named health care and education as his top legislative priorities.^[7][12]

For the 2008 legislative session, Ferrandino is exploring regulation requiring greater transparency and guaranteed lifetimes for gift cards,^[14] and plans to sponsor a bill to direct funds from fines collected from scammers to educate the public about consumer scams.^[15] Ferrandino has also sponsored a bill to allow some lesser criminal convictions to be sealed from public inspection.^[16]

He has also proposed, with Rep. Sara Gagliardi, the "American Dream Protection Act of 2008," which would allow judges to delay home foreclosures by 90 days, in response to the ongoing subprime mortgage crisis.^[17][18] The bill was amended in the legislature to only increase public outreach efforts and notification requirements before passing the state house.^[19]

He has also introduced the Colorado Payday Lending Reform Act, which would cap interest rates for payday lending at 36 percent^[20] and prohibit additional lending to borrowers already in debt, making Colorado's short-term lending regulation the strictest in the nation.^[21] The bill narrowly passed the state house on a vote of 33-30,^[22] and passed the state senate on 19-16 after being significantly amended. Ferrandino objected to senate amendments, claiming that they weakened the bill by loosening caps on lending fees.^[23] Several weeks later, Ferrandino and Senate cosponsor Peter Groff announced that they intended to kill the bill,^[24] but Ferrandino plans on re-introducing the bill during the 2009 session.^[25]

2008 election[link]

Ferrandino stood for election to a full term in 2008. In the Democratic Party primary, he faced former Eagle County commissioner James Johnson.^[26] Ferrandino easily won the Democratic nomination with over 81 percent of the vote,^[27] and faced Republican Thomas "Doc" Miller in the general election, winning handily.^[28][29] Ferrandino's re-election bid was endorsed by the Denver Post,^[30] and he easily won a full term in the legislature with 80 percent of the popular vote.^[31]

Ferrandino was also a member of the Democratic Party's platform committee for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, one of only three Colorado delegates to that committee.^[32]

2009 legislative session[link]

After winning re-election, Ferrandino was named to a post on the legislature's six-member Joint Budget Committee for the 2009 legislative session,^[33] and was tapped as vice-chair of the House Appropriations Committee.^[34] He remained on the Joint Budget Committee until his election as Democratic Leader in November 2011.

With Sen. Jennifer Veiga, Ferrandino introduced legislation to allow same-sex partners of state employees to receive health insurance benefits.^[35]

2011 legislative session: The Colorado Civil Unions Act[link]

In 2011, Ferrandino co-sponsored the Colorado Civil Unions Act, introducing it in the House. State Senator Pat Steadman originally introduced it in the Senate, where it passed with bipartisan support. The Colorado Civil Unions Act was an act to create legal recognition for same-sex and heterosexual couples in Colorado law. The act was killed in the Colorado House Judiciary Committee before it was able to reach a full House vote, where Ferrandino held it would have had the votes to pass.^[36]

See: Recognition of Same-Sex Unions in Colorado: The Colorado Civil Unions Act of 2011

Election as House Minority Leader[link]

In November 2011, House Democratic Leader Sal Pace announced that he would relinquish his leadership position to campaign for Congress in the 3rd district. Ferrandino ran to succeed him and was elected unopposed by the Democratic caucus on November 18, 2011.^[37]

References[link]