DENVER – Gov. John Hickenlooper on Tuesday was sworn into office for his second and final term, calling on Coloradans to practice random acts of kindness.
After surviving a difficult re-election bid against Republican Bob Beauprez, the Democratic governor told a cold audience of a few hundred sitting on bleachers and folding chairs outside the Capitol that he had a lot to be thankful for.
But Hickenlooper said he also had a lot of hardship to look back on, including his own personal turmoil after separating from his wife, Helen Thorpe.
“In my own home, Helen and I found ourselves telling our son, Teddy, that his mom and dad were separating,” the governor said, striking an unusual personal note for an inauguration speech.
He went on to thank his son, who sat watching as quietly as a 12-year-old boy could on a 31-degree day.
But Hickenlooper acknowledged that his own personal struggle “pales in comparison” to the significant tragedies over the last four years, including a horrific massacre at an Aurora movie theater and catastrophic natural disasters that claimed lives and destroyed homes.
It was in 2013 that Hickenlooper lost a close friend, Tom Clements, who was assassinated while serving as the state’s prisons chief.
“Four years ago when I stood on these steps as governor-elect, I knew enough to know I could never anticipate all of what is required of a governor, but I thought I had a pretty solid notion of what the job would entail. I was wrong,” Hickenlooper said.
But he said out of the tragedy comes a new sense of hope.
And so, the governor called on Coloradans to perform random acts of kindness, suggesting, “I believe that people are happiest when they are helping others.”
The Random Acts of Kindness campaign aims to perform 10,000 random acts of kindness through July 14, which marks the start of the Biennial of the Americas in Denver.
“We have overcome a lot together,” Hickenlooper said. “Together, we will continue to build a Colorado not just for our present day use and delight, but a Colorado that gives every Coloradan a fair chance.”
Republicans also indicated high hopes for the future. Of the party, Wayne Williams was sworn-in as secretary of state, Walker Stapleton began another four years as treasurer, and Cynthia Coffman was sworn in as the state’s new attorney general.
The GOP maintained all three of the statewide offices, with Attorney General John Suthers and Secretary of State Scott Gessler leaving office.