“Better late than never” is how Southwest Colorado Republicans described their Democratic governor’s address.
During his State of the State address on Thursday, Gov. John Hickenlooper expressed a commitment to rural Colorado
The office also will launch a pilot program designed to attract independent contractors by offering incentives to work in rural parts of the state. It would provide subsidized work space, with high-speed Internet and access to health care.
Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, said Hickenlooper could have done more for Southwest and rural Colorado.
“Better late than never,” Roberts said. “We have some high unemployment in Southwest Colorado, as well as the San Luis Valley, so I think it would be great if he would touch base directly with some of us who live there,” she said.
Rep. Don Coram, R-Montrose, said he would have liked Hickenlooper to have focused more on land-use issues related to energy development.
“With 70 percent of our lands in my district federal, we’re not getting real access to that,” he said.
Coram added said many energy jobs are going to North Dakota, rather than Western Colorado.
Republicans also said they’d have liked to have heard more on regulatory reform, but Hickenlooper said he simply didn’t have time to get to every issue during his remarks.
“Regulatory reform is something we certainly have every intention of continuing,” he said. “Our goal is to amp it up to the next level.”