John W. Hickenlooper
11/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/18/2024 16:14
ICYMI: Hickenlooper Visits San Luis Valley, Hosts Public Town Hall, Discusses Affordable Housing, Rural Development
In case you missed it, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper recently visited San Luis Valley and Chaffee County to host a public town hall in Alamosa, meet with local leaders to discuss outdoor recreation, affordable housing, rural development, and celebrate the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for the Buena Vista airport. In Leadville, Hickenlooper met local elected officials, community leaders, and businesses to discuss expanding equity in outdoor recreation. They focused on inspiring future outdoor recreation leaders, engaging the Latino community, workforce retention, and strengthening the sector's economic resilience.
Hickenlooper then visited Buena Vista to tour the new Midland Apartments which are still under construction but will deliver 60 affordable apartments to alleviate the housing shortage the community faces. The project is keeping costs low thanks to the Fading West's prefabricated units! He also stopped by Central Colorado Regional Airport to celebrate their recent $195,377 in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding they received to improve the airport.
In Alamosa, the Senator hosted a town hall to hear directly from residents of the San Luis Valley about top-of-mind issues and discuss updates from Washington.
The next day, Hickenlooper met with local stakeholders for a roundtable on public lands and expanding access for outdoor recreation.
Hickenlooper also stopped in San Luis to discuss economic development and reducing food insecurity in San Luis and Costilla counties with local leaders.
Check out the headlines below:
Senator John Hickenlooper attended an Outdoor Recreation Round Table in Leadville on Tuesday, October, 29.
…AVV asked Senator Hickenlooper if he had a message for Chaffee or Lake County voters and, by extension, voters all across Colorado. The Senator said the way to maintain freedom is to exercise the right to vote.
Senator Hickenlooper began by praising Colorado as a top state for voter turnout. "I'm so proud of Colorado. Colorado is the number two, in terms of the percentage of registered voters who actually vote, we're the second-best state. We have a very high number of people vote."
"…But it does appear this election, because we're not a battleground state, no one expects former President Trump to win Colorado, so a lot of people aren't voting. And I find that frustrating because you should vote in every election."
Senator Hickenlooper drew attention to the many other things on the ballot besides just the presidential race. Local elections are just as vital as national ones.
He then reflected on the history of the nation and all those who sacrificed their lives for Americans to vote.
"My god, think how many people have died for us to have the right to vote," said Senator Hickenlooper. "Really that's what, George Washington, the founding fathers, all those people who died in the Revolutionary War, all the people who died in the Civil War… They were fighting for those freedoms."
Turning to the world stage, Senator Hickenlooper compared American freedom with other nations with far fewer freedoms for their citizens.
"I think that's part of the reason why we have adversaries like Russia and China because they don't have the freedom to vote. They don't have the freedom to go wherever they want. They don't have the freedom to worship as they want or say what they want."
"We have those freedoms, and the way we maintain them is by voting," concluded the Senator.
Chaffee County Times: Sen. Hickenlooper visits BV, talks economic development
Senator John Hickenlooper spent time visiting the new Midland Apartments and the Central Colorado Regional Airport in Buena Vista on Tuesday, Oct. 29, hearing local perspectives on affordable housing and economic development.
…"I don't feel that I can have standing, I don't feel like I get as much leverage if I haven't been out talking to people around the state," Hickenlooper said. "Your time here allows me to be more effective and efficient in Washington. … Thank you for coming and for giving us your time."
…The group also discussed the challenges of subsidies and deed restrictions.
"That's part of the challenge we all face," Hickenlooper said. "'How do we, how does government fairly get the money to allow people to buy homes, to own homes, or to have enough rental units so that our workers, our postal, school teachers, everybody, (can afford housing)?'
"I dramatically agree that we should dramatically limit red tape," Hickenlooper added. "I think government should get their finger off the scale of which asset categories should get the most tax benefits."
"The standard by which the public holds federal spending is astonishing," Hickenlooper said. "If you guys go out and waste a bunch of money, … we, the federal employees, feel they get ripped.
"That's who it is, really, the public, that's sort of demanding that ridiculous amount of red tape and bureaucracy," he said.
Valley Courier: Sen. Hickenlooper hosts town hall
Colorado's U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper held a town hall in Alamosa Thursday evening.
Hickenlooper discussed issues he's focusing on while in the Senate, including the inability of younger generations to live the quality of life lived by their parents or grandparents. He attributed much of the country's division to "that pathway that was lost with the export of manufacturing jobs." It eliminated "new chances for younger generations, 70% of whom aren't going to get a four-year degree."
"In America, we're working on apprenticeships to make sure every kid has the opportunity to learn a skill that will get them a good paying job and their version of the American dream."
His second issue is the "great transition" away from fossil fuels to the "new industries and new innovations" of wind and solar.
"Colorado could lead the way. We make sure our kids understand the basic principles of energy and how this transition is going to work so they have an opportunity to get the skills so they can get the jobs. We're going to create new industries and new jobs like we never really imagined before."
Hickenlooper was asked a broad range of questions from the audience, starting with Don Thompson's asking about the creation of a national conservation area at the Rio Grande Del Norte National Monument. Hickenlooper said he was "gathering information" and the people who live there should have a voice.
He then spoke of the importance of wilderness. "All the great religious leaders in history would go into the wilderness, make their agreement with their God, and come back with moral principles that came from that communion."
Heather Sanchez, Alamosa's city manager, asked him about the city's need for $30 million to recertify the levy, "which may not be much for the federal government but is a lot to the city."
The senator said he is aware of the application and wondered how much of that is "actual value and how much is pushing paper?" Hickenlooper added, "Thirty million is a lot to me, whether it's federal or not."
…Hickenlooper, who described the aging population as a "sleeping giant" due to their propensity to vote, understood the challenges Wolfe was facing and said the Farm Bill, once the Senate passes it, should provide some relief.
…In a later conversation with the Valley Courier, Hickenlooper was asked how, in a nation as divided as the United States is right now, can massive change like a transition from fossil fuel caused by climate change be accomplished when there isn't consensus that it's real or needed.
"Climate change - it's in the response of the moderate Republicans. There are probably 20 in the Senate I describe that way. You don't tell them they're wrong. You listen, discuss the facts together and then go back and do it again. You build trust.
"It's very, very important to not give up. Thomas Paine says, 'Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered but we have this one consolation. Without great sacrifice, there can be no glorious triumph. But if it's achieved too cheaply, we esteem it too lightly and it is dearness only that gives everything its value.' So, I think we gird our loins. We have massive protests.
"I'm hopeful. No one taking on a really tough challenge ever succeeded if they're a pessimist. When you're out there working on something, and you've got fears, you have to bottle them up and set them aside. Take them to bed with you. But out in the world you've got to be finding solutions. No matter how frustrated you are, you have to keep working and looking for the best in people.
"I believe that God is in each of us. You look in our eyes. Our bodies all age but not our eyes. I look at my brother. He's eighty now but I look in his eyes and they're just the same as they ever were. I believe that's some manifestation of the spiritual. There's something in there that every living creature has to some extent. Some piece of God. I want to take that and just keep going with it."
Alamosa Citizen: Hickenlooper town hall: Valley asks for continued federal support
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper spent a windy Tuesday evening in Alamosa, fielding concerns and questions from a full house of locals and public officials. Hickenlooper spent most of his time hearing concerns and the wishes for continued federal support at the local level.
He didn't spend much of his time answering questions, but instead listened and reassured those who were concerned about potential dwindling federal support. He said he would continue to keep Colorado as his top priority.
Among those concerns, a group asked that Hickenlooper support a full arms embargo to Israel and to call for a full ceasefire to end the destruction of Gaza and the Palestinians. They also asked that he support the Joint Resolution introduced in late September that would block $20 billion in arms sales to the Israeli government.
…Hickenlooper didn't indicate that he would support their requests.
"There's a solution there somewhere," he said. He said he would like to see a two-state solution, but admitted he doesn't know what the right answer is to solve the conflicts in the Middle East. The group indicated they weren't satisfied with the senator's answer.
…Hickenlooper noted that Colorado is leading the way in many industries and he wants to see Alamosa and the San Luis Valley get a share of new jobs, skills, and industries in the changing economic climate.
…As tuition costs increase, he said he wants to see the growth of industry in Colorado and that Colorado should be the keystone for other states to look to.
He was asked about his thoughts on the proposed natural conservation area that would stretch from Conejos County to the New Mexico border. He said that he wants to make sure that the people who live and work in that area have a voice, specifically when it comes to grazing.
…Climate change came up a few times. He said that while science isn't perfect, the signs of human-powered climate change have been around for a while. Hickenlooper is geologist by trade, and he said in the late 1970s when he was receiving his masters degree, all the science of the "greenhouse effect" was pointing toward more intense droughts in the southwest, increased hurricane activity and strength, and more carbon in the air from the burning of fossil fuels.
"We just have to continue addressing public sentiment," he said.
For nearly an hour and a half, Hickenlooper told stories, related to the citizens of the San Luis Valley, and listened intently. Although he is not currently on the campaign trail, he said there is a meaningfulness for a sitting senator to visit his constituents no matter where they are. Hickenlooper has close ties to Alamosa and the San Luis Valley: not only has he served and worked alongside John and Ken Salazar, he worked closely with Marguerite Salazar before she passed.
Hickenlooper said the Valley holds a special place in his mind.
"All the time you're spending with me I think helps empower me to do a better job of representing you," he said.
Monte Vista Journal: Achievements, obstacles discussed during San Luis roundtable
Costilla County officials, business owners, heads of non-profits and long-time residents spent time with U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper in San Luis on Wednesday afternoon, discussing accomplishments, challenges and goals going forward.
Hickenlooper's longtime relationship with some in the room was apparent as several people spoke of their gratitude for "all [he] had done" to support people in their efforts to improve lives in San Luis and Costilla County.
…Throughout the entire conversation, Hickenlooper just listened, occasionally making comments. Afterward, the Valley Courier asked him what he thinks can be done to support the town and people of San Luis when the problems seem so many and so overwhelming?
"They'll find a solution," he said, smiling. "We can help out with some things, like the jail. It may not be for the projects they would most like to do but we can help with maybe one or two. We also have a good relationship with the state and they should be able to help. They got billions from the federal government during COVID, and they still have some of that funding to use."
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