Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper took the oath of office for his second term on Tuesday, marking profound changes wrought on the state during his first term and casting a hopeful eye toward the next four years.

The self-described “incorrigible optimist” lauded the state economy’s climb in the aftermath of the Great Recession, all while facing unprecedented floods, fires and mass-shootings, along with the dissolution of his own marriage, he noted in one of several remarkably personal notes struck during the Denver Democrat’s second inaugural address.

Hickenlooper was sworn in by Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nancy Rice, who also administered oaths of office to his lieutenant governor, Joe Garcia, and to Republicans Walker Stapleton, for his second term as state treasurer, and Attorney General Cynthia Coffman and Secretary of State Wayne Williams, both starting their first terms.

“In this ceremony, the collective will of Colorado voters is truly exercised,” said Senate President Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, who emceed the hour-long ceremony, witnessed by a crowd of roughly 1,000 dignitaries, guests and members of the public assembled on the west steps of the State Capitol.

House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst, D-Boulder, spoke briefly, terming the inauguration “an important function of our democracy,” and applauding the governor and his running mate.

Gov. John Hickenlooper embraces Colorado House Speaker Dickey Lee Hullinghorst after being sworn in for his second term on Tuesday at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.

“We are gathered here to formally commence the second terms of Gov. John Hickenlooper and Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia, whose tenures have seen Colorado rise from the depths of the Great Recession to become one of the leading states in job creation and entrepreneurial activity, and who are dedicated to making sure that every Coloradan has the ability to benefit from our improving economy, that every Coloradan has a fair shot at reaching the American Dream,” Hullinghorst said.

It was similar to what the two Democrats would say in their own remarks.

Citing the numbers that add up to a majority of the Senate and the House of Representatives, along with the governor’s signature, Cadman said, “In our world, the magic number is 33, 18 and one. That’s what it takes to get a law passed, 33, 18 and one. And it is my pleasure to finally introduce you to the one: Gov. John Hickenlooper.”

“Four years ago, when I stood here on these steps as a governor-elect, I knew enough to know I could never anticipate all of what was required of a governor,” Hickenlooper said. “But I thought I had a pretty solid notion of what the job would entail. I was wrong.”

“On this day as I stand before you and once again take the solemn oath to serve as your governor,” he continued, “I am not the same person that I was four years ago. And, in the same way, Colorado is not the same state it was four years ago.”

Former state Rep. Wilma Webb, D-Denver, and her husband, former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, take their seats at state inauguration ceremonies on Tuesday at the State Capitol in Denver.

He contrasted the grim fiscal landscape when he took office — including a billion-dollar budget shortfall, a slim rainy-day fund and an unemployment rate over 9 percent — with the robust economy the state now enjoys. In addition, he said, “same-sex couples were denied the same rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness that heterosexual married couples enjoy,” among a litany of other problems.

“Despite the unexpected challenges and heartbreaking events, according to any number of independent rankings, Colorado is one among the top states in the nation when it comes to starting a business and overall economic growth and economic opportunity,” Hickenlooper said. (“Thank you marijuana!” yelled an audience member, drawing chuckles from the crowd.)

In addition to an anticipated budget surplus and ample reserves, the governor pointed out, the state now boasts a 4.1 percent unemployment rate. And, “at long last, same-sex marriages are legal,” he added.

“Colorado is no longer in a precarious state, it is poised to be a model state,” Hickenlooper said.

In a 13-minute address long on vision and short on specifics — some details would come two days later, when the governor delivered his fifth State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature — Hickenlooper sketched out competing opportunities and challenges in the years ahead, including what he described as “our financial thicket,” an allusion to contradictory constitutional measures, including the TABOR Amendment and Amendment 23, which govern revenue and education spending, respectively.

Colorado Senate President Bill Cadman, R-Colorado Springs, high-fives Teddy Hickenlooper after the young man walked down the west steps of the State Capitol with his father, Gov. John Hickenlooper, during inauguration ceremonies on Tuesday in Denver.

“Our State Constitution mandates that we increase our expenditures and simultaneously cut taxes,” Hickenlooper said. “If that doesn’t sound like it makes much sense, that’s because it doesn’t. Nothing can grow and shrink at the same time. However, it is also true that careful pruning can allow quicker, stronger more directed growth.”

In a nod to the Legislature’s split control — Republicans hold the majority in the state Senate by a single seat, Democrats run the House by a three-seat margin — the famously compromise-seeking executive said he believes “that no party, no individual has all the answers,” and laid out his governing philosophy.

“I believe that if we are willing to compromise and collaborate on what may seem like an imperfect solution, it is far better than if we cling to entrenched positions and work against one another in pursuit of different, allegedly perfect solutions,” Hickenlooper said. “Progress, even if incremental, is better than gridlock.”

State Republican Party Chairman Ryan Call said after witnessing the inauguration that he was encouraged by what he’d heard Hickenlooper say.

“It’s a good day, the swearing-in of a Republican state treasurer and new attorney general and secretary of state is always encouraging,” Call told The Colorado Statesman, “and I was moved by many of the remarks of Gov. Hickenlooper, his pledge and commitment to work to advance policies even if neither side necessarily thinks that they’re perfect. I agree that progress is better than gridlock, and I am optimistic and hopeful that we can be able to advance an agenda that will create opportunity for the people of this great state.”

Attorney General Cynthia Coffman takes the oath of office from Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice Nancy Rice as Coffman’s sister Nancy Honssinger looks on during inauguration ceremonies.

Garcia, who spoke briefly before the governor, cheered the state’s recovery over the past four years but sounded a cautionary note.

“We must look behind those gaudy statistics to the people who have been left behind,” he said. “We do not diminish our accomplishments by recognizing that not all among us have benefited from them. Economic prosperity for some is not the same as opportunity and prosperity for all. We see this most acutely in our educational attainment gap as too many minority, low-income and rural students fail to earn that much-coveted workforce credential. But also in the unemployment rates and lack of investment in some rural communities and communities of color and neighborhoods that have been left behind for too long. So as we set about restoring public confidence in government, we must ensure that our systems of education and of justice are both color-blind and worthy of the public’s trust and confidence.”

The stark difference in temperature between Hickenlooper’s first inauguration and his second was remarked upon by several speakers — the governor mentioned he had doffed his coat before delivering his address in recognition of the “balmy” day — although it was still brisk and hovered just below freezing, it was a good 20 degrees warmer than it had been four years ago on the same morning.

One proposal unveiled by Hickenlooper during his speech was the launch of something called the Random Acts of Kindness campaign, which is supposed to encourage Coloradans to perform 10,000 random acts of kindness before July 14, when the third Biennial of the Americas convenes in Denver.

“And we will be tracking,” Hickenlooper noted.

Cadman heralded the occurrence of what was likely the first official random act of kindness: Stapleton’s mother had given him a heat pack to warm his hands, mentioning that she couldn’t hear the governor’s speech over the sound of his chattering teeth. Then Cadman passed the hand-warmer to the governor, adding, “That’s two.”

— Ernest@coloradostatesman.com

See the Jan. 16, 2015 edition for full photo coverage.