Hickenlooper and Amazon

Gov. John Hickenlooper’s comments at City Club were more nuanced than the Denver Post headline: “If Amazon doesn’t pick Denver, there will be a sense of relief.”

Hickenlooper was recounting that he began his first term in 2011 with an intense focus on economic development with county-by-county economic plans, efforts to reduce state regulations, and a welcoming recruitment attitude toward new and expanding businesses. But the Governor related how, as he begins his final year of speeches and legislative action, growth exhaustion and even a backlash are in the air.

His warning to the business community is to address the transportation, water, Internet and other major infrastructure issues that are straining public opinion and hampering job development. He argued it’s very hard to restart business recruitment once a community turns against it.

He’s right.