Walker Stapleton

“If you just give somebody a blank check without any deliverables associated with that, you're not going to get the improvements that you want to get.”

“Having a credible existence in the private sector frees people to be able to be better public servants. You're less concerned with... toeing the party line and more concerned with doing what is right.”

“When I was in the private sector, I found it immensely useful to go out and talk to customers and co-workers.”

“I don't think Congress, in general, has done a good job articulating to the American public how inextricably linked our credit markets are to our entire economic system.”

“The state treasurer has authority to weigh in and take leadership roles on taxing and spending legislation.”

“If a division becomes insolvent, the credit markets' reaction to that is immediate - regardless of what period of time you think you have to remedy.”

“There is a valid nationwide sentiment of concern over public pensions, and poor funding ratios are viewed negatively by financial markets.”

“As Governor, I will demand that Colorado's government serves the taxpayers of Colorado, not special interest groups and government bureaucrats.”

“When you have kids as cute as mine - offsetting my features - you need to highlight them.”

“It is my hope that I will be able to work with legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle and Gov. Hickenlooper to find a solution to fix our ailing pension system.”

“Legislators should demand that we not go through the entire pension reform debate just to apply a band-aid when this patient needs a quadruple bypass.”

“That's where the good ideas come from: the people, not the boardroom. But you have to be willing to put in the legwork.”

“We owe our public servants, from school teachers to state employees, a sustainable and well-funded retirement that they can count on.”

“Colorado cannot afford to become the next California, with skyrocketing taxes that hurt our state's economy and our quality of life.”

“Reforming PERA will strengthen and improve Colorado's all-important long term standing with credit rating agencies.”