Rediscovering the Promise of America

As mayor of Baltimore and later as Maryland's chief executive,…

Hundreds of cyclists are killed each year in traffic accidents. Federal statistics indicate 722 bicyclist deaths occurred in 2012, up 6 percent from 2011 and 16 percent from 2010. On a per capita basis, Florida recorded an annual average of about 5.7 cyclist deaths per million residents, by far the most of any state. The national bicyclist death rate for 2012 was approximately 2.3 deaths per 1 million.

Just two years ago, during his first term at the helm of Colorado, John Hickenlooper did a quick mental survey of his fellow governors and realized something that he found surprising. By his very rough count, only about five governors, including him, had spent a significant chunk of their professional lives in the private sector and in roles that included the management of dozens of employees. The other governors, many of them career politicians, didn’t have that kind of managerial experience.