Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper's YouTube Videos Highlight Political Career With Humor

Code City

Labor Day weekend was a truly laborious one for Carl Malamud, a public access advocate, who posted the 38-volume California Code of Regulations on the Internet.

Malamud sought to send a message to government agencies to be more liberal with digital access and stop claiming copyrights on their laws. State laws stipulate that citizens cannot distribute or store these files without its consent. If they do, citizens can be fined $2,000 or more for a printed or even a digital copy.

Malamud hopes this will encourage governments to be more lenient with digital distribution and that these agencies will seek to educate citizens about their rights. The 100-page three-ring binder collection is proudly referred to as "Code City" and can be seen on Flickr.com, while a comprehensive list of state laws can be viewed at the Web site.

Mayor 2.0

Few public officials embrace Web 2.0 with as much enthusiasm -- or humor -- as Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. The mayor's YouTube channel features videos spanning his six years in office. Here are some highlights:

"Is Denver Mayor Hickenlooper Kurt Vonnegut's Long-Lost Son?" (2004) Author Kurt Vonnegut claims to be Hickenlooper's true father in a video created for the Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation's roast of Hickenlooper.

"Denver Mayor Hickenlooper & Governor Owens' Outtakes" (2006)
These outtakes from a public service announcement promoting the 2006 Health Fair have three times more viewers than the video itself. In this video, the mayor and former Gov. Bill Owens chuckle over flubbing their lines.

"Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper Takes a Dive for Ref C" (2005)
Hickenlooper jumps from a plane at 13,000 feet to promote a referendum in this political commercial. [image: skydive]

"Denver Mayor Hickenlooper Promotes Cinemocracy Film Contest" (2008)
Hickenlooper attempts to answer the question, "How do you define democracy?" for a film contest sponsored by the Denver Film Society and Denver Office of Cultural Affairs.

"John Hickenlooper 'Suit' 2003 Mayoral Ad Campaign" (2003)
In a commercial from his first mayoral campaign, Hickenlooper turns his quirks -- an eccentric wardrobe and a love for his motor scooter, for instance -- into appealing trademarks.

"Denver Mayor Hickenlooper/Gov. Ritter 9Health Fair" (2008)
Hickenlooper and Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter inhale helium in this public service announcement promoting the 9Health Fair.

-- Emma Newcombe, Editorial Intern

Conservation Starts at Home?

• 93 percent of people turn off lights, computers and TVs when they leave home for the day.
• 50 percent do the same when leaving work.

Source: Harris Interactive

News You Can Use

A recent survey asked adults where they get their news.

• 47 percent watch TV news daily.
• 17 percent read an online newspaper daily.
• 8 percent read a printed newspaper daily.
• 10 percent read both print and online papers.

-- Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press