Governors to Washington: We’ll show you how it’s done

Politicians here can learn from governors as they collaborate on issues such as workforce development, transportation and public safety, governors gathered here for the National Governors Association winter conference said Saturday.

“We don’t have the luxury of inaction as we see many times here,” Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, a Republican and NGA chair, said during a news conference with other governors.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat and NGA vice chair, said, “Unlike what you see in Congress … we love to share and steal ideas from each other and see them improved. And then we steal them back.”

The meeting Saturday through Monday brings governors together to discuss issues affecting their states and ways to strengthen their partnerships with the federal government. The governors are invited to the White House to- night for a black- tie dinner, and they return the next day for a meeting with the president.

The governors Saturday focused on bipartisanship and notably avoided mentioning the rocky rollout of the Affordable Care Act, an issue Republicans hope will buoy them in elections.

“We can accomplish a lot by working together in a spirit of collaboration,” Fallin said.

Polls show Americans have higher opinions of state and local governments than the federal government. And 69% of Americans believe the federal government should run only those things that cannot be run at the local level, according to polling in 2012 by the Pew Research Center.

CLIFF OWEN, AP New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie takes a cellphone photo with NGA staffer Lily Kersh during the National Governors Association winter meeting Saturday.