DENVER — John Hickenlooper took the oath of office for a second term as Colorado governor on a chilly afternoon outside the state Capitol Tuesday, providing a glimpse into his plans while recalling the previous four years as a time of achievement and tragedy.

“On this day, as I stand before you and once again take the solemn oath to serve as your governor, I am not the same person that I was four years ago,” Hickenlooper said. “In the same way Colorado is not the same state it was four years ago.”

The state faced great adversity in Hickenlooper’s first term. It suffered through two of the worst wildfire seasons in history. Massive flooding wreaked havoc on dozens of counties. And a gunman opened fire on a theater full of moviegoers.

Hickenlooper said, however, that through those trying times, he “saw selflessness and heroics.”

The Democrat fended off a challenge from Republican Bob Beauprez in November by focusing his campaign on promoting Colorado’s economic gains. Unemployment was just over 9 percent when Hickenlooper took office. It is now at 4.1 percent.

Hickenlooper touted the state’s economic accomplishments, noting that his administration has reversed a $1 billion budget deficit since he took office, and upgraded Colorado’s rainy day fund to nearly $600 million.

He outlined his plan to help people who have been unemployed for more than six months find jobs and referenced the looming fiscal knot the state faces from a budget surplus that requires taxpayer refunds.

It’s not clear how much of a rebate each person would receive. But Republicans support the payouts, while Democrats say the state should use the money to restore recession-era cuts.

Hickenlooper is scheduled to deliver the annual State of the State address to lawmakers Thursday where he will give a more comprehensive view of what he wants to see happen in the coming year.

He will be talking to a Legislature under divided control, with Republicans holding an advantage in the Senate and Democrats maintaining the House.

Hickenlooper urged collaboration. “No one party, no one person has all the answers,” he said.

During his first term, Hickenlooper also oversaw the nation’s first recreational marijuana marketplace after Colorado voters legalized the drug in 2012. While he opposed legalization, the governor directed lawmakers to implement a regulatory framework that keeps pot away from minors, and he’s pushed to allow banking services for marijuana businesses.

The governor has also been at the center of some controversial decisions.

In 2013, Democrats in control of both legislative chambers passed gun-control legislation that Hickenlooper signed amid unanimous Republican opposition at the Capitol. The new gun laws were prompted by the theater shooting.

That same year, Hickenlooper granted an indefinite stay of execution to Nathan Dunlap, who was convicted in the 1993 slayings of four people at an Aurora Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant.

Hickenlooper’s critics used the gun legislation and the death-penalty reprieve in political ads against him, while the governor pledged to run a clean campaign without negative ads.

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