Work-life balance has become a key talking point in local political circles since Gov. Bill Ritter announced he was dropping out of the election because his wife and kids needed him more than the electorate did, The Denver Post reports. And before Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and his notoriously private wife, Helen Thorpe, decided to thrust themselves and son Teddy, 7, further into the spotlight, they spent hours talking about how they could avoid the pitfalls oft discussed by Ritter and his wife, Jeannie.