ONCE AGAIN, WILDER PULLS OUT RACE ACE

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 10, 1993                   TAG: 9301100083
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: D-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
ONCE AGAIN, WILDER PULLS OUT RACE ACE
Once again, Gov. Douglas Wilder is trying to silence a critic by invoking the specter of race.
His target this time is Attorney General Mary Sue Terry, a fellow Democrat who has pulled Wilder out of political quicksand several times during her career. Wilder is threatening not to support Terry in this year's gubernatorial campaign and suggesting that black voters may want to "take a hike," rather than vote for the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Wilder's anger does not result from any alleged insensitivity by Terry in dealing with blacks. As several black legislators aptly noted last week, it has nothing to do with race at all. Instead, it speaks volumes about the governor's pettiness, his inability to take what he dishes out, and a possible misunderstanding of the constitutional powers of the attorney general.
The dispute began this fall when Terry publicly criticized directors of the $14.5 billion state employees' pension fund for being overly secretive and subject to too few state controls. Wilder, who appointed a majority of the Virginia Retirement System's board members, took umbrage.
In unprecedented action, Wilder sought to fire Terry last month as counsel to the retirement system. Terry responded by suing the governor, claiming that he lacks authority to relieve her of her duty to represent all state agencies. Circuit Judge Robert Harris Sr. ruled in Terry's favor. Wilder is appealing the decision to the state Supreme Court.
The outcome of the suit should concern all voters. Should Wilder prevail, an important check on the powers of the governor will be erased. It would mean that future attorneys general, who are elected by the people, would no longer be free to criticize state policies without fear of being fired by a governor.
As Harris noted, Wilder's argument would permit a governor of one party, acting on a whim, to neuter an attorney general of another party by removing him or her as counsel to all state agencies. Wilder's attorneys have argued that a governor's power to do so is "unreviewable" by courts.
For the record, Wilder has argued that Terry's public criticism of VRS has created a conflict of interest that renders her incapable of representing the agency. Harris rejected the contention.
Wilder's real dispute with Terry, however, is political. He accused Terry of playing for headlines instead of discreetly informing him and the VRS board of problems at the agency. He has suggested that Terry is trying to distance herself from his administration as the campaign season approaches.
No doubt, Terry is seeking independence from the unpopular Wilder and playing heavy-handed politics these days. But it's hard to understand Wilder's pique. After all, she's only following his example.
While running for governor in 1989, Wilder strenuously tried to distance himself from the man he sought to succeed - Democrat Gerald Baliles. He kicked off his campaign by traveling to the western tip of the state and criticizing Baliles' use of police force to crack down on striking coal miners.
Wilder was no more discreet than Terry is being. He made headlines in 1986 by criticizing Baliles for raising the sales tax to build highways. Baliles complained that Wilder never expressed his concern privately before talking to reporters. Even so, Baliles remained supportive of Wilder's gubernatorial aspirations.
Wilder has come full circle. He suggests blacks may reject Terry for playing his brand of independent politics. The same man who charmed voters by eschewing black-white politics in 1989 now seeks to divide Virginians by race, suggesting he can mobilize blacks against Terry. Over the years, he's used the same tactic against Sen. Charles Robb, Rep. Owen Pickett, political scientist Larry Sabato and any number of reporters who've written critically about him.
Warren Fiske covers politics and state government from the Roanoke Times & World-News bureau in Richmond.
Keywords:
POLITICS

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB