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

DATE: THURSDAY, April 13, 1995                   TAG: 9504130043
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

COMING TO TERMS

In contending that Virginia's one-term governors leave ``bags of snakes'' for their successors, Terry may have not changed many minds of those who think a single four-year term is quite long enough for anyone to hold the keys to the governor's office. A second term, to be sure, is no guarantee against reptiles. After eight years, a governor could still leave behind bags, if not pits, full of snakes.

Terry's point, though, was that a newly installed governor would likely take more care that his or her agenda did not breed vipers if that governor might have to deal with the consequences at re-election time and/or during a hoped-for second term.

She's right as rain. That prospect would encourage more long-term planning and a more thoughtful approach to addressing problems and meeting needs. While defenders of the one-term status quo argue that this keeps the governor's office from becoming ``politicized,'' keeps the governor's feet on the statesman's high road, that's hardly demonstrable.

The reality, as Terry noted, is that recent Virginia governors have been bit by national political ambitions. Former Gov. Charles Robb, Democrat, once seemed inevitably White House-bound. Former Gov. Douglas Wilder, Democrat, launched a presidential campaign halfway through his term. And Gov. George Allen, Republican, is widely presumed to be hoping for a vice-presidential spot on the GOP's 1996 ticket. (Fair to ask: Had Democrat Terry become the first woman governor of Virginia instead of losing to Allen in 1993, might she now also have big eyes for the big time?)

There's nothing wrong with political ambitions. But constitutionally prohibited from seeking a successive term, governors with dreams of starring on a bigger stage may be more interested in how their programs will play in Peoria than in Pulaski. They may try harder to make a good splash with national party bosses than to make good policy for Virginia residents. The make-or-break four-year sprint may diminish rather than encourage statesman-like thinking and accountability.

Virginia has been fortunate to have had some excellent governors. This is another reason for amending the state constitution to permit consecutive terms. When we get a good governor, we should be able to keep him or her at least four more years.