Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 11, 1995 TAG: 9506140015
SECTION: EDITORIALS PAGE: D-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARY SUE TERRY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
There are four reasons why, in my judgment:
Accountability.
So long as we continue to have a one-term governor, we will continue to have a governor who, in the final analysis, is not fully accountable to the people.
The conventional wisdom is that if you can't run for re-election, you're free of the ties of politics and can do the right thing regardless of consequences. Have Virginia's governors of modern times been less political than their counterparts around the country? Even more importantly, can we think of positions or actions that governors might not have taken had they had the opportunity to run on their record for a second term?
While no constitutional framework can guarantee total accountability of an elected official - if it could, some would say, we wouldn't have the problems we do in this country - we can do more to improve the accountability of our executive branch of government.
Fairness to the first-term incumbent governor.
Governing is not an easy job. The problems we face didn't arise overnight, and there are no magic solutions. Real change and measurable progress takes time.
For the most part we have had gifted governors. Most reached a certain stride by their third year in office. There are obvious reasons for this.
Each governor begins with a new team at the top, whose members have their own learning curve. Our legislative sessions are short, and the first of only two 60-day sessions of the governor's four-year term has already started before inauguration. With few exceptions, most governors find it difficult, if not impossible, to take full advantage of their first and arguably most important legislative session because of the other demands of the gubernatorial transition.
Under the Virginia Constitution, the incoming governor inherits a budget prepared by his predecessor, which remains the framework for the allocation of scarce budget dollars for the first two years of the term. The governor must wait until his third year in office to present his first full budget to the legislature. By the fourth year, if not sooner, the governor is unceremoniously called a lame duck.
So, not only do we pay a significant price for the inefficiency of starting up and winding down an administration every four years, but we never give the incumbent governor the opportunity to finish his job. Governors often lose the opportunity to succeed with far-reaching and ground-breaking proposals because true, lasting and beneficial change takes careful implementation, time, personal commitment and follow-through, all of which often transcend the governor's single term in office.
The increasingly important external role of governor as ``head of state.''
If Virginia were a nation, she would rank with a number of developed European nations in terms of gross national product. Our marketplace is the world, and personal relationships and continuity are important. What an asset it would be in this day and time to give Virginia voters the choice to extend the service of a particularly effective ambassador to the world.
In terms of governance, Virginia is not only within the shadow of the nation's capitol but is known through this country for its traditions of good, sound, honest government. We must continue to contribute to national debates on important issues.
The need for longer-range vision, leadership, planning and execution from the governor's office.
The average tenure of a legislator has declined considerably since I was elected to the General Assembly in 1977. (Many would say that's not a bad thing.) In addition, the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats has shifted dramatically. (Others would say that's not a bad thing either!) Not only are our parties more evenly matched, but within each caucus there continues to be remarkable diversity.
In addition to demographic changes, government has gotten increasingly more complex, and the pace of change continues to accelerate. Virginia's government is our commonwealth's largest business. What CEO in the private sector would want to attempt fundamental change in the culture of a work place if everybody knew from the beginning that his tenure was limited to four years?
It arguably made sense to have a one-term governor during simpler times of relatively homogenous one-party rule. But times have changed; we would do well to remind ourselves that of the 13 states with a one-term governor in 1950, only one remains.
These changes place great pressure and more responsibility on the governor to articulate and communicate a clear vision, provide bipartisan leadership, develop consensus and implement policy. No one benefits by partisan backbiting and political one-upmanship leavened by a chief executive who is not thinking long-term.
We have always taken pride in the distinctiveness of our commonwealth. We have a different tradition of fiscal responsibility and, until recent years, a tradition of civility and comity that has set us apart. While I make no pretense that changing a constitution will automatically change human behavior, I do believe it will set the stage for a different style of leadership and governance that is not only in keeping with Virginia's finest traditions but demanded by Virginia's challenging future.
If it were enough for the modern-day Virginia governor to focus solely on the traditional governmental functions of educating our children, protecting the public, the environment and our heritage, and creating jobs, we would not be faced - as we are - with declining school-test scores, bulging prisons, rapes by 11-year-olds, and drive-by shootings.
By intention or through default, Virginia's governor sets the tone not only for state government but for localities and the private and nonprofit sectors as well. That tone can promote a climate of trust, bridge-building, cooperation, collaboration and bipartisanship or, in the alternative, can promote a climate of fear, reprisal and even mean-spiritedness.
Virginia's governor also sets an example to other political leaders and to posterity on the use and abuse of power; power exercised wisely and with care vs. power misused, abused or used carelessly.
We live in a remarkable state which is endowed with a wealth of human and natural resources. We are a large and sprawling state geographically, with multiple media markets that reinforce sectionalism and parochial thinking. We have a diverse economy.
As a result, some regions of our commonwealth are facing the enormous challenges of spiraling growth, while others are suffering from declining populations and shrinking tax bases. Because populations continue to shift, with every reapportionment power shifts as well, our inner cities and rural Virginia often find their particular needs marginalized in debates and budgets.
Given all these factors, the overarching challenge of Virginia's governor is to contribute to a climate of community within our commonwealth that fosters understanding and cooperation within regions and between regions of our state.
It's when we see ourselves as the mothers and fathers of all our children; the sons and daughters of all the elderly; the employer seeking to create jobs as well as the employee trying to make ends meet; the officer on the beat, the victim of crime, and yes, even the prisoner in the cell; the commuter stuck in rush hour traffic in Northern Virginia, the child of disparity in Southside; the coal miner in Southwest Virginia; the government worker in Richmond; the dock worker in Hampton Roads - that we have the opportunity to feel and be community. If that is our goal, many of our other problems will take care of themselves.
Mary Sue Terry, former attorney general of Virginia, was the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 1993. This is excerpted from a June 1 speech at the Richmond First Club.
by CNB