
DATE: Sunday, September 14, 1997            TAG: 9709130611

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A21  EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: DECISION '97

SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  107 lines

VIRGINIA'S TOP JOB WHEN VIRGINIANS GO TO THE POLLS IN NOVEMBER TO CHOOSE A GOVERNOR, THEY WILL, IN EFFECT, BE PICKING A CEO. THANKS TO SIGNIFICANT APPOINTMENT POWERS, VIRGINIA'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL IN THE NATION.

He lives in a fancy mansion rent-free and has a vast array of chefs, maids, jets, helicopters and state employees at his beckon.

The perks of being Virginia's governor are pretty good. But behind the ribbon cutting, speech making and hand shaking, there's a lot of hard work that goes with the office.

The governor is the chief executive officer of the state - a huge non-profit corporation with 100,000 employees that raises and spends about $18 billion a year. While in private business, CEOs with such responsibilities would make millions annually in pay and stock options, the next governor's salary will be $124,855.

The considerable powers of the office are spelled out in the state Constitution. In a nutshell, the governor is responsible for carrying out all laws in Virginia. To do that, the governor hires eight cabinet officers and the directors of 70 state agencies who pull the levers to put the state's massive bureaucracy in motion.

What's often overlooked is that the governor also appoints about 4,000 people to serve on 275 boards and commissions that set a wide array of state policies, including those for public schools and universities.

The wide latitude to hire and appoint makes Virginia's governor one of the most powerful in the nation, according to Thomas R. Morris, a political scientist who is president of Emory & Henry College.

Voters in most other states get to elect many of the key officials the Virginia governor appoints - such as a state treasurer, public school superintendent and members of the state board of education.

Virginia is one of a few states that do not allow a governor to run for re-election. The governor must step down after serving a four-year term, although he or she may seek the office again in the future.

But the powers of appointment allow the governor to exert influence years after his time in office ends. That's because the terms of his appointees are staggered and carry well into the next administration.

The governor proposes a two-year state budget in even years. But ultimately, the spending plan must be approved by the General Assembly. The governor cannot raise taxes or appropriate new money for state programs. That's the legislature's job, although the governor's recommendations carry a lot of clout.

The state Constitution gives the governor several checks on the General Assembly. He or she can veto any bill passed by the legislature or any individual appropriation in the budget. Although the General Assembly can override a veto with a two-thirds vote, efforts to do so rarely have been successful.

The governor has the power to call up the National Guard in emergencies, to issue pardons to criminals and spare convicted murderers from the death penalty.

During emergencies, the governor has the freedom to shift state money from agency to agency. He or she can appoint judges when the General Assembly is not in session or when the legislature is unable to reach agreement on a candidate for the bench.

The state Constitution sets a few limits on the governorship. The person must be a U.S. citizen, at least 30 years old, and have been a resident and registered voter in Virginia for at least five years prior to his or her election.

The Constitution doesn't list all the requirements for the job, however. There are a few practical considerations that often determine the governor's success or failure.

Most important is the governor's ability to use his bully pulpit to summon public support for his programs. That's why governors travel so much around the state, give so many speeches and call news conferences.

The second ingredient, most political observers agree, is that a governor must have a clear plan of action for his four years in office. Because of the one-term limit, governors often start becoming lame ducks after two years in office.

Virginia governors usually come into the doors swinging and push their major initiatives during their first two years when the mandate from their election is strongest. Republican George F. Allen, for example, abolished parole and tightened welfare during his first year. Democrat Gerald L. Baliles raised taxes to build roads during his opening year.

Later years of an administration often are spent refining and implementing policies.

Although it's not mentioned in the Constitution, Virginia governors increasingly have become the state's leading job recruiter. Recent governors have embarked on several trade missions each year, traveling the nation and the globe hoping to convince large industries to build plants in Virginia. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos

BEYER

GILMORE

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JOB TITLE: Governor

TERM: Four years

TERM LIMIT: One term

QUALIFICATIONS: U.S. citizen, at least 30 years old and resident

of Virginia at least 5 years.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Carries out state laws, proposes state budget,

directs state bureaucracy, controls more than 4,000 political

appointments to state government and commissions.

PAY: $110,000 a year now. Scheduled to increase to $124,855 on