It Was Sweeps Week for Governor
Speech was masterful - Budget proposal appealed to democrats and GOP
Jack Betts, Charlotte Observer
March 9, 2003

In a Capital City where the comings and goings of the governor are topics of daily discussion, much of the talk the last two years has run along these lines: Where's the governor? What's he doing?

That kind of talk reflected Gov. Mike Easley's distaste for much of the superficial, ceremonial ribbon-cuttings and grip-and-grin appearances that go with being governor.

No one's had to ask where the governor is the last six weeks or so. Gov. Mike Easley has been out in front, making public appearances across the landscape, political and otherwise. It's timely, given that next year is an election year.

He lately has shown the highly visible leadership for which his predecessors were noted. And he seems to be filling the leadership role that many expect of a Tar Heel governor.

The evidence comes in different forms:

Winter storms gave Easley opportunity and reason to move about the state, appearing with emergency workers, victims and utility linemen and assuring the public that help was on its way.

The state's neglected roads gave him the opportunity to propose a shift of Highway Trust Fund monies for road and infrastructure repair and job creation.

Continuing budget problems gave him the opportunity to steal Republican thunder and call for statutory controls on future state spending.

The state's lingering economic problems gave him the chance to propose offering existing N.C. employers job training funds, meeting an objection that the state ignores existing industry in order to lure new ones.

All that plays pretty well, but last week was sweeps week for Gov. Easley. In his second State of the State address, given Monday, Easley delivered a masterful performance.

He emphasized education, asserted fiscal prudence, demanded a balanced budget, proposed strengthening the governor's office at the expense of the legislature, urged lawmakers to do their work on time and once again asked for a state lottery - this time suggesting part of the money be used to pay for school construction in poor districts.

He was, at times, reassuring, combative, charming, defiant, clever and funny. "North Carolina is the only state paying for a flood while we are in a drought and recovering from three ice storms," he quipped.

Perhaps he was also overly optimistic. He asked for a constitutional amendment giving the governor a line-item veto so he could strike down portions of bills he didn't like.

That's going nowhere. Legislators are still ticked off that Easley's first veto - the only one in state history - was a bill appointing citizens to various state boards and commissions late last year. But Easley may have repaired the damage by quietly making a number of those appointments on Jan. 28, the day before the General Assembly convened, at the request of Speaker of the House Jim Black and Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight.

By taking on the balance of powers between the legislative and executive branches, it looked as though Easley was targeting the General Assembly and might run against legislators in 2004. That's unlikely, given that the governor will be trying to get his program through the legislature. On the other hand, it never hurts a governor's image for the public to see him tussling with legislators.

Two days later, Easley released his 2003-05 budget proposal. Even his severest critics gave the governor credit for trying to come to terms with government spending while meeting a budget shortfall and avoiding new taxes.

Republicans liked the spirit, if not all the details, of his proposed spending cap and his threat to veto any budget that was not balanced - as if legislators would pass any other kind. Democrats like the fact that the proposal emphasizes education, pays for expanded public school and higher education enrollment and offers a modest pay raise to community college teachers.

Both sides liked the fact that the governor didn't include in his proposal revenue from the lottery he sought. Easley twice has asked for a state lottery, and seems even less likely to win legislative approval this time.

But with a majority of the public expressing support for a lottery in opinion polls, the governor can't really lose by asking for a lottery in the public's behalf. Thus, while he loses the lottery in the legislature, he wins with the public, and he knows it.

Mike Easley's governorship so far has not been a lucky one. Unlike his recent predecessors, Easley has yet to enjoy a thriving economy and strong state revenues. He's had to contend with a federal government that keeps piling on spending mandates without helping pay the freight. He's had to find ways to balance the budget and meet shortfalls. And Easley has been recuperating this winter from rotator cuff surgery that was more difficult than first thought.

Even so, he finds himself in pretty good shape for a reelection campaign next year. So far, the Republicans have had better luck recruiting a strong opponent for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat John Edwards than for the governor. Among those who have made noises about running for governor are Chief Justice Bev Lake and state Sen. Patrick Ballantine.

When longtime State Board of Education Chairman Phil Kirk announced his resignation the other day, effective later this spring, it may have caused momentary anxiety in the governor's office. After all, Kirk, a Republican and head of the state chamber of commerce, N.C. Citizens for Business and Industry, has the energy, experience and business ties to mount a strong challenge to any governor. But Kirk's associates say he was simply tired of holding two jobs and wanted to get back to his day job full time.

While no one expects this to be an easy year in Raleigh, prospects for bipartisan cooperation in the legislature will make it more tolerable. So will the kind of focused, firm leadership we've seen lately from Mike Easley. We could use a good year for a change.