Advice to Governor: Mend Rifts Quickly
The Denver Post
February 25, 2007

It's tough to be a new governor. The moment you're sworn into office, a rash of bills from the Legislature hits your desk. There's no use pleading to the legislative leadership to slow things down because legislators have only 120 days to accomplish their own "to do" lists and can't wait for a new governor to figure things out.

From election day to inauguration day, a newly-elected governor has about 60 days to put together a cabinet and staff, learn about the agencies he'll be managing, meet with countless groups craving his scarce time, and set his own legislative agenda. All this for someone who has never done anything quite like this before. It would be like hiring a CEO to run Coors whose only experience with beer was drinking it.

Governor Bill Ritter hit this buzzsaw just as he was settling into his chair. He had run a large District Attorney's office with skill and judgment and an excellent campaign for governor. But neither of these compares to the realities of politics at the Capitol, not to mention the difficulties of actually managing the daily workings of a state.

The "labor bill", which is still stirring debate despite his veto over two weeks ago, wasn't going to do much. It would have reduced the number of elections to get a union shop by one, bringing Colorado into line with most other states. It certainly wasn't going to turn Colorado into a labor state when only 8% of our workers are union members.

But, right away, there was a hysterical response from some in the business community who decided the bill was anti-business and flooded the governor's office with reminders of their campaign support. Of course, many of these righteous souls had also supported Ritter's opponent, Bob Beauprez, just to make sure they had equal access to the seat of power.

Meanwhile, the new governor had already promised both labor and his Democratic colleagues in the Legislature that he would sign the bill. In the end, he must have thought it would be easier to patch up relations with his supporters than the "business community" because he vetoed the bill. That, of course, enraged Democratic legislators who felt they'd been betrayed.

What can we learn from this mini-fiasco? First, in politics, your word is gold. Don't make promises you can't keep. If you make a promise, no matter how much it might make you squirm, keep it. You need the trust of your colleagues and constituents to be effective.

Next, if you're a legislator, and your new governor is a colleague in your own party, realize you don't need to rush legislation that, while it benefits a benefactor, may also put your governor in a pickle. Take the time to discuss the reasons for your legislation and the political values and pitfalls. Remember that you both need to win.

Every governor-elect spends time with his party's legislators and leadership in the weeks leading up to the inauguration. That is the time to delve into the bills each member has promised to carry to find out what's about to hit you and begin to negotiate the kind of bill you'll be willing to sign. It's the time to make clear you won't commit to signing any bill until you see the final language. It's not a time to make promises you may not want to keep.

Governor Ritter has an agenda that everyone has a stake in-improving higher education funding, reducing prison costs, making health care more available. Even with a Democratic legislature he'll need all the skills and trust he can muster to solve those difficult problems. So, here's one more lesson-repair damaged relationships quickly. No matter what your position, you'll need every one of those connections to succeed.