Gubernatorial-legislative relations

During his first term, South Carolina governor Mark Sanford had a relationship with the legislature that was... let's say less than cordial. At one point he carried a couple of pigs into the legislative chamber in order to make a point about budgetary pork. The level of rancor is even more notable because the legislature is controlled by the governor's fellow Republicans.

Recently-inaugurated Governor Eliot Spitzer of New York appears to be well on his way to developing a similarly strained relationship with his fellow Democrats in the New York General Assembly. From the NY Times:

The battle between Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the state lawmakers erupted into an all-out war on Thursday, as the governor began to visit the districts of fellow Democrats in the Legislature to assail their decision to make one of their colleagues the state’s top financial officer.

During a swing through Syracuse that was originally scheduled for the governor to promote his budget priorities, Mr. Spitzer denounced a local assemblyman, William B. Magnarelli, for reneging on the agreement that the Legislature had made to select a comptroller from a list of qualified candidates put forward by a screening committee.

“Bill Magnarelli is one of those unfortunate Assembly members who just raises his hand when he’s told to do so, and didn’t even bother to stand up and say, ‘Whose interest am I representing?’ ” he told The Post-Standard of Syracuse on Thursday.

It was, by Albany standards, a shocking breach of etiquette for a sitting governor to lambaste a colleague from his own party in his home district.

...

Alan Greenblatt at the 13th Floor says that:

...none of this is surprising. Spitzer sees himself as a reformer and, having won a major election victory, believes he has the public on his side and can win by persuading legislators that they should bow to public opinion. Maybe. But Spitzer does have to persuade legislators. And as many governors have found , even legislators who agree with them philosophically will fight all the way if you cut out their perks or otherwise cross them.

True. I wonder also if Spitzer lacks an understanding of the difference between being AG and being governor. An attorney general can pursue his own agenda without requiring much cooperation from any other official or institution. Although governors have some independent authority through executive orders and the like, to pass legislation they need the legislature.

It will be interesting to follow Spitzer's progress and see if his confrontational outside strategy is more successful than Sanford's has been.

About the bloggers

Chip Taylor is a research associate at the Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs. He is also a doctoral candidate in the Policy Studies Program at Clemson University. Most of his research interests lie within the field of state and local public policy. Specific topics include the fiscal impacts of growth on local government and gubernatorial policymaking.

Chip can be contacted at taylor.chip@gmail.com.

Rob Carey is a research associate at the Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs. He is also a doctoral candidate in the Policy Studies Program at Clemson University studying natural resource and environmental policy.

About the blog

Why the "Policy Window"?

Because we all got a hefty dose of Kingdon shortly after our arrival here.

So, what's the purpose of all this?

It's just a place to comment on news and events that catch our eye and are related to our interests.