The Senate Site: Gary Herbert has what it takes

By Howard Stephenson
Utah State Senator, District 11

Gary Herbert is one of the nicest people I have ever known, and I have counted him among my friends for many years. Despite our friendship, before he took the reins I had my doubts about whether he had what it takes to be numero uno, especially in these economic times.

Prior to Governor Huntsman’s appointment as ambassador to China, most of Utah’s political world had seen Gary Herbert fulfill his Lt. Governor duties with a work ethic perhaps greater than anyone who had ever held the position. He was a workhorse for Governor Huntsman. But, in my opinion, being a workhorse Lt. Governor didn’t necessarily prepare Gary (or any other Lt. Governor) to be an effective governor.

I was worrying about this concern shortly before Governor Gary Herbert’s inauguration, and I asked my seatmate during the last General Session of the Legislature, Lt. Governor designee, Senator Greg Bell, “Why on earth would you accept a position which demands twelve and eighteen hour days, a relentless speaking schedule, countless rubber-chicken dinners and a significant pay cut?” Without hesitation he replied that after meeting at length with Gary Herbert and coming to know Herbert’s character, it wasn’t a hard decision at all. As Bell spoke I recalled an earlier chat I had had with then-Lt. Gov. Herbert.

Four days after the June 13 Republican State Convention I spoke with Herbert about what I thought was his lackluster convention speech to more than 2,000 delegates who were there to hear from their Governor-to-be. In my usual frankness (sometimes mistaken for rudeness), I told him it had been a mistake to talk so much about how great the Huntsman-Herbert administration had been. I thought he should have spoken of his vision for the state. He failed to identify for the delegates and the public what he was going to do about the “$700 million elephant in the room” (meaning the deficit the state faces from using the federal stimulus money to “back-fill” what would otherwise have been budget cuts in the 2010 budget).

I also took license to advise Herbert that if he was to survive in-party challengers in the 2010 election he shouldn’t choose a running mate now, but instead bring on a Lt. Governor with experience in disaster cleanup, to cut the budget before the January session of the legislature. I suggested Fraser Bullock, who cleaned up the financial mess of the Olympics, or R. Todd Nielsen, who has spent his life as a forensic auditor cleaning up corporate disasters. I told Herbert he should have pledged to balance the budget without a tax increase. If he did not present a balanced budget for the 2010 General Session of the Legislature without a general tax increase, I said, he couldn’t make it out of convention in his re-election bid.

As I today consider my brusque, (yet obviously) wise counsel, I recognize that he was displaying another of important leadership quality: patience. He listened politely while I vented and then told me thanks and that he would consider what I had said. Full of my own wisdom, I wondered whether Gary Herbert had what it takes to be Governor.

On August 11 Governor Herbert began proving me wrong. His inaugural speech was visionary, and inspiring. Then on September 3 he announced the creation of the Utah Advisory Commission to Optimize State Government. He charged the commission to improve efficiency, enhance effectiveness and optimize performance.

The Commission is chaired by former Governor Norman H. Bangerter (who as governor faced the challenge of balancing the state budget in similar economic times in the 1980s) with three vice chairs: Nolan Karras (former speaker of the house), Charlie Johnson (former chief of staff t0 Governors Bangerter and Leavitt) and Fraser Bullock (businessman who is credited by Mitt Romney for saving the Salt Lake Winter Olympics). The commission also includes Pamela Atkinson, Neal Berube, Natalie Gochnour, and Ellis Ivory, Gayle McKeachnie, Steve Starks, and Lynne Ward. Ex-officio members will also include two Republicans - Senator Daniel Liljenquist, Representative Ronald Bigelow, and two Democrats - Senator Pat Jones and Representative David Litvack. Others will be asked to assist in selected components of this review.

The work of the Commission will be in two phases. Phase One Includes an immediate, timely and targeted review of near term activities. This phase is expected to last 10 to 12 weeks and will aid Governor Herbert in his FY2011 budget recommendations.

Phase Two Includes a more in-depth review, assessment and rethinking of state government activities and ways to improve the long-term effectiveness of state government. This phase is expected to take up to 12 months. The scope and people involved in the review will be refined on an ongoing basis. The Commission will formally involve others in this more in-depth review.

I was wrong to pre-judge the Lt. Governor who, I realize now, knew his position and didn’t feel it appropriate to jump the gun until he was actually inaugurated. For me this shows that Governor Herbert has other qualities that I suppose are best described as prudent, confident, and able to keep his head when at least one about him was losing his. And all of those qualities show that Gary Herbert definitely has what it takes to be Governor.

Originally published in the Utah Taxpayers Association's September Newsletter