Every four years the legislature has the opportunity to begin the long process of amending the Vermont state constitution. This year, the big push is to get four-year terms for the governor and lieutenant governor. It’s being pushed by Sen. Bill Doyle (R- Washington County) and the Snelling Center for Government, which identifies itself as a “nonpartisan” 501c3 group.
All the living former governors are in favor, according to quotes from the Snelling Center. They say it would allow the governor to actually govern and work on more nuanced solutions to complex problems rather than looking for quick answers to tout during the too-soon-upcoming next election. Other proponents cite “strategic planning.”
All I can say is thank the powers that be for Frank Bryan. More after the jump.
The much honored curmudgeon of Vermont politics, supporter of town meeting, and UVM professor of political science is agin it, as am I, and his basic argument is this: in one swell foop, you cut democracy in half, giving Vermonters half as many opportunities to provide concrete feedback by their votes to their executive (and perhaps legislative) branches. Besides, he counters the “strategic planning” pleaders and the “government is too complex now” complainers, Vermonters have a long history of giving governors a second term in office anyway.
The Snelling Center’s “nonpartisan approach” is to suggest that each office be considered as a separate amendment, let the chips fall where they may (Governor for four years would be one amendment; Lt. Gov would be another; Senate would be another amendment; House still another; constitutional officers would be another separate amendment). Sen. Jim Condos (D-chittenden) won’t go for four years for executive branch only; he wants the legislature included. Sen. Doyle suggests that including the legislature in the proposal would result in its defeat, should an amendment reach the voters (in 2010).
If you want the history, try the Secretary of State’s archives page.
If you want a personality reason to oppose an extension of executive branch terms (only) to four years, here’s one: John McClaughry (anyone notice there’s a “laugh” in the middle of that name?) loves the idea, along with the notion that the Attorney General, at least (and at best, all of the other statewide officers) should be appointed by the Governor, and that the Governor and Lt. Gov should be one slate (I guess he never got over the accession of Howard Dean when Richard Snelling died; perhaps he thought it was really too bad that Barbara Snelling didn’t get the same chance).
McClaughry, should anyone need reminding, is the president of the Ethan Allen Institute, a “think tank” headquartered in Concord, Vermont, and the recipient of at least $103,000 in grants since 1998, according to Media Transparency.org. $40k came from the Roe Foundation (North Carolina) and $48K from the Jaqueline Hume Foundation (San Francisco), with another $15K from the JM Foundation (Madison Ave., NYC). The Ethan Allen Institute bills itself as “nonpartisan,” but I’ve never heard its president support any idea that came from the Democrats. (He’s a dyed in the wool Republican: ran for governor as an R, worked for Ronnie Reagan’s administration, just for two examples.) And I’ve never heard anybody but its president and perhaps his wife Ann, the secretary-treasurer, ever say or write anything identified with the Ethan Allen Institute.
In typically dismissive and snide terms, he argues that legislators do not deserve the same deal as the executive branch because
they just want to be spared the expense, inconvenience and political danger of being held accountable by their voters every two years.
How is this not applicable to the executive branch?
I could manage a grudging acceptance of four-year terms only if the legislature got the same deal; otherwise it stacks the deck way over in the Gov’s column and leads to the inevitable influencing of local campaigns (like that doesn’t happen now) on the non-gubernatorial election years.
Can’t help but wonder what, if anything, the state Democratic Committee might do with this question. Notably both Madeline Kunin and Phil Hoff support four-year terms for the governor.
On the other hand, during the recount for State Auditor, I chatted with a Republican Party activist who agreed with me. (Uh-oh)
Bottom line: I’m with Frank Bryan, although I don’t often agree with him, and he wrote a book with John McClaughry. Don’t gut Vermont grass roots democracy!
NanuqFC