The Arkansas Governor

Power and Politics

“Strictly limited powers”• 1874 Constitution:

– Two-year term … – Meager salary … specified in Constitution, but adjusted by inflation on an

annual basis– http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=207914– The salary of the Governor of Arkansas in 2012: $86,890. He also gets to

live in the Governor’s Mansion, is provided with an automobile and driver, and has various expense accounts, such as for food and entertaining. So, despite the relatively low salary, he can live pretty well. Governor Huckabee was renown for accepting “life style” gifts, such as tailored clothing for he and his wife, a bass boat, etc.

– Divided executive powers … he shares power with other elected executives (like Secretary of State, Atty. Gen., etc.)

– Veto that could be overridden by a simple majority of each house of the General Assembly

Changes

• By 1986, Governor was given 4-year term of office• But term limits makes his second term a “lame duck” term …

may be a lot of jockeying for the nomination by others during the second term … watch the Attorney General & Lt. Governor especially

• Governor’s salary has improved, but still remains second lowest in the nation … now about $87K

• Veto override remains unchanged, but … his veto is rarely overridden

• There is a great gap between formal power and actual influence … the Governor of Arkansas is a formidable political/governmental leader

Roles of the Arkansas Governor• Super Legislator … he spends a lot of time with staff preparing for a legislative

session• Typically that is every two years … but Arkansas voters recently voted annual

sessions• First and foremost is the budget … the Legislative Council starts the process of

budget hearings before the election … which, with an incoming Governor, might not be very helpful

• The Governor provides policy leadership too … this is the natural locus of policy leadership since the Governor possesses expertise, unity, popularity and media focus

• Of course the legislature is an obstacle to this … so compromise must be sought• Even Mike Huckabee passed 90 percent of his policy programs into law (except

in 2003)… and he was dealing with a Democratic legislature … • Even higher success rates in special sessions …

The Governor’s Preferences tend to prevail …

• Even though the Governor’s bills receive no special priority treatment in either house

• But … he selects effective legislators to sponsor his legislation

• He has a veto power that typically has been a strong one (Huckabee had 10 of 16 overridden, but typically the rate is 1-2 percent overrides)

• Sometimes sponsors want a bill vetoed … placating constituent with bad policy

• He has many informal powers that compensate for the lack of formal ones

Party Politics and the Governor• There has been a rise of partisanship in the relationship between the Governor

and the General Assembly in Arkansas• For instance, in 1997, the legislature took 60 percent of the capital improvement

funds away from Governor Huckabee … it is hard to go back again to the old way• Huckabee contributed to this by raising money and campaigning for his party’s

legislative candidates against incumbent Democrats … but he was not very successful

• Huckabee had trouble finding enough Republicans to appoint to over 500 positions on boards and commissions

• The Governor is a popular figure statewide … and has much greater public recognition than legislators … that give him some additional clout in dealing with the legislature

• Recent Governors have been willing to “go to the people” through the Initiative and Referendum” process to pass major policies … soda pop tax for Medicaid; Huckabee’s interstate highway project; Tobacco money …

The Arkansas Governor is Chief Administrator of State Government

• But he has several independent or near independent commissions that can thwart him and his policies … like Game & Fish; Highway Commission

• His supervisory control includes power of the budget and his power to hold directors accountable … either formally or informally

• 1971, Act 38 attempted to consolidate 60 agencies into 13 … somewhat successfully

• Huckabee tried to reduce the number of agencies to 10 … but he was unsuccessful

• The Attorney General is a possible challenger to the Governor …– lots of them seek the Governor’s office, – they present their own legislative program, – they issue “advisory” opinions about the legality of the actions of other governmental

actors, and– they are probably the “best known” executive other than the Governor– Most likely the AG will jockey for position so he can run when the Governor’s term is up.

Governors handle emergencies …

• It cost Clinton his office in 1980, emergencies abounded … like tornadoes, drought, national recession, nuclear power spill, the Titan II disaster, and influx of Cuban refugees … damaged his reputation for dealing with emergencies effectively

• He has a $500,000 emergency fund• Personal crises might affect his popularity … or

result in conviction (like Tucker in 1997)• Huckabee had numerous ethics challenges … mostly

over gifts given to him or Janet

Other Roles• Governor is a national intermediary• He is a promoter of economic health• He is a symbol of the state• Governors typically poll a lot … and may fashion policy according

to polls• The Governor has a staff of 60-70 people to handle policy

development, agency liaison, constituent/intergovernmental relations, appointments, correspondence, press contacts, review requests for pardons/paroles, etc.

• When Clinton came back after being defeated in 1980, he said that he had not understood the importance of an effective staff … “good at government …[and] good at making people feel good.”

Salaries of Arkansas Statewide Executive Officials

• Governor: $86,890• Lt. Gov.: $41,896• Atty. Gen.: $72,408• Sect. State: $54,305• Treasurer: $54,305• Auditor: $54,305• Land Com.: $54,305• Chief Justice: $156,864