Holden sees mixed results in first year as governor

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- There's nothing too unusual about starting the work day between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m., as does Gov. Bob Holden.

Yet come 11 p.m., when many have since headed to bed, Holden says he is still hard at work, reviewing policy positions and sometimes surprising people with late-night business calls.

Much of the work, Holden says, is meant to build coalitions in support of important issues -- to unify a diverse people, as he said was his goal in an inaugural address almost one year ago.

As he looks back on his first year, Holden says, "I was trying to bring all different entities together. Some of these have been conflicts for decades."

Yet for all the effort, Holden's freshman results are somewhat mixed.

A rocky start

Even the governor acknowledges he got off to a rocky start -- throwing an expensive inaugural that he couldn't quickly pay off, proposing a transportation tax plan that broke down in the Senate and taking frequent flights on the state jet that landed more criticism.

Then, too, there were problems he inherited -- a politically divided Legislature with new leaders; a budget shortfall that forced him to scale back his education initiatives and to cut state expenditures again and again.

A mid-year executive order granting unions collective bargaining power on behalf of thousands of state workers did more to divide than unify. The Democratic governor gained favor with part of his political base but infuriated most Republicans and business groups.

But there also were successes -- the enactment of tougher drunken driving laws after years of failed attempts; passage of a women's health initiative with the support of typically adversarial groups; a September special session in which lawmakers gave quick approval to all three items Holden placed before them, including a new prescription drug benefit for low-income senior citizens.

Then, in the midst of the special session, came the Sept. 11 attacks, instantly diminishing old priorities and raising security concerns to the top of the agenda.

Holden, by many assessments, responded in gubernatorial fashion. He hired a state "homeland security" adviser and permanently tightened security at the Capitol and other state offices. He also released money to hire staff at the state health laboratory.

"The spirit of September 11th unity continues, and we will try to preserve it," said one of Holden's chief political opponents, Senate President Pro Tem Peter Kinder, R-Cape Girardeau.

'It was mostly rhetoric'

Yet Kinder rates Holden's first year as slightly below average.

As for Holden's call for unity, "it was mostly rhetoric that he has failed to follow through on, despite an earnest desire to do so," Kinder said.

Political scientist David Webber said many of Holden's problems may have been of his own making -- a result of Holden's desire to be involved in everything.

"He works hard, he really does -- maybe too hard," said Webber, an associate professor at the University of Missouri at Columbia. "I think he would say he's building coalitions, but I would say sometimes you let the coalitions build and come to you."

Holden would have been better off to not put forward a transportation plan, Webber said. After all, it wasn't one of his top campaign issues and had a slim chance of passage. So, too, Holden could have avoided a political firestorm by not trumpeting collective bargaining in his first year, he said.

"Part of seasoned leadership is to know when to lay low," Webber said. "My sense is he doesn't do that. He's always on the move."

Budget backdrop

The upcoming session will hold huge challenges in consensus building.

With a backdrop of a tight budget, Holden plans to advocate urban economic development measures tied to new sports stadiums -- an unpopular idea in many rural areas. He also plans to push a public school accountability plan that already has drawn some criticism from teachers unions and Kinder.

Webber said the stakes are high.

If Holden's efforts are successful, he could be an asset to Democrats running for an unprecedented number of vacant legislative seats forced open because of term limits and redistricting.

If Holden's issues flop, Republicans could have an easier time winning control of the House and expanding their Senate majority -- making for a tough final two years of Holden's term, Webber said.