CARNAHAN MAKES STRIDES IN HIS 100 DAYS

Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan reached his 100th day in office recently, but the anniversary went almost unnoticed because of the press of business, an uncertain legislative session and a seemingly unending supply of new and recurring state problems. Still, after only 100 days into his first term in office, Missouri's 49th governor had cause to reflect, if only briefly, on several areas of achievement.

This governor, like his two immediate predecessors, has felt the pressure of outside forces impinging on state government and its attempt to meet the specific needs of some 5.1 million citizens. Just three days before he was to take office, Carnahan was made aware of still another court making sweeping changes in what at one time was considered an independent and sovereign state government. Cole County Circuit Judge Byron Kinder handed down a ruling that struck down the state's long-outmoded school foundation formula, ordering that it comply with the constitutional requirement of equal treatment for all. The ruling was long overdue.

Carnahan's immediate predecessors had felt the impact of federal court rulings that, in effect, placed the cash reserves of the state's general revenue fund at the disposal of school officials in both St. Louis and Kansas City. The man who turned the keys of government over to Carnahan, John Ashcroft, had been forced to deal with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling outlawing state taxation of federal pensions, precipitating still another financial crisis that resulted in still another tax increase for Missourians.

It seems to be the nature of state government these days that one crisis follows another, so perhaps it was not surprising that Carnahan, even before he could take the oath of office, should begin his term with still another court-mandated order that just about everyone recognizes will command additional millions from assorted taxpayers every year. The governor has dealt with this latest problem in the best manner he can, proposing a solution that has nevertheless garnered numerous critics, many of whom are guided by fear of constituent retaliation. The fears are not unjustified, for taxpayers do take retribution, especially from those who look beyond next year's elections. The governor says he believes his solution is merited, even if it does require sacrifice from a certain segment of the general public, and we would concur with that view.

A lawyer by trade and a politician by heritage, Carnahan moves deliberately, not a bad trait in an office with so much power even if it does make him the butt of politicians' jokes on occasion. Few Missourians have been as well prepared for the responsibilities and headaches of the executive office as Carnahan, who has held offices in both the executive and legislative branches of state government and understands how each functions and should function.

The cloud on the horizon during the governor's first 100 days in office was an agenda in this legislative session that would even frighten workaholics. This year's General Assembly had far too much work on its plate on the first day of the session, and the menu has only grown since January. There is little likelihood of finishing this agenda before the session must adjourn May 14, and this creates a problem that is the bane of anyone interested in good government. Legislative leadership can only accomplish so much, and no more, and with the kind of calendars still facing both the Senate and the House, Carnahan will be confronted with accepting the incomplete work of a regular session or calling legislators back to the Capitol for a special session. Neither is appealing, giving the governor the worst of both worlds.

Carnahan's appointments to key state posts have been good, some exceptional, a fact that ought to be reassuring to citizens who feared Democrats might return to the old days when they owned Jefferson City lock, stock and barrel. If anything, Carnahan is less partisan than his immediate predecessor, who skillfully presented an image of independence and privately practiced partisanship with the skill of a ward heeler. Carnahan seems more interested in achieving results than wounding his political enemies, a trait that does not endear him to party regulars but which better serves the state and all of its citizens. One, however, should not confuse Mel Carnahan's slow drawl as a sign of weakness; he is quite prepared to fight with every resource at his command for programs and projects he deems essential for the progress of Missouri.

The reassurance of these first 100 days is that this governor has demonstrated a willingness to take political risks for the public's benefit. Not a bad start in anyone's book.