THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

I am one of those who have long contended that the Governor of Rhode Island is one of the least powerful governors across the nation. It evolved that way through the quirks of Rhode Island governance. That said, I do think there is a strong role for any Rhode Island governor who can master the bully pulpit.

It is certain that any executive who is not given the full power to execute stands at a distinct disadvantage, but there are many ways to minimize that handicap. The idea is to reach out to the people.

We have a tradition of governors in recent times that have played ball with the legislature to get along. Some enter the office full of vim and vigor and actively seek to confront the problems facing the state only to be put into place or otherwise get beaten down by the existing power structure.

The large problem here is that these governors are forced to operate in a political system governed by political parties. The old saying that you have to dance with the one who ‘brung’ you is most appropriate.

While there is a need to operate in such a manner there will never be a true governance in conformance with the needs of the state and the desires of the people. To rectify this there needs to be a reasoned, if not complete, abandonment of political party politics and use the office to go directly to the people of the state.

Of course, this requires an informed population, an issue I discussed in earlier writings. The people, if given all the facts, are much more likely to either support or reject any particular issue. The Rhode Island people, I contend, are only ignorant of state affairs; they are not simply stupid when it comes to government.

If one is not given a complete picture, one must utilize the facts one has in reaching a conclusion. Thus, an ill-informed or un-informed population is the greatest enemy to an impotent governor.

To fully empower the governor, the governor must act in a manner that makes governance translucent if not completely transparent. There is, in my view, a place for state secrets, but that place should be severely limited. All public business should be conducted openly and with a constant eye to informed disclosure to the people.

If that is ever attained, then a governor can seek the assistance of the people in supporting programs that may be different from those of the legislature and the judiciary. Until then, a governor is merely spitting into the wind.

The people will support a policy that is in their best interest over special interests when it is clearly demonstrated that the special interests are damaging the society. It is not real rocket science.

Therefore, the first step for any governor is to free himself or herself from the binding ties of politics. The second step is to seek a complete and simplified disclosure of the matters of state. And the third step is to bring the people around through the use of constant public discussion of issues.

This requires much heavy lifting. Most find the path of least resistance to be a far easier course to follow, but it is not what the people need to fill such a weak office. The people need a visionary that is willing to work to fully educate the population and then seek their support.

In the future I will discuss the more technical aspects of the Executive branch and explore in more detail my concept of what a Rhode Island governor should be doing in light of the office’s position compared to the other two branches of government.