Published: January 09, 2009 01:57 pm      

ELLIS COLUMN: Frankfort atmosphere seems to have changed

But is it genuine and will it last?

FRANKFORT — After Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, unseated the longest-serving speaker of the House in Kentucky on Tuesday, things at least look different in the state capitol. The question is: Are they?

Even after new committee assignments were announced Friday morning, assignments that Stumbo characterized as unsurprisingly political and which removed some long-time chairs who didn’t support him, everyone was at least publicly acting graciously and sounding conciliatory. Whether those sentiments are real and whether they last remains to be seen. “Time will tell,” said Rep. Charlie Miller, D-Louisville.

Stumbo, the controversial former majority leader and attorney general, took out Jody Richards, D-Bowling Green, who Stumbo helped install in 1995. But that’s not all that appears to have changed in just three days. The biggest power shift is the removal of Harry Moberly, D-Richmond, as House Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman in favor of Rick Rand, D-Bedford.

Moberly has clashed in recent sessions with Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark, D-Okolona, who was easily re-elected and supported Stumbo. But if (when?) the House finds itself in contentious budget negotiations with the Republican Senate and its savvy, combative president, David Williams, R-Burkesville, some are likely to wish Moberly were still in charge of the budget.

The reason is Moberly’s budget expertise and willingness to take on Williams made it harder for Williams to impose his will. No one thinks Stumbo is afraid to take Williams on – but will he prefer to a deal to fighting over good policy or principle? Moberly isn’t above some provincial interests; he’s a vice president at Eastern Kentucky University which seems to pose a conflict and he can be high-handed at times. But he knows the state budget better than anyone in the House, many would say better than anyone in Frankfort. And his passion for education and the less fortunate is genuine. Rand, the new budget chairman, is facing an exceptionally difficult budget situation. Moberly remains on the committee and Friday offered his assistance and experience to Rand.

So far, Stumbo’s rise appears to have lowered the contentiousness between the House, the Senate and Gov. Steve Beshear. A meeting of legislative leaders with the governor Thursday produced a “we’re all in this together and working together” assessment from Beshear, Stumbo and Williams. Williams and other Republican leaders believe they can deal with Stumbo more easily than with Richards – not because they are in full agreement on issues but because they think Stumbo can deliver.

Senate Democrats seem hopeful as well. They felt abandoned during the last legislative re-districting by Democrats in the House and it still rankles some of them. And Sen. Ray Jones, D-Pikeville, said Thursday there wasn’t a lot of communication and cooperation between Richards’ House and Senate Democrats. He expects that to improve under Stumbo. And there seems at least an even chance during this first week that the two chambers are determined not to engage in turf wars of the past two sessions when each chamber held the other’s bills until the other passed its own bills.

Still it might be wise to take a wait-and-see approach before concluding the wrangling and political posturing has ended. As Miller said: “Time will tell.”

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com.