DEER VALLEY — With an evenly divided Congress and the eventual president lacking a clear mandate, the nation's governors are in a position to flex their collective muscle more than ever before.
"We're going to be aggressive," said Gov. Parris Glendening, D-Md., chairman of the National Governors' Association. "We're going to try to say, 'White House, Congress, it's time for decisions on these things.' "
He included a prescription drug benefit for senior citizens and payments from the nationwide tobacco lawsuit settlement among issues that need immediate attention.
"I don't think anyone in the American public is looking for two years of inaction," Glendening said at a Monday news conference. Glendening is among 15 governors and governors-elect in Utah until Wednesday for the association's biennial seminar for states' new chief executives or "baby governors' school" as he called it.
Five of those attending closed-door meetings at the posh Silver Lake Lodge here were elected last Tuesday. The 10 sitting governors will offer insight into getting a new gubernatorial administration off the ground. Some of the governors were planning to take a ride Tuesday down the bobsled run at the Utah Olympic Park.
Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, a Republican, said he believes there is an opportunity for governors to play a greater role on the national scene. The governors association comes up with bipartisan solutions that Leavitt said are often "shot at from both sides" of the political aisle. But he said he hopes "statesmanship" wins out over the next four years.
Gov. John Engler, R-Mich., said he sees a shift in power and money out of Washington, D.C. "I'd like to see us put many of the governors' agendas on the president's desk," he said.
The George W. Bush-Al Gore deadlock has Republicans and Democrats flying their colors with increased fervor in recent days, giving rise to the notion that the three-day seminar could take on a more partisan flavor.
"Partisanship? I love my Republican governors," Glendening said, turning to embrace Leavitt. "This is so bipartisan it's sickening."
But on a serious note he added, "Obviously there will be some partisan discussions."
Leavitt said the new governors' seminar focuses on "very practical things that do not have partisan root," such as managing a schedule and working with a legislature.
Four of the nation's six new governors are Democrats, giving the party 19 nationwide. There are 29 GOP governors and two independents.
One thing governors say they won't be talking about, at least formally, is the hung-up presidential election.
"We're not here today to address the Electoral College," Engler said. "We'll leave that for another day and another forum."
Glendening said during the news conference that the governors have "passionate views" on the election and that he wants to see a "fair" conclusion. Afterward, Engler, the association's vice chairman, made it clear he thinks Bush is the president-elect.
Perhaps at the end of the week some governors will get into the presidential election scrum in the state at the center of the controversy. The Republican Governors Association's annual meeting is in Tampa, Fla., beginning Thursday.
E-mail: romboy@desnews.com