A lot of people nationwide, including the new leadership in Congress, interpreted last November's election results partly as a mandate for a greater sense of ethics in government. Unfortunately, that message hasn't been heard much from anyone in leadership in Utah. Until Tuesday.
One of the highlights of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s State of the State address Tuesday night was his announcement that he had issued an executive order requiring a two-year "cooling off" period before former state employees can begin lobbying their previous places of work. In addition, he summarily outlawed nepotism in executive branch hiring or contracting, and he asked for a gift ban effective for all executive branch employees.
These are, in many ways, symbolic gestures. The serious lobbying and gift-giving takes place at the Legislature, not within the executive branch. But symbolism is better than nothing at all, and at least the governor has brought the word "ethics" into the lexicon of state governance in 2007, and he provided a good template for House and Senate leaders to follow.
But these were among the few concrete measures Huntsman had to offer Tuesday night in a speech filled with generalities.
Education was another area in which Huntsman had something good to offer. He threw support behind the idea that higher teacher salaries ought to be a top priority. This is a sound idea at a time in which the state is losing many teachers to neighboring states, and when state coffers are brimming with enough funds to significantly boost salaries in order to compete. Some lawmakers have argued convincingly that spending money to reduce class sizes would accomplish little unless enough quality teachers were available. Better compensation would help attract and retain those good teachers.
However, the governor was conspicuously silent on the need to offer greater school choice through vouchers — a measure that finally seems to be gaining traction this year. He campaigned on the need for this but has been strangely silent on it recently.
He also said nothing on the need for a merit-pay system that would reward the best teachers and create incentives to excel. Financial incentives may be important for hiring good math and science teachers. But without greater systems of accountability and competition, the state won't be nudging education performance in the right direction.
His proposal to lift the cap on the Children's Health Insurance Program is worthy of praise, as was his mention of the need to help the working poor obtain medical care, something his proposed budget would provide.
This promises to be a session driven by philosophical ideas on things from tax reform to transportation. That happens when enough money is available to fund lots of things. The governor did indeed hit some strong chords Tuesday night, but he could have done more to push some meaningful changes in education.