Political Body Slam
At least CTA knows what to expect from its new governor. Pity truckers in Minnesota. The state has not been the butt of so many jokes since the movie Fargo came out. The mirth is directed at the voters’ choice for their new governor, political neophyte and former pro wrestler Jesse “The Body” Ventura. But more about Jesse later.
CTA’s choice of whom to support was largely influenced by the attorney general’s actions in the Proposition 65 lawsuit brought by environmentalists against four major grocery stores in Los Angeles. “Mr. Lungren engineered the lawsuit,” said CTA Executive Vice President Joel Anderson. What really rankled CTA was Mr. Lungren’s insensitivity. Trucking is a major employer and a political force in the state, and Mr. Lungren didn’t give CTA the courtesy of a heads-up before filing the suit or even call afterward. “That lack of contact with voters hallmarked the Lungren campaign,” Mr. Anderson said.
Mr. Davis, on the other hand, inspired warm, fuzzy feelings in the business community. “He ran like a Republican, almost,” Mr. Anderson said. “You would have sworn that you were hearing the Ronald Reagan of 20 years ago.”
At least Mr. Anderson and CTA members know their guy — Mr. Davis was California’s lieutenant governor. Imagine MTA President John Hausladen’s dismay when a pop-culture figure popped out of political nowhere to win Minnesota’s top office. “No one knows this governor,” a somewhat frustrated Mr. Hausladen said. “He was not involved in any political discussions prior to the election. The usual political network is not there. We don’t even know how to establish a relationship with this fellow.”
About the only trucking-related fact that MTA knows about Mr. Ventura is his opposition to tolls and to HOV lanes. During his campaign, Mr. Ventura said he wants to open up the state’s only HOV lane — on I-394 in the Twin Cities — to regular traffic.
One thing is certain, Mr. Hausladen said: “It’s going to change our lobbying style. We’re going to bring our Ma and Pa companies with us when we lobby Gov. Ventura. We don’t think this administration will be as responsive to suits as he will be to real live truckers.”
The Minnesota elections were not a complete bust for trucking. Lost in all the hoopla is the fact that Republicans took partial control of the state Legislature for the first time in 20 years. “This has far more positive policy implications than does the change in the governorship,” Mr. Hausladen said. “Now we have a tripartite system. We have a Reform governor, a Democratic Senate and a GOP House. If you want to kill something, this is a perfect environment to do so, because there is a potential for legislative stalemate.”
MTA has one advantage. The new government will take some time to get organized, and MTA already has its legislative agenda in place. Members sat down earlier this fall at a two-day “MTA Congress” and hammered out priorities in safety, demand management and highway construction.
“As an industry, we’ve been pretty good at saying no, but we’ve not been good at saying what we want,” Mr. Hausladen said. “This (MTA) Congress was a chance to lay out a vision of what we want.”
He said elimination of the state’s authority to toll roads is at the top of the list. “It’s a real hot button issue for both us and the governor-elect. We don’t want to have what’s happening in Little Rock with tolls happen to us here.”
MTA also wants to raise public awareness of the need to increase the money spent on bridge repairs and to try to repeal the sales tax on replacement of capital equipment.
With a new governor who supports tax cuts, MTA might be on the road to legislative success. At worst, expect political stalemate.
In California, meanwhile, it will be interesting to see whether Gov. Davis keeps his pro-business persona or sheds his moderate skin and evolves into a more liberal incarnation, much as Bill Clinton did after campaigning for president as a moderate.
