By Gina Jordan
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-932267.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Tuesday's election could result in a complete turnover of the Florida Cabinet. All four executive branch offices are up for grabs, with no incumbents running for re-election. Gina Jordan talked with an outgoing Cabinet member and a political scientist about what this means for Florida and whether term limits should be reconsidered.
Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson is leaving office in January. He notes that replacing the full Cabinet hasn't happened since government was formed in the state of Florida.
"We could have all four people brand new, and they better find some good staff because there are some big issues that come before that Cabinet. I know, I've been there for nine and a half years, and they're very important to the people of the state of Florida. So, yes, this could be new ground."
The Florida Cabinet is made up of the Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, and Agriculture Commissioner. It's chaired by the Governor. CFO Alex Sink will return to the Cabinet if she defeats Rick Scott in the Governor's race. If she loses, there will be a whole new crop of decision makers on the panel. Dr. Carol Weissert is a professor of political science at Florida State University and Director of the Leroy Collins Institute.
"As a political scientist, we know that expertise is good because these are tough decisions ahead. So I fall on the expertise side. I think it's really important to have people who know what state government does, what the options are and what the constraints are."
Most of the top candidates for these offices have experience in other elected positions. Sometimes, state leaders run for a different office because term limits are forcing them out of their current role. Bronson, a former state Senator who was appointed as Agriculture Commissioner before being twice elected, says he's not sure term limits are working out as the public intended.
"First of all in the state of Florida, we really were going after these forty, fifty year Congressional members that had been hanging on to seats forever. Well, it didn't affect them. It only affected local and state officials."
When leaders leave office, experienced legislative staffers may be leaving with them. Plus, Bronson says lawmakers whose time is running out may not be as concerned about working with other legislators to get things done because they no longer have an agenda.
"I think if the public were to back up and see what happened before and what's happening now, they'll find out that we used to work these issues out a little better back when people had to come back and work them out."
Dr. Weissert says some of the arguments in favor of term limits are that they bring fresh ideas, diversity in leadership and politicians who are more responsive to their constituents than to lobbyists.
"None of that has turned out, not only in Florida, but in other states. We find that a lot of times, term limited legislators have very short attention spans, but also they're looking in the short term kinds of issues rather than long term issues because they're only in office eight years. We find that diversity has not really changed at all, and then we also find that interest groups are just as strong as they ever were. In some sense, they're stronger because they have to really inform these new legislators who don't really know much what's going on."
Weissert doesn't think it's politically feasible to do away with term limits because the public has a romanticized notion that we elect people who want to serve for a short time, give back to the community, then go back to their old jobs. She thinks an extension of those limits might be a good compromise.
"In political science, we used to always say when I taught this issue, we'd say it takes six years really to learn how to introduce legislation, how to deal the mechanics, how to really weigh the kinds of issues to become an expert in a committee so you really know the issues. And in Florida you're on our way out by that time, you're a lame duck."
In an election cycle that has heard arguments against beginners taking office in these tough economic times, Weissert sees a steep learning curve ahead for Florida.