Tell Crist and Gelber No Special Session For Politics

We certainly agree with Mr. Crist and Mr. Gelber that anti-corruption laws need to be strengthened. But we can't embrace the idea of hauling legislators back to Tallahassee this year to do it in a special session. Politics and precedent argue against it.

Mr. Crist has made a dramatic break from the Republican Party to try to salvage his U.S. Senate campaign. A call now from the governor for the GOP-led Legislature to prove its commitment to fighting corruption would be considered a political stunt. Mr. Crist and Republican leaders might waste time trying to outmaneuver each other instead of collaborating on the most effective ways to crack down.

And Mr. Gelber is a Democrat running for attorney general. That would add another distracting political subtext to a special session on corruption.

Lawmakers did pass at least one anti-corruption bill — from a Democratic rival of Mr. Gelber's for attorney general, Sen. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres — that would let counties hike penalties for official misconduct. The Legislature should have done more, but it also neglected other critical issues.

Lawmakers didn't get started on slowing the unsustainable increase in the state's Medicaid program. They didn't impose a surcharge on cigarettes that would have raised tens of millions of badly needed dollars for health care. They didn't increase the state's commitment to renewable energy.

If special sessions were called every time the Legislature failed to act on important issues, its part-time members might never get out of Tallahassee.

Special sessions should be reserved for the most pressing matters. Last year legislators had little choice but to meet in one special session to close a huge budget gap that had opened up in midyear. They also were smart to meet in another to approve state funding for commuter rail ahead of a deadline to qualify for a federal high-speed rail grant.

As important as it is to target official misconduct, it doesn't rise to the same urgency. And a special session on corruption in a highly-charged election-year atmosphere could turn into a political circus.

We urge whoever succeeds Mr. Crist as governor next year to take up this crusade and press the passage of good ideas, including some from Mr. Gelber. We — and Florida's 20 state attorneys — especially like his bill that would make it a crime for officials to hide their financial interest in something they vote on.

By the time of the next regular legislative session, the election will be over, and the new governor will be setting the tone for his or her administration. The timing will be much better for making real headway on cleaning up government in Florida.
Copyright © 2010, Orlando Sentinel
source:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-ethics-special-session-050610-20100505,0,2293589,print.story