To solve Oregon’s problems, next governor must restore competency
A series of major mistakes by state agencies has shaken confidence in government and shown the need for skilled leadership
Oregon’s next governor will face a deeply divided state. The division runs deeper than political affiliations, views on contentious issues or an urban or rural Oregon address. Oregonians are losing faith in the competency of their state government.
Delayed unemployment checks. A bungled rent relief program. Overlooked claims. Antiquated computer systems. Unbudging homelessness. Intractable crime rates. Senseless fentanyl deaths. Oregonians share a despair over the state of the state. They see their leaders as somewhere between insensitive and inept.
In addition to appealing to their political base in this election, gubernatorial candidates should assure Oregonians they have the skill and the will to run the state competently. Gubernatorial competence is not the typical measuring stick by which candidates are measured. In 2022, it should be. At the first gubernatorial debate, the subject of gubernatorial competence went unmentioned and unaddressed.
Bashing Kate Brown won’t cut it. She’s not on the ballot. Trying to paint an opponent as a Kate Brown clone is a deflection from the core question: What specifically will you do as governor to make state government perform better?
Running state government is not a walk in the park. State government consists of 200 or so state agencies ranging from the Agriculture Department to the Oregon Youth Authority. State officials deal with roads, public health and prisons. The governor appoints directors for some agencies like the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs and nominates citizens to boards that oversee other state agencies like the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission. The Secretary of State, State Treasury and Bureau of Labor & Industries are run by other elected officials. The governor cooperates with local officials and interacts with federal officials.
Governing Oregon is not a job for novices. It is a job that requires broad knowledge of what government does and demonstrated skill at managing a complex, disparate organization. Oregonians who fit that dual description don’t usually choose to run for governor. And the electoral process doesn’t automatically promote candidates with at least one of those attributes.
The three leading gubernatorial candidates in this election – Christine Drazan, Betsy Johnson and Tina Kotek – all possess an understanding of state government and the issues state agencies address. However, none of the three can claim experience managing a large, complex organization. That’s why it’s essential for voters and the news media to ask the candidates how they will make state government run better.
It’s not an easy question to answer. But here are some suggestions on topics that touch on the issue of gubernatorial competency:
Upgrading State Government Technology Infrastructure. This may not be sexy, but it would address a common excuse for why a program tanks or citizen benefits are delayed. Large businesses routinely upgrade their business infrastructure, and so should state government. This is a day-one priority for the next governor. She will submit her budget to the 2023 legislature and should insist that a technology investment package is approved and funded by lawmakers as quickly as possible. The governor needs to stay on top of the improvements to ensure unavoidable problems are addressed and firm deadlines are met. A reasonable measure of success and, therefore, competence, would be documented evidence that Oregonians anywhere in the state can access state services conveniently and reliably.
Selecting Competent State Executives. No governor can run the state by themselves. They need competent lieutenants to carry out policy, troubleshoot problems and get results. It is fair to ask gubernatorial candidates how and where they will look for competent lieutenants. Successful Oregon governors also have had strong staffs that support them, give them sound advice and tell them when they are off base. Candidates should be able to identify who they will surround themselves with when they move into the governor’s office, as well as how they will listen to advice from their staff, state agency heads and citizens. A governor’s competence should be reflected in the men and women they select for their team.
Identifying One or Two Core Issues. Governors must deal with a wide array of issues, some of which are crisis situations. But state leaders are often defined as successes or failures based on one or two core issues. The next governor should pick the one or two core issues that she wants to be judged on. So far, Drazan has said she won’t be like Kate Brown. Johnson says she will bring Democrats and Republicans to the table to compromise. Kotek touts her progressive record as House Speaker. Those are political pitches. Voters should push each candidate to identify her core issues, describe her goals and explain how she will achieve those goals. That’s something voters can measure. That’s how you gauge competency.
The Test Case for Competency. There is one issue the winning candidate must face – how to negotiate a successful plan with broad, bistate support to replace the I-5 Columbia River Bridge. Tentative agreement has been reached on a plan, but huge issues remain. How high should the bridge be? How many lanes should it have? How will light rail work on a bistate basis? Who will pay the tolls to pay for the new bridge? The answer to all those questions will shape the future of transportation in Oregon. Take bridge height, for example. The tentative plan calls for a bridge 116 feet tall. The Coast Guard says the bridge must have a 178-foot clearance for ship traffic to pass without a bridge lift. Traffic delays caused by bridge lifts are the most frustrating pain point for commuters who cross the current bridge. The decisions that are needed will require someone with competence to make them and defend them against loud outcries, possibly from their own political supporters.
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Tim, very specific and practical recommendations to improve state government performance. You should have written the column. Thanks for expanding on the thoughts I shared.
Excellent piece. You are exactly right.
My sense is the Gov. Brown has been more focused on policy than performance and has tended to take a "no news is good news" approach to her agency managers. Only when they screw up does she respond.
I'd like to see the next governor (1) task a transition team to set the deliverables for agency managers prior to taking office, (2) require each agency to prepare and provide an audit of current functions, problems and plans for improvement and then (3) convene and lead a cabinet of key agency heads to focus on modernization, performance and prioritization of functions going forward.
As it is now and has been for some time, the governor relies on policy staff to workj with the agencies on their policy goals and defers to the DAS administrator to oversee their performance. That has made execution an afterthought, creating the problems we have now. Agencies are good at telling the budget writers how much more money they need to do X or Y, but few of them pay enough attention to how get things done in new or better ways and how to anticipate and overcome obstacles that should be foreseeable. A new cabinet structure focused on performance as well as policy goals would help. So too would a stronger and more empowered DAS director or a new position dedicated to execution as job one.
Finally, there is no substitute for a governor who meets regularly with agency heads, lets them know the and her team are watching, sets and enforces expectations and demands results.