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04/29/2007
Political opportunity abounds at conference
TRAVERSE CITY — If California's Arnold Schwarzenegger and Michigan's Jennifer Granholm are the only U.S. governors you can name, you're not alone. Other than Schwarzenegger, both Molly Agostinelli and Diana Ketola, the respective chairwomen of the Grand Traverse County Republican and Democratic parties, had a hard time naming a governor they'd like to meet during this summer's National Governors Association meeting. Though the current crop of governors may lack star power, politicians and pundits agree the event is important to the region and state. "Having 40 governors in one place is a potential powerhouse of political opportunity,” said Nathan Gonzales, political editor for the Rothenberg Political Report, a non-partisan Washington, D.C.-based political newsletter. "It's a unique opportunity that not every town gets.” Hosting the National Governors Association annual meeting will help Michigan officials highlight issues such as those affecting the Great Lakes, said U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. "Allowing the governors to experience the beauty of this area and learn about these issues firsthand will assist in building the relationships needed to pass critically important legislation to restore the Great Lakes,” Levin said. Unlike the 2006 summer meeting, during which governors such as Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee kick-started their presidential bids with press conferences and political events, just one presidential candidate, Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, is a sitting governor. Richardson's office said he's not planning to attend the event in Traverse City. The 2008 presidential field contains five former governors, so political pundits said it's safe to assume some of the 2007 attendees will have 2012 presidential aspirations. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, the chairwoman of the National Governors Association, was mentioned as a possible vice presidential running mate in 2004. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is co-chairmain of U.S. Sen. John McCain's presidential exploratory committee and is considered a possible vice presidential candidate. Gonzales said Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is considered someone to watch if 2008 shows a woman can be a viable presidential candidate, while others with national office potential include: Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine; Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter; South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford; and New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer. "A lot of them are relative unknowns outside of their own constituency, but that's part of the fun of it,” Gonzales said. Should any of the 2007 gubernatorial visitors ascend to the presidency or a cabinet position, their familiarity with the area can pay dividends down the road, said Sage Eastman, communications director for U.S. Rep. Dave Camp. "It's better if they have been there and experienced (the area) firsthand than to be reading about it in a memo,” he said. "Does that mean you get everything you want? No, but it's important to building relationships.” Twenty years ago the rising star who came to the annual governors meeting was its chairman, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, who would be elected president five years later. "He was an up-and-coming governor and he was just charming,” said Lynn Larson of Traverse City, who met Clinton as a conference volunteer. Democrats said they are not planning any events for the visiting governors, but local Republicans are talking about it. "We may have a cocktail party for (Republican governors) as a welcoming thing, just showing them the bay,” Agostinelli said. Even if there is not a future president or cabinet member among this year's attendees, Gonzales said Republicans still have some "bigger-than-life governors” such as Schwarzenegger and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee and adviser to President Ronald Reagan. And Schwarzenegger's office said he is considering attending the summer meeting, but for security reasons his decision won't be released until 24 hours before the conference.
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