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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, December 3, 2002

EDITORIAL
Governor gets right to work at inaugural

Highlights of yesterday's Linda Lingle inauguration address (RealPlayer required): High bandwidth, low bandwidth
 •  Full text of Lingle's inauguration speech

Gov. Linda Lingle got right to work yesterday with an inaugural speech that was less celebration of a historic victory than a tough-talking outline of how things are going to be different around the State Capitol as of right now.

With four predecessor governors sitting before her in the Capitol Rotunda, Lingle made it clear that she intends to run the state in her style and by her standards.

She stuck closely to the major themes of her "New Beginning" campaign platform in staking our priority positions on education, economic improvement and "restoring integrity" to government.

While Lingle offered graceful acknowledgement to outgoing Gov. Cayetano and his administration, she minced no words in declaring her belief that government in Hawai'i has lost touch with the people it serves.

Under her watch, Lingle promised, people can expect "better service with a better attitude toward our community. We must earn back the respect of the people of Hawai'i," she added.

Lingle was equally tough in her remarks about cronyism, which she suggested was a hallmark of predecessor administrations.

"There will be zero tolerance for rewarding friends and punishing enemies," she said. "That kind of mentality has created a culture of mediocrity."

At this moment, she said, anyone who cares about Hawai'i and wants to contribute is a "friend of this administration." It will be interesting to see how that invitation plays out in practice, as the thousands of contractors and providers who have worked with Democratic administrations for the past 40 years line up for a share of work to be dealt out by this new Republican administration.

One particularly intriguing political point Lingle made had to do with state-county relations. While much has been made of the fact that she is Hawai'i's "first" woman governor, or Jewish governor, or Republican governor since statehood, she said, the real news is that she is the first county mayor to become governor.

She promised the four county mayors listening to her speech that there will be more power-sharing, more collaboration, between the state and counties than ever before.

This will be a difficult task because the road to this kind of collaboration runs directly through a state legislature still dominated by Democrats jealous of their power and responsibility. But Lingle knows this, as she smilingly acknowledged in an aside to Senate President Robert Bunda and House Speaker Calvin Say.

Hawai'i's business community had to be smiling, too, after the governor's speech. She promised a new attitude toward business that, she argued, has too often been treated as the "bad guy" by state government.

"The 'Open for Business' sign has been turned on," she declared.

Lingle made the obvious point that caring for the weak, the helpless and the poor cannot happen without a strong, successful economy. The state will be watching to make sure she maintains that promise to keep compassion as important a guiding principle as producing economic growth.

In all, Lingle delivered a clear, straightforward recap of her major campaign themes and a promise to begin the awesome task of leadership with enthusiasm, optimism and hope. She reminded her audience that the people of Hawai'i will not tolerate petty bickering or excessive partisanship.

That's a message we hope the Legislature will hear. It is one this new Republican administration must keep constantly in mind as well.