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Second To One

The office of lieutenant governor is an easy target--especially in tough budget times.

Lieutenant governors are a bit like the character Kramer in the TV sitcom "Seinfeld." They have nice digs and more than enough money to live on, but nobody is quite sure what they do for a living. All in all, that's a good spot to be in--at least until state budgets get tight.

Ask Steve Henry, the lieutenant governor of Kentucky. In March lawmakers slashed Henry's $1.5 million account, taking away his state mansion, chef, housekeeper and security detail. Henry, who made national headlines in 2000 by marrying Miss America, made an easy target. Not only is he a stranger around the capitol but he doesn't have much to do when he goes there. Lieutenant governors in Kentucky used to be power players in the state Senate, but since a constitutional amendment passed in 1992 they don't even get to hold the gavel during debates. "His duty in Kentucky is to be on death watch in case something happens to the governor," says state Senate President David Williams. "Otherwise, he has no obvious function in state government."

Henry isn't the only lieutenant governor getting dumped on these days. In Virginia, Timothy Kaine, a Democrat, had his budget cut two years in a row by a Republican legislature. Now Kaine is considering whether to give up his penthouse office space for cheaper rent. In Georgia, Democrat Mark Taylor is apparently suffering from similar acts of political vengeance. He wielded considerable power in the state Senate until the GOP took over in November for the first time in more than a century. Not only did senators vote to cut Taylor's budget by 60 percent, but they also stripped him of his two greatest legislative powers: to appoint committee members and refer bills to committees.

Lieutenant governors make convenient punching bags because they are in such an awkward spot. They sit so close to power, just one heartbeat away from the governor's office. Yet their official duties are often so undefined that one can't help but wonder just what they do all day. This can make the job frustrating and unsatisfying. In 1981, Illinois Lieutenant Governor Dave O'Neal got so bored that he quit. Eight states see the lieutenant governor position as so useless that they don't even have one. In these states--Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wyoming-- succession passes to the secretary of state or Senate president instead.

To keep lieutenant governors busy, some states task them with specific chores. Presiding over the Senate is a common one, as is breaking tie votes. But in many states, the job's duties and powers, whether strong or weak, flow directly from the governor. This only adds to the job's ambiguity and makes it easier to poke fun of them. Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner did just that in her state of the state address this year while talking about a recent drought. "In Delaware," she said, "weather is the responsibility of the lieutenant governor."

Often, however, it's the lieutenant governor who gets the last laugh. Quite a few current governors used the No. 2 job as a stepping-stone to get where they are today, including California's Gray Davis, Texas' Rick Perry and Kentucky's Paul Patton. And in some states, lieutenant governors truly are power brokers, whether in public or behind the scenes. For example, Joe Kernan in Indiana also heads the state's commerce department and serves as agriculture commissioner. No one in Indianapolis accuses Kernan, who muscled an ambitious tax reform package through the legislature last year, of twiddling his thumbs.

The same could be said for Carol Molnau, Minnesota's new lieutenant governor. Molnau, who has experience with transportation issues, is doubling as the state's transportation commissioner. Not only does the additional duty keep her busy but it also saves the state an additional $108,000 salary. "I'm the kind of person who doesn't do well being a knick-knack," Molnau said shortly after her inauguration. "I need to make a difference. I think all lieutenant governors, however they serve, they find their niche."

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