Governor must create a vision, then make it real

The next governor of Utah must be able to tell the newly laid-off workers and their spouses how they can have jobs that will pay the mortgage, college tuition for their children and provide affordable health care.

America's position as an economic leader is faltering, and the well-paying jobs are being lost to other nations. Most distressing is that, for the first time, the next generation of Americans may not be better off than the last.

The World Wide Web has leveled the economic playing field. To be successful in creating high-paying jobs now requires that we realign our public education, work-force services and higher education programs into one coherent system.

Gov. Olene Walker recently started that effort. The new governor ought to take the successful policies of past administrations and mold them together so they all focus on making Utah's economy thrive. That requires having a quality work force and an educational system that will create the intellectual capital necessary to compete. Our institutions of higher education — private and public — should be supported in strengthening their research and development capacity to generate new ideas and attract new businesses to the state.

Elected officials often want to leave their legacy, which requires they dump what their predecessors have done and start new programs that can bear their name — America 2000, Goals 2000, School-to-Work, Centennial Schools, Schools for the 21st Century, competency tests and now No Child Left Behind with all its onerous demands for accountability. What is left behind is the bill for the taxpayer to pay for the "improvements" made by the last regime.

The state cannot afford any more legacies.

Successful leaders put policy above ego. The future of our state depends upon it. Let's hope that whoever is our next governor will learn from past successful elected officials that leaders offer hope, inspire and build on accomplishments of the past.

Our next governor needs to think globally and act locally.

Utah is not lacking for talent in the government or private sectors. The job for the next governor will be to build upon successful policies of the past and articulate a clear direction that focuses on how the state can succeed in the new economy in a way that will improve the quality of life for all people.

Least noticed is the Department of Workforce Services, which was renewed by the previous administration. It could serve as the linchpin that can provide data, timely economic information for employers and educators and programs to prepare the needed work force.