That’s because 2003 finds states facing mandatory smallpox preparations, stubbornly sluggish economies and their worst financial mess in six decades.
Not in a celebrating mood anymore? Neither are most of the nation’s 36 newly elected or re-elected governors. Looming layoffs and budget cutbacks–coupled with citizen angst over continuing terrorism threats–mean neither the nation’s voters nor the voted-in are up for a redux of the lavish political galas of recent years.
So it seems this year’s crop of inaugural festivities will be just a bit less festive than usual.
“The issue is not whether we could raise the money [to match previous inaugural celebrations],” explains Todd Harris, a spokesman for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. “It’s more a desire to keep the events more representative of the times we’re in.”
South Carolina’s Governor-elect Mark Sanford will trade his inaugural ball for a barbeque. Governor-elect Rod Blagojevich of Illinois will also make a barbeque the centerpiece of his inaugural festivities, as will Gov. Gray Davis of California: his sub-million-dollar budget and scaled-down event list seem light years away from the three-day, star-heavy Golden State shindig of four years ago.
New York Gov. George Pataki also rang in his third term earlier this week with a low-key affair that was a far cry from the celebrity-studded gala that heralded his first term. The 1995 Pataki extravaganza featured a sports-arena setting, a laser light show and a lavish ball with no fewer than 13,000 guests. The 2003 Pataki inaugural was held on a frigid Albany Tuesday. It featured a Catholic mass, a simple swearing-in in a state auditorium and a slimmed-down nighttime affair with fewer than a thousand guests and nary an A-list celeb in sight.
In Connecticut, Gov. John Rowland plans to replace the traditional gala with an open house featuring free coffee.
Even Nevada, a state never shy about piling on the glitz, has signed on to the new austerity. Gov. Kenny Guinn has scrapped that state’s inaugural ball this year in favor of a weekday luncheon.
“This is a first year in a long time we’re not having a ball here in Nevada,” says Guinn spokesman Greg Bortolin. “But in light of the economy and where we’re at as a state and a nation right now, we thought it might be a better idea to keep it low-key.”
Ohio will celebrate Gov. Bob Taft’s inauguration only half as much as it did four years ago. The budget for this year’s festivities is 50 percent what it was in 1999; so is the calendar of events.
Citing “challenging times,” Minnesota Governor-elect Tim Pawlenty unveiled inaugural-week plans he described as “modest and appropriate for a nation that is at war and [in] recession.”
In Rhode Island, Governor-elect Don Carcieri will continue a newly established state tradition by foregoing a ball for a “block party.”
Deciding to return to a much older state tradition, Governor-elect Phil Bredesen of Tennessee plans to scrap the traditional high-profile guest list for his inaugural celebration. Just like Andrew Jackson, he’s asked regular state residents to stop by his Jan. 18 inaugural event, billed as a “modest celebration” of Tennessee.
And down in the Sunshine State, Gov. Jeb Bush will celebrate with a less than action-packed inaugural celebration. Instead of multiple formal balls across the state, a single, slimmed-down “Black Tie and Blue Jeans” affair will be held in Tallahassee. Ticket prices have been reduced or eliminated altogether; so have many events.
“The economy is not doing as well as it was four years ago, and there are other concerns,” says Bush spokesman Todd Harris. “So this time around, there was a desire to scale things back.”
