Louisiana state government is filled with unneeded positions that only add to our bloated budget. One perfect example is the office of Lt. Governor. Maybe in good economic times such a ceremonial position can be justified, but not today.  Currently, the state of Louisiana is facing a severe fiscal crisis and Governor Bobby Jindal is proposing significant spending cuts to balance the budget. He is also recommending that the office of Lt. Governor be eliminated, which bolsters the viewpoint of budget reformers who have long advocated that the position is unnecessary. 

Clearly, this is one of the Governor’s best ideas. At one time, the Lt. Governor served as President of the State Senate and performed very important tasks. Over the years, various administrations have pared down the job role description of the Lt. Governor. Today, the office of Lt. Governor has very limited duties and is needless in our state government. Several years ago, the state eliminated the position of Elections Commissioner. The duties of that office were assumed by the Secretary of State and the state of Louisiana did not suffer at all. Similarly, we would survive if we eliminated the Lt. Governor position and the scant duties of that office were transferred to another state office holder.   

To abolish the position, the Louisiana Legislature will have to pass a bill with a two-thirds majority. In preparation for the upcoming session, State Representative Cameron Henry (R-Metairie) is working on legislation which would shut down the entire office of Lt. Governor and divide the few real duties of the position among other state departments. Henry claims that there is strong support from both Democratic and Republican legislators for his bill, which will save taxpayers about $10.5 million per year. The position comes with a handsome salary, a large bureaucracy, and a myriad of costly vehicles and offices.  Unfortunately, the House Speaker Jim Tucker (R-New Orleans) has downplayed the possibility that the bill will pass. He claims that there is not enough support in the Louisiana Legislature and, politically, it makes sense. Legislators do not like eliminating any political positions because they want to keep their own selfish options open. However, if the public gets engaged in this issue and puts enough pressure on the legislators, they will eventually pass the bill. The fate of the bill depends on whether it attracts the attention and vigorous support of the people of Louisiana.    

If the bill passes, the next step is a statewide vote because it will involve an amendment to the state constitution. It will require the approval of the voters, but there is little doubt that a strong majority of voters support abolishing the office of Lt. Governor. For example, in an on-line poll at www.lanewslink.com, 73% of respondents favored the elimination of the office.   

If the duties of Lt. Governor were truly important and substantial, Mitch Landrieu would have been unable to take a leave of absence in the last two mayoral election cycles to run for Mayor of New Orleans. Landrieu has used the office as a platform to campaign for the job he really covets. While Landrieu has not embarrassed the state and has seemingly done a decent job, most tourism officials cannot point to any concrete accomplishments during his tenure. When I asked one local hotel executive what Landrieu had done as Lt. Governor, he said, “I really don’t know.” The same thing can be said about all of the recent politicians to hold the state’s number two position.   

Now that Mitch Landrieu is preparing to take the Mayor’s office, it is the perfect opportunity to consolidate state government and abolish an unnecessary political plum. It will not only save taxpayer money, but it will give politicians one less office to use as a stepping stone to another position.    

While Governor Jindal has expressed interest in abolishing the position, a host of other politicians are lining up to run for the office in the upcoming special election. In fact, two candidates have already announced: St. Tammany Parish President Kevin Davis and Secretary of State Jay Dardenne. The real motivation, of course, is that Bobby Jindal may vacate the Governor’s office early. There is rampant speculation that Jindal may be included in the 2012 GOP ticket as either a presidential or vice-presidential nominee, or that he may follow the lead of Sarah Palin and resign as Governor to embark on the speaking circuit and maximize his national name recognition.  

In reality, the only important responsibility of the Lt. Governor is to wait for the Governor to leave the state or vacate the office. By eliminating the position, the state would be moving, albeit in a small direction, toward more efficient government. It is a good idea, as other states have eliminated the position, so let’s follow their lead. 

In this day and age, when budget deficits are out of control, we need to eliminate any and all superfluous positions in state government and save money for the abused taxpayers. Let’s start by getting rid of the office of Lt. Governor.