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By RICHARD TACKETT
Cronkite News Service

PHOENIX (Tuesday, Jan. 26) _ The secretary of state has ascended to the Arizona governor’s office four times in recent decades. Twice, including last year, that’s meant a governor from a different political party.

Secretary of State Ken Bennett says that change of direction is confusing for the public.

“When the people of Arizona elected Janet Napolitano as governor, I think they legitimately wanted her policies to continue for the next four years,” he said.

Bennett said he hopes the latest switch, when Republican Gov. Jan Brewer replaced Napolitano, a Democrat, will help generate enough momentum to rename his office lieutenant governor.

“If we rename the position of secretary of state as lieutenant governor, it would probably help a few more voters understand that that is the position that takes over if the governor is to leave,” he said.

Even more, Bennett wants to see each party’s candidates for governor run as a ticket, something a group assembled by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has recommended.

“Whether we call that second position secretary of state or lieutenant governor I don’t think is nearly as important as the question of do we connect the No. 1 office with the No. 2 office,” Bennett said.

Sen. Jonathan Paton, R-Tucson, has introduced a resolution that would have voters decide whether to change the office of secretary of state, while leaving its duties intact, to lieutenant governor. It doesn’t call for the governor and lieutenant governor to run as a ticket.

“To me it’s the truth-in-advertising aspect that’s the most important thing here,” Paton said.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, which Paton chairs, unanimously endorsed SCR 1013 last week, sending it to the Senate floor by way of the Rules Committee. The panel adopted an amendment offered by Sen. John Huppenthal, R-Chandler, to make the name change take effect in 2015.

According to the National Lieutenant Governors Association, 45 states have a lieutenant governor’s office. About half of those states have the governor and lieutenant governor run as a ticket.

The O’Connor House, a civic discussion group including the former justice, elected officials and other influential Arizonans, has recommended having a governor and lieutenant governor run as a ticket as part of its proposal for reforming state government.

While Bennett, who addressed the committee, recommended amending the bill to have the governor and lieutenant governor run together, Paton said it might be better to deal with that later.

“I think this is something the public is most likely to vote for right now,” Paton said.

The Arizona secretary of state oversees elections, registering lobbyists and administering the Uniform Commercial Code, among other duties.

In 1994, voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot proposition that would have created the post of lieutenant governor as a separate office. Bennett said the idea of simply changing the secretary of state’s title would more appealing.

“I think the only way the people will accept this, if they do, is if we change the name but don’t create any new office or bureaucracy,” he said.

Bruce Merrill, a retired Arizona State University professor who directs the Cronkite/Eight Poll, said changing the secretary of state’s title to lieutenant governor would enhance the credibility of state government and likely would be a popular idea with voters.

“I think as long as it doesn’t cost anyone too much money then it won’t be a big deal,” he said.

Sen. Chuck Gray, R-Mesa, introduced a bill similar to Paton’s in 2008, but it wasn’t taken up in committee. In 2006, a similar bill introduced by former Rep. Gary L. Pierce, R-Mesa, won House approval but was held in the Senate.

Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, the House assistant minority leader, said she voted against the 2006 measure because it didn’t require that governor and lieutenant governor candidates run as a team.

“Each time the secretary of state takes office (as governor), people are surprised,” she said.

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Web Links:

_ Secretary of State: www.azsos.gov
_ O’Connor House: www.oconnorhouse.org

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PHOTOS: Click thumbnails to see full-resolution images.

Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett is shown in his office on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009. Bennett said having a lieutenant governor ready to assume the governorship would provide more continuity should the governor leave. At present, the secretary of state has taken over as governor, something that has happened several times in recent memory. (Cronkite News Service Photo by Elizabeth Shell)

Ken Bennett, Arizona secretary of state