The Speaker’s Dilemma

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With just 49 days away from the start of the 2015 Legislative Session, it was recently announced that defense and prosecutors have agreed to move Speaker Mike Hubbard‘s trial to October. This delay leaves the volley of speculation and gossip to continue to plague his office, the party and the legislature as a whole.

It doesn’t do anyone any good to backseat quarterback the speaker’s decision to run for reelection to his post or the members decision to reelect him. What is done is done. Coming into session the dilemma now is for the Speaker’s office to keep the focus on the setting an aggressive agenda that tackles the biggest issues facing the state and not on him.

One of the biggest challenges lawmakers at every level of government face is a lack of confidence from voters. The reality is the speaker’s office can’t and won’t be able to get a story published anywhere without the 23 count indictment hanging over his head being mentioned which is why they will need to get ahead of the curve.

My recommendations to the Speaker’s office: Don’t make the challenges you face more difficult than it has to be. Identify other members of the caucus who can speak out on bills that matter this session.

At the end of the day remember just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Yes, you can continue to make headlines but rarely are they going to be free of speculation about the charges against you and what will happen next. Be aggressive in setting the tone and agenda of the House but let your actions speak to your commitment to the state and to the chamber rather than attempting to change the monologue about your current circumstances.