Walz looks to previous governors as he is sworn in

New governors pay a lot of attention to what governors before them said.

When Al Quie was sworn in as Minnesota governor 40 years ago, he quoted from an inaugural speech made more than 50 years earlier by Luther Youngdahl who had quoted from an address delivered by Alexander Ramsey, the first territorial governor.

As he made his way around a dairy farm last week, Tim Walz let on that he had been reading through past inaugural speeches lately as he prepared to make his own. Walz, a DFLer, will be sworn in Monday as the state's 41st governor during a ceremony at St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater.

It will give him a chance to frame his four years as they begin. But he will no doubt pay homage to the work done by those who previously stood in his place.

That's not to say inaugurals are a rote exercise in the transition of power. Democrat Wendell Anderson said as much in one of his two 1970s inaugural addresses.

"These proceedings are more than a ceremony. They represent more than the inauguration of elected officials. This is also a day to inaugurate ideas," Anderson said. "Our duty is to assume responsibility, not merely office, to be leaders, not just custodians."

The tone of past inaugural messages has depended somewhat on the times in which they were delivered.

Exactly 100 years ago, Gov. Joseph A. Burnquist told the Legislature that following the world's "baptism of blood" — he was referring to World War I — it was incumbent on lawmakers rise to the occasion. He urged them to properly honor the fallen and improve schools and highways, too.

Quie, the last governor to come straight from Congress as Walz is doing, used his 1979 remarks to lay out a lengthy to-do list for lawmakers from agriculture to energy policy to education. He put tax cuts atop the list. But Quie also invited a new era of cooperation — at a time the state House was convening in a 67-67 tie.

"Our people are not just interested in what government does, but how government works. They believe state government is out of touch," Quie said. "They believe laws are passed and regulations adopted with little appreciation for their local problems."

The economy sputtered during Quie's single term. It helped set the scene for a glum inaugural speech by his DFL successor, Rudy Perpich, in 1983. Delivered at the Hibbing high school he attended, Perpich reflected on a new year "full of problems" but also "full of promise."

"Change is coming whether we're ready or not. We have a history of being innovative in Minnesota. I want to see that reputation sharpened and honed, and in the process find opportunities for our people," Perpich said. "This is not the time to say we can't afford any more innovation. We can't afford to ignore the need for innovation."

When Republican Arne Carlson took office during another downturn in 1991, he focused on his governing philosophy rather than dwell on the times or offer a litany of proposals.

"I want a new pragmatism," Carlson said. "A pragmatism where those of us in government no longer focus solely on the process but rather on the substance of politics, on the consumer, on the outcome, on the people."

Entering to a roaring economy, Jesse Ventura hoped to reassure his constituents he was up to the job after a surprise victory. Speaking for about 10 minutes — without notes, he boasted — Ventura said his third-party administration would usher in a new way of doing things.

"We must put down the partisan politics and look at the bigger picture," Ventura said.

Ventura bowed out after one term. Republican Tim Pawlenty followed but was greeted by a budget full of red ink. He drew on the resolve of the Greatest Generation in his first speech as governor.

"They faced enormous challenges — challenges that make our state budget worries of today seem minor. They didn't flinch, they didn't complain. They didn't blame someone else," Pawlenty said. "They worked hard and faced their challenges head one."

He was sworn in a second time at a Fitzgerald Theater stage decorated with ferns and Roman columns.

DFLer Mark Dayton also had two inaugurals to set the tone for terms he was about to begin. In each, he blended policy prescriptions with appeals for people to overcome a sharpening political divide.

"Someone always believes that someone else is getting a better deal. Those rivalries are not going to disappear," Dayton said. "However, they cannot be permitted to blind us to the larger truth that we are all 'One Minnesota.'"

One Minnesota. Sound familiar?

It was the theme Walz would attach to his successful campaign in 2018. And as he takes the handoff from Dayton, don't be surprised if those words echo through his entry speech as well.