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Senate president vows to shed politics' cloak of secrecy
By ALISA ULFERTS
Published March 8, 2005
TALLAHASSEE - Nine years after he first walked through the Senate chamber doors as a candidate, Senate President Tom Lee opened the 2005 session Tuesday by promising a new day in Tallahassee in which integrity comes before expediency, long-range planning is the norm, and the cloak of secrecy obscuring the political process is shed.
Lee delivered his 14-minute speech in a voice at times husky with emotion. He thanked senators and outlined what he called the four guiding principles of his presidency: full cooperation with the House, long-term financial planning, growth management and restoring public trust by forcing lobbyists to disclose their fees and expenditures.
"Tallahassee has an image problem," Lee said. Arcane rules that have been abandoned by 30 other states and Congress still govern lobbying practices in the Sunshine State, and it's time to change that, Lee said.
"Here in Florida the process is dated and not easily transparent to the public," Lee said. "We have to realize that the public confidence is shaken when that business is cloaked in secrecy."
Less than an hour later, Gov. Jeb Bush promised to support Lee's lobbyist reforms during his state of state speech. That's not surprising, since Lee said he got the idea from Bush.
Lee also pledged to find a way to control the cost of Medicaid and the spread of growth, both of which he said will control the state if lawmakers don't act.
He vowed to "run government like a business, where the bottom line does matter and the customer comes first."
He also welcomed back Senate Democratic Leader Les Miller of Tampa, who recently had kidney cancer surgery, to which Miller replied: "They told us if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger."
[Last modified March 8, 2005, 18:51:09]
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