Gov. Jeb Bush is sworn in with a people-first pledge

John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is sworn in Tuesday to his first elective office as wife Columba holds the Bible. [AP photo]

By PETER WALLSTEN, DIANE RADO, LUCY MORGAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 6, 1999

ALLAHASSEE -- John Ellis Bush became Florida's 43rd governor Tuesday, with his famous parents looking on and a shivering crowd cheering the state's new Republican leadership.

Jeb Bush, 45, took the oath of office on the east portico of Florida's historic Old Capitol, which was bedecked in red, white and blue.

Despite temperatures in the low 30s and bone-chilling winds, Bush removed his overcoat and placed his left hand on the Bible used when his father, George Bush, was inaugurated as president in 1989.

Tuesday, the elder Bush and his wife, former first lady Barbara Bush, sat on the stage with the new governor's brother, Texas Gov. George W. Bush. The crowd cheered for the whole family, the nation's new political dynasty. The Texas governor is often mentioned as a leading candidate for president in 2000.

His little brother, who goes by Jeb, takes over the state he adopted as his home 18 years ago.

Tuesday, he struck a sometimes moralistic and overwhelmingly anti-government tone, invoking spirituality and saying people, not government, need to solve the state's problems.

"I want state government to be an ally, not an adversary, a positive change within each community," Bush said in his 10-minute address. "I want to protect people, not bureaucracies. I want state government to be more respectful of the earnings of Florida's families, not more desirous.

"I want our leaders more trustful of the choices of our citizens, not more suspicious," Bush continued. "And I want to rely on the rich debate afforded by diversity, not the sterile monologue of insular politics."

He urged Floridians to join him in leading the state.

"This is your journey, as well as mine," said Bush, who had never held elected office until he was sworn in Tuesday. "I ask you to join with me to make Florida not only a magnificent engine of commerce that defines the economy in the post-information age, but something that is far simpler and far more elusive: It should also be a better neighborhood, a nicer place."

Bush was sworn in along with his lieutenant governor, former Education Commissioner Frank Brogan. Brogan stood beside his wife, Mary, who is battling cancer but had encouraged her husband of 22 years to campaign with Bush.

Tuesday's ceremony was a mixture old and new Florida.

It opened with a version of the state song, Old Folks At Home, written by Stephen Foster in 1851. Beneath towering live oaks draped in Spanish moss and the stately columns of the Old Capitol, the scene looked like a colorized version of inaugurations of old.

Yet, the youthful Bush is a Texas native, unlike his predecessors, and the state's new first lady, Columba, was born in Mexico. He attended the University of Texas, not the University of Florida, once the breeding ground for Florida's governors. He is a politician without a drawl, a governor who has mastered Florida politics in the TV age.

He is a Republican in a state once dominated by Democrats -- the first governor since 1874 to lead with a GOP-controlled Legislature.

Bush's election attracted national attention, and his inaugural ceremony drew several dignitaries. World-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, a family friend, gave the opening and closing prayers. U.S. Sen. Connie Mack emceed the event with humor, at one point offering to do a soft-shoe routine to kill time so the formal swearing-in would occur at the traditional noon hour.

Several former governors and current Republican members of Congress attended, as did the prime minister of the Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis and the governor of the Mexican state of Vera Cruz.

Retiring Gov. Buddy MacKay, who has served Florida in various elected posts for 30 years, transferred leadership to Bush in a poignant speech.

"Today is a time to look to the past, but most of all, to share our vision for the future," said MacKay, 65, a Democrat who took over as governor last month after the sudden death of his longtime friend, Gov. Lawton Chiles. MacKay, who was lieutenant governor since 1990, lost to Bush in the November election.

MacKay and several other speakers, including Bush and the Rev. Graham, paid tribute Tuesday to Chiles, who like MacKay served Florida for decades. Chiles defeated Bush in the 1994 election,with MacKay as his running mate.

In his speech, MacKay spoke of the Florida he loves and offered wisdom to his successor.

"We're as diverse as any state in America," MacKay said, "and yet we all have one thing in common. It's the most important thing of all: our future.

"If there were only one requirement of living in Florida, or for leading it, it ought to be simply that we love and take care of this beautiful (and) this special place. As we move into the future, we must cherish Florida as our home and cherish each other as family."

Bush also emphasized family, friends and faith as the key ingredients for shaping Florida's future.

"We should trust in these more than we trust in government," Bush said. "Let state government give families and individuals greater freedom -- more freedom to exercise compassion, to keep more of what they earn, and to make the choices that will improve the lives of their loved ones. True compassion invariably begins with a single person, not with sections hidden within bureaus, nestled within divisions placed within agencies."

Bush repeated campaign themes of improving public schools, cutting down on child abuse, rebuilding inner cities and giving tax relief. He did not offer any specific policy initiatives -- those should come when he presents his first budget in a few weeks and delivers his first State of the State address in March.

The inauguration capped a three-day, cross-state party that included a concert in Miami and a ball in Tampa.

Tuesday, Bush's day began before the sun rose, with a prayer breakfast at Florida A&M; University.

The inaugural ceremony began at 11 a.m. and attracted more than 2,000 people and was televised live nationwide on C-SPAN. Afterward, crowds lined the streets for a parade through Tallahassee's downtown, and Bush and his family hosted a street festival and an open house at their new home, the Governor's Mansion.

The Bushes were joined by their three children Tuesday, and their 21-year-old daughter, Noelle, will live in a cabana at the mansion and attend Tallahassee Community College.

Although overshadowed by the Bush family, the state's six elected Cabinet members also took oaths of office. The two newest members -- Republican Secretary of State Katherine Harris and Education Commissioner Tom Gallagher -- hosted their own ball Tuesday night.

Republican state Comptroller Bob Milligan was sworn in, as well as the three Democrats on the Cabinet: Agriculture Commissioner Bob Crawford, Attorney General Bob Butterworth and Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson.

As the swarm of people flowed out of the back of the Old Capitol after the ceremony, Bush's father was asked if he had any advice for his son.

"He doesn't need my advice," the elder Bush said. "He's going to be a great governor."