In Honor of a Great Missourian

A Tribute to Governor Mel Carnahan | by joe sweeney

I first got to know Governor Mel and Jean Carnahan in the summer of 1993. While there have been many occasions I have seen or met with the Carnahans since, the first meeting has remained the most memorable. We approached the Carnahans regarding our intent to publish a front cover feature in St. Louis Homes & Gardens on the Carnahans' pledge to make the Governor's Mansion/residence a place open to the people of Missouri and to its visitors.

They were flattered and accommodating. We arrived at the Mansion for an interview and photo-shoot in the fall of that year, only weeks after the waters of the Missouri River had receded following that summer's great flood. Jean Carnahan was eager to begin the tour and share the rich story of this historic home. There was nothing perfunctory about it. Upon reaching the third floor, Jean led us out one of the windows, and we walked the narrow ledge which circled the mansion. While perplexed at the time, I realized that Missouri's first lady was far more real and open than we would have expected. Governor Carnahan soon returned from the state capital to join us for lunch and participate in the photo shoot. The atmosphere was relaxed and most accommodating. Following the meeting, he returned to his office as we proceeded to photograph the mansion and research its history. Our project complete, my managing editor seated herself at the Steinway and proceeded to unveil musical talents I never realized she had. A chorus soon formed around the piano, each of us with a glass of wine in hand, when the Governor returned. He didn't miss a beat. While we were somewhat embarrassed as we perhaps had overstayed our welcome, the Governor just shed his suit coat and joined right in.

Just as Mel Carnahan was open to new people, he was open to new ideas. In fact, he helped fuse the two in his approach to economic development, a subject close to our hearts here at Show-Me Publishing. "He wanted development with a human face," says Joe Driskill, Director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, "an approach that focused as much as possible on making peoples' lives better."

If corporate Missouri thought the Democratic Party less than business-friendly before Mel Carnahan, they no longer do now. Carnahan created the state's first-ever comprehensive development plan to guide economic progress. Importantly, the plan focused not just on the recruitment of new business, but also on the retention and stimulation of existing Missouri businesses. Partly as a result of his efforts, the state's economy has continued to grow and prosper.

Even in tribute, it would be inappropriate to credit Missouri's undeniable success to Carnahan alone or Carnahan primarily. Failure may be an orphan, but success, in Missouri's case, does have a thousand legitimate fathers. Still, it is hard to understate the powerful and positive effect Mel Carnahan has had on the state's prosperity. Since his inauguration as Governor in 1993, Carnahan has helped Missouri create new jobs and lower its unemployment rates to among the lowest in the country. The rate, in fact, dropped from 6.2% in January 1993 to 2.6% in August of 2000, the third lowest rate in the nation and the lowest in Missouri in 30 years. We're talking here about 400,000 new jobs, and this could not have happened with a Governor less committed to bringing prosperity to all the people.

If you need other indicators of the state's success, consider that its gross product grew 24% under Carnahan, that personal income rose by more than 42%, that the median income of Missouri families rose by 11%, and that the sale of Missouri products abroad increased more than $4 billion under his leadership. The Governor was also dedicated to streamlining government and improving its service delivery. Through his Commission on Management and Productivity and other related efforts, he acted to reduce duplication and lessen bureaucracy, most recently through the integration of the state's training and employment services. He also called for the integration of the state's many development programs.

The fact is that Carnahan was a strong leader who wanted to see Missouri prosper and was willing to do what it took to make that happen. To be sure, jump-starting the economy was just one passion out of many for Carnahan. He was not only a fine governor but by all accounts a good father and husband, a loyal friend, a considerate boss, a down to earth guy, and a Missouri Tiger through and through.

At the time of his untimely death, Mel Carnahan had lived sixty-six years more full of love and life than all but a few people will ever know. He died at the top of his game. If the only real tragedy in this world, as we have heard it said, is when a parent buries a child, the mourning here should be reserved for those who died before their time, aide Chris Sifford and Mel Carnahan's son, Randy. We feel a special tug at the heart for the Governor's widow, Jean, who lost both husband and son. Governor Roger Wilson's Eulogy captures the life of Mel Carnahan appropriately. "The legacy of Mel Carnahan lives in every schoolhouse in the state of Missouri, in every child. He has moved thousands of our friends and neighbors off welfare and on to work, and he enhanced prosperity for everyone."

If we did not know Governor Carnahan well enough to grieve deeply at his death - that is best reserved for those who knew him intimately - we did know him well enough to regret his passing. For at an age when most men are just kind of wrapping it up, Mel Carnahan was just kind of getting going.

It is most fitting that with the November edition of Ingram's focusing on the issues and opportunities in education, that we dedicate this issue in his honor.