Herschler's legacy was responsibility

Last Saturday, former Wyoming Gov. Ed Herschler was laid to rest in his hometown of Kemmerer, Wyo. That same day, the Los Angeles Times carried a front-page story on Wyoming's aggressive efforts to cope with the economic stress that began with the 1980s collapse of the energy and mineral boom.

Herschler served the state as governor for three terms - from 1975 to 1987 - longer than any other Wyoming governor. "Governor Ed," as he was respectfully and affectionately known to many, was at the helm during the good times and bad. The energy bust hurt Wyoming's economy, and many people left the state in search of jobs.

But Wyoming has a nest egg to help finance its return to normalcy, thanks in large measure to Herschler's vision, stamina and effectiveness in persuading the state's civic leaders to establish trust funds to allow future generations to benefit from the boom. These trust funds are replenished by revenues from severance taxes on the state's vast mineral wealth.

HESCHLER UNDERSTOOD that wealth creation is not always the same as job creation, and that responsible leaders fix the roof while the sun is shining.

"Governor Ed," who was a crusty, stubborn and sometimes cantankerous adversary, also had a deep understanding of the job of governor and a keen appreciation for the public interest.

Herschler also recognized that Wyoming's great natural environment could be destroyed by rapid or rapacious development, and that a mess of pottage today is a poor payment for the birthright of future generations.

Herschler positioned state government to manage growth by advocating mined land reclamation laws and clean air legislation that even today are more rigorous than federal standards. The tourism industry, which is the most rapidly growing sector of Wyoming's economy, is built on that foundation.

Together with Jay Hammond of Alaska, Scott Matheson and Calvin Rampton of Utah, Cecil Andrus of Idaho and Jack Campbell of New Mexico, Herschler was among a group of outstanding Rocky Mountain governors who provided leadership during the energy crisis of the 1970s.

IT WAS my privilege to work with these Republican and Democratic leaders during a seven-year period when I was executive director of the Federation of Rocky Mountain States and the Western Governors' Policy Office. My association with them strengthened my appreciation of the need for close business-government cooperation in community development and the creation of new wealth.

These governors were a new breed. They blended vision and common sense. They saw the need to balance public and private interests and recognized that new institutional arrangements were as important as questions of policy and administration.

Most of all, Herschler understood what too many career politicians in Washington have not yet learned: Public service is more than getting re-elected. It involves tough choices, a willingness to take risks and attention to the legacy left to future generations.