Guadagno Addresses Succession and Lt. Gov. Role

The legislation creating the office of lieutenant governor entitled the office's occupant to one duty - to temporarily succeed the governor in the event of a vacancy and serve as governor in the event of a temporary absence.

During an interview with Westfield Patch following her speech to the Rotary Club on Tuesday, Republican lieutenant governor nominee Kim Guadagno said she and running mate Chris Christie plan to address the current succession plan if elected. The current plan calls for the lieutenant governor to serve as acting governor until a special election can be held for the remainder of the term.

The discussions that Guadagno and Christie plan to have with the State Legislature regarding the law would possibly address allowing the lieutenant governor to permanently succeed to the remainder of the term, as  New York Gov. David Paterson did in 2008.

"They have not worked out the details," she said.

Outside of the details of the office's succession, Guadagno said she would like to address the duties of the office she is running for, noting that the details need to be worked out by the Legislature.

"I won't have a salary, an office, I will hold no specific duties and no staff and neither will my opponent," Guadagno said during her speech to the Rotary of the current legal set up of the office.

The lieutenant governorship comes with no official duties, except to say the governor shall decide on the running mate's role. This could include giving the state's number two a Cabinet position, with the exception of the state attorney general's job. In the event that the governor leaves office early, the lieutenant governor would become acting governor until a special election can be held for the remainder of the term. 

Guadagno expressed confidence in having power should she go to Trenton with Christie. She noted that Christie has pledged to give her a role in economic development policy, which will include a review of the state's business regulations in the first 90 days she's in office. The remainder of her role will include meeting with businesses looking to locate in New Jersey and developing policies in the economic arena, according to Guadagno, the Monmouth County sheriff.

"He has made me an equal partner," she said of Christie.

Guadagno's Democratic opponent, State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen County), has said she will be in charge of family-related issues if she and Gov. Jon Corzine win the election. This role, as described by Weinberg and Corzine in press reports, would include work on education, health and human services issues.

The role of the lieutenant governor in other states varies, with some entrusting the office holder with various duties by law, such as Lousiana where the number two oversees tourism and cultural issues, and Indiana, where Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman is charged with overseeing agriculture, commerce and homeland security, to states where the governor decides the officeholder's duties. In New York, Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch has been placed in charge of budget issues by his governor. Ravitch's constitutional and statutory duties are to preside over the state senate and serve as a trustee of an environmental college. The Texas lieutenant governor, who wields vast power over the state senate, is considered the most powerful in the country and more powerful than the governor.

The National Lieutenant Governors Association likes to tout that the number two job in states allows for the officeholders to do a variety of duties. During an interview while going door-to-door in Westfield in August, Guadagno noted that she has been studying the NLGA website.

During the question and answer period following her speech, Guadagno was asked about her ability to serve as governor if needed. She cited her work as chief executive of the Monmouth County sheriff's office and in being deputy director of the state's criminal justice agency as giving her the executive experience needed. She also noted that she has only been in politics since 2005.

"I have not made a lot of political contributions," Guadagno said. "I am an outsider looking in."