To be the governor, be a lawyer

APEX -- You don't have to pass the bar exam to be governor of North Carolina. It just seems that way.

North Carolina is a state that has been run by lawyers. Of the 22 men who became governor since 1900, 18 have been lawyers, two have been farmers, one was a college professor, and one was a businessman.

The lone businessman, Luther Hodges, was an accidental governor. Hodges was a retired textile executive when he became lieutenant governor. He moved up when Gov. William Umstead, a lawyer, of course, died in 1954.

The current gubernatorial race could be set in a courtroom. Four of the five major-party candidates for governor next year are lawyers. Only Democratic Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, a former hospital administrator and health expert, does not have a law degree.

The skills of the courtroom are easily translatable to the political arena. Lawyers tend to like politics, while business people tend to be wary of it. Business leaders in North Carolina have generally been content to let the lawyers run things. The business executives finance the lawyers' campaigns. And the lawyer-governors have been pro-business -- from being anti-labor to offering financial incentives for new industry.

State Sen. Fred Smith, a Republican candidate for governor, thinks it is time for a businessman to run the state.

Actually, Smith is a lawyer, too. But on the campaign trail, Smith is focusing more on his business experience from owning several companies that build residential subdivisions and pave roads.

As Smith told about 150 people at a barbecue dinner at Apex High School last week, his business background should be considered in weighing who is best equipped to run a multibillion-dollar enterprise such as state government.

"These experiences have forged my character and made me who I am," said Smith, who grew up in Raleigh but has spent much of his adult life in Clayton.

Being a businessman, Smith said, carries some clear advantages. Smith said he knows how to lead large enterprises, maintain employee morale, balance the books and find savings. Smith said he would work to create a more business-friendly climate in North Carolina, making sure that the tax burden and regulations don't undermine the entrepreneurial spirit.

"One way I can differentiate myself is as a businessman," Smith said. "I think I have the skills of negotiation, the skills of creating a culture for business. I've studied leadership. When you become a businessman and you have 600 employees, you have to be a leader."

But the road to the governor's mansion is strewn with carcasses of businessmen who failed to get there -- Jim Gardner, Robin Hayes, Leo Daughtry, Bob Jordan, Lauch Faircloth, Dave Flaherty, Ed O'Herron, George Wood and Skipper Bowles come to mind.

The skills in running a business are not the same as those needed to get elected to public office.

With that history, maybe Smith should be emphasizing his law degree -- not his business background.