Lessons learned from Hunt

In the Spring of 1992, State Treasurer Harlan Boyles received a phone call from Jim Hunt, who was running for an unprecedented third term as Governor. Hunt asked the Treasurer to accompany him to New York, saying he had been out of office for eight years and wanted to get acquainted or reacquainted with Wall Street’s financial leaders.

On the plane ride up to New York I asked Harlan what he thought Hunt wanted to talk to the “money men” about. Boyles speculated that Hunt would remind them he had a record of sound financial management as governor and would do the same when elected in ’92.

Imagine our great surprise on our first appointment when Hunt quickly began talking about children in North Carolina who were not prepared for either kindergarten or first grade. He cited statistics and laid out the need to act on it.

Throughout the day Hunt made virtually the same speech to every head of big financial houses with whom we met. The Treasurer and I were flabbergasted, and on the way home speculated why Hunt talked to the financial “Who’s Who” about these problems instead of about financial needs or plans.

Shortly after the inauguration we found out, when Governor Hunt announced, “Smart Start,” the plan to jump start early public education in North Carolina.

Many have paid tribute to Jim Hunt since his death and all the superlatives are well deserved for a man who changed our state like no other. But after returning to Wilson from Nepal we lived in the same neighborhood and got to know Jim and Carolyn. I want to share lessons learned from Hunt.

Most people don’t know it, but Jim was a pretty good square dance “caller.” He wasn’t just politics.

It was commonly known in Wilson that Jim Hunt was going to be a future governor. Civic clubs and organizations invited him to speak to their events, giving him the opportunity to hone his speaking skills while also developing in leadership.

Jim Hunt became a consummate politician. As Democratic chair of the 8^th precinct in Wilson County he learned how to win in grassroots politics. He and Carolyn went to the county elections board and wrote individual index cards with the name, address and phone number of every Democrat in the precinct. Hunt gathered a group and assigned each of us about 20 names, with instructions to get those voters to the polls. At 3 p.m. election day he checked to see who had not voted and contacted each of us to call and offer that voter a ride to the polls. We had the highest percentage of voter turnout in the county.

He worked and became statewide president of the Young Democrats of North Carolina and in 1972 he was elected Lieutenant Governor and used the time to learn how the legislature worked and laws got passed.

In his ’76 gubernatorial campaign Hunt named 100 “keys,” a person in each county who was to raise money, organize the county and get out the vote. They later helped in Hunt’s appointment making and communicating.

There’s no telling how many in our state encountered the “Hunt handshake,” where he grasped your right hand and, with his left hand on your arm, would greet you as “my good friend.” When he looked you in the eye, you knew he was focused just on you.

Jim didn’t just want to be governor, he had a vision for our state and a plan for us to achieve it. The Centennial Campus, Institute of Emerging Issues, Microelectronic Center of NC, the gubernatorial veto and gubernatorial succession were a few of his achievements.

Hunt was the hardest working governor our state has ever known. If you were on Hunt’s radar, you weren’t surprised when the phone rang at 6 a.m. or 11 p.m. with Hunt on the phone. He was very convincing in urging action and Jim Hunt could work the legislature like no other governor, playing hardball if necessary to get a vote.

He was expert at managing crises. When something went wrong Governor Hunt had a three-step approach to emergency management. He would quickly call the Capitol Press Corp together. Step one was to acknowledge the problem. Step two was to clearly admit the impact the issue was going to have, not attempting to minimize the damage. Step three quickly followed with the classic…”now, let me tell you what I’m going to do about it.” Assured that the problem was acknowledged and being acted upon, most quickly went away.

The lessons I learned from Hunt were simple but not easy. Have a vision for what you want to achieve and a plan to achieve it.  Articulate your vision clearly. Organize others to embrace and help in achieving the goals. Work hard. Stay focused and work even harder. Celebrate victories but take responsibility for failures. Repeat.

Tom Campbell is a Hall of Fame North Carolina broadcaster and columnist who has covered North Carolina public policy issues since 1965.  Contact him at tomcamp@ncspin.com