Wednesday, June 13, 2007 | 7:26 a.m.
She is a "consensus builder who works well in a bipartisan manner, a good listener who mentors well."
But she also "totally controls her sheep (and) ruthlessly drives her agenda by all possible means."
And she somehow also "is bright, organized, caring and can play poker with the best of them."
Can Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley be all of these people, as she was variously described by legislative insiders in a post-session survey? And more to the point: Who is she really, and where is she going?
Buckley's unique combination of talents - and her nearly two-thirds partisan majority in the lower house - allowed her to have as great an impact on a session as any lawmaker in recent memory.
It's not that she was universally successful - she could not stop Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio from forcing a special session (although no speaker could have), and she could not overcome the power of the governor and Jim Gibbons' imposition of his no-taxing will on the Legislature. And although she succeeded in many under-the-radar areas - payday loan reform, for instance - she was not as victorious in other areas, having to settle for nominal increases in the education budget and for partial funding of all-day kindergarten.
But within the constraints under which she was operating, Buckley was intermittently masterful and cunning, wooing her diverse caucus members and developing a productive relationship with Minority Leader Garn Mabey. She positioned herself as both a stateswoman, willing to work with Raggio and Gibbons, and as a dictator, someone who inspired fear within and without - not an easy needle to thread.
She also empowered women to succeed in an inherently sexist process, especially Assemblywomen Marilyn Kirkpatrick and Debbie Smith, who in many ways were the unsung session heroes because of their tireless work on fixing the green-building tax break fiasco.
Buckley's trust in Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, a longtime advocate for progressive causes, also helped the Reno assemblywoman gain new power in the lower house. It may have caused some friction with Buckley's majority leader, John Oceguera, but his political maturity was evident and the caucus held together despite the competition - more evidence of Buckley's brilliance.
But whither Buckley after the rave reviews are forgotten, after Session '07 fades into the mists?
This could be the most fascinating political question in the state, one that, depending on the answer, could have far-reaching implications on the legislative process, Campaign '10 and the state's political and policy future.
Buckley, like all humans, is susceptible to some degree to the hosannas being lavished on her and surely must be thinking about higher office - specifically, governor. But could she win? The answer right now: Doubtful.
Buckley may not have the negatives Dina Titus carried - she doesn't have the Southern accent so many found offensive nor does she have the political enemies Titus has amassed. But her profile for a statewide race is not much different - smart, tough and, yes, a liberal woman from Southern Nevada. Buckley's Kitchen Cabinet - Leslie, Culinary political boss Pilar Weiss - also fits the profile - a profile Gibbons loves to run against.
On the other hand Gibbons, at last look, had a 30 percent approval rating (although no polling has been released since session's end). Buckley, with a little help from her Reno friends, might be able to make inroads in the urban North that Titus could not.
And who knows if some special interest might actually decide to pursue a gubernatorial recall - the Culinary or teachers are the likely candidates and either could get the signatures. Gibbons also has to combat a formidable enemy that has caused him tremendous pain in the last few months - himself.
The 2009 session will be a seminal one in Nevada history. The governor will have to make brutal cuts to stay within a statutory spending cap that the budget barely stayed below this cycle. Buckley and the legislative Democrats will have to decide if they are willing to blow the cap to provide certain services, and whether they are willing to look to business and/or gaming for tax revenue to support their causes.
In a way, Buckley played it relatively safe during the 2007 session - she didn't propose any tax increases and she gamely protected her caucus' interests. But if she has ambitions beyond the speakership, she may have to broaden her agenda in 2009 and decide who she really is and who she wants to be.
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