Topeka ? In the year since her election, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has often seemed to be a whirlwind of activity.

She has had government review teams generating long lists of ideas for making government more efficient and a policy group traveling the state to solicit opinions on education. A task force on rural life meets regularly, and she has sponsored regional and statewide summits on energy and economic development.

Yet some critics of the Democratic governor, particularly Republicans, wonder how much she has actually accomplished. Some scoff and say she has done little more than stage public relations events.

Yes, Sebelius’ year has been marked more by marketing on her part than substantive policy on the part of her administration.

‘Laying out a plan’

But it’s the result of deliberate choices by a freshman governor and a Democrat governing a Republican state. She argues she first had to stabilize the state’s finances, then start public discussions about the future, before the 2004 Legislature convenes.

“This session will be sort of step three, laying out a plan,” she said during a recent interview with The Associated Press.

She added that she hoped to get the Legislature “to buy into what I think Kansans have already begun to say are important priorities.”

The fledgling Sebelius administration seemed to provide a sharp contrast to the administration of former GOP Gov. Bill Graves.

Many times, Graves appeared detached from policy; Sebelius was involved. In legislative negotiations, where Graves often seemed to struggle, Sebelius excelled in her first year. Graves was laid-back; Sebelius energized. Graves ambled; Sebelius race-walked.

Yet, it’s natural to wonder whether Sebelius’ energy will result in more significant policy than Graves’ perceived lethargy.

“We’ve had working groups and task forces racking up miles around the state, but we have little to show for it,” said Sen. Derek Schmidt, R-Independence. “There’s a lot more talk than reform, a lot more listening than legislating.”

Accomplishments

Even Sebelius’ biggest accomplishments to date sometimes don’t seem to withstand heightened scrutiny.

For example, arguably her greatest policy coup was helping to balance the state’s $10.2 billion budget without a general tax increase and without further cuts in education, something plenty of legislators, political advocates and reporters said couldn’t be done.

But she and legislators patched together a status quo budget, relying largely on tricks like rescheduling an aid payment to public schools and requiring Kansans to pay some of their property taxes a month earlier.

Those decisions do have consequences. Revenues are expected to grow in fiscal 2005, but compensating for the accounting tricks and the disappearance of federal aid eliminates the possibility of increases in spending on education and other initiatives, absent a tax increase.

Some Republicans praise Sebelius for considering government efficiencies, but she has come under fire for claiming $76 million of changes.

As for Sebelius’ summitry, Sen. David Adkins, R-Leawood, said, “It’s easy in your first year to appoint a task force or a blue-ribbon commission.”

Perhaps criticism is premature, given the newness of the administration. Sebelius also has valid reasons for concentrating more on public relations at first.

“You have to have people sign on to a vision before you can implement a vision,” said Joe Aistrup, chairman of Kansas State University’s political science department.

Former Gov. Mike Hayden, now serving as wildlife and parks secretary, recalled how he pushed for a comprehensive transportation program in 1987 and even called a special session that year. The effort failed, he said, because he didn’t sell the idea enough beforehand.

“Kathleen is a little smarter than that,” Hayden said.

Others said the state’s lack of money dictated Sebelius’ approach.

“When you don’t have money for real stuff, perception is all you can afford,” Adkins said. “For the first year, you can get away with that.”

Listening summits

Sebelius argued that she needed to hold summits to get people talking about education, energy and economic development.

“The talk for the last two-and-a-half years has been the world is coming apart; we’re in the midst of an economic crisis; the sky is falling,” Sebelius said.

Aistrup said many Kansans appreciated Sebelius’ series of regional economic summits, which led to a statewide summit this fall.

Sebelius said, “People wanted to be asked their opinions, wanted an opportunity to weigh in, and I think it sets the stage for the future.”