It’s really too bad that state government doesn’t have any money to work with during the short tenure of Gov. Mark Parkinson.

With a little money and a little more time, this governor could really get something done.

Within the first few weeks after he took over from Kathleen Sebelius, Parkinson bartered a deal that ended the legislative standoff over building a coal-fired electrical plant that had stalled important progress on renewable energy efforts in the state. Last week, he delivered a powerful challenge to the Kansas Board of Regents about steps that need to be taken to elevate higher education in the state. This week, he pledged “to put our full effort behind” an effort to pass a statewide ban on smoking in public places.

It may make Kansans wonder what else is on the new governor’s agenda.

Parkinson knows he must work quickly. He has announced that he won’t seek election as governor — and insists he won’t change his mind — meaning he has only one legislative session in which to accomplish his goals. Even if he can gain broad philosophical agreement on some of these issues, it will be difficult to get legislation passed. He said he would consider proposing a higher tax on cigarettes and higher taxes to support state universities, but tax increases have been a hard sell in the Kansas Legislature in recent years, even when the state is struggling to keep its head above water.

It’s ironic that Parkinson’s decision not to seek election seems largely responsible for why he now seems like a perfect candidate. Free of political ambitions, he is able to focus on issues of importance to the state. He can tackle politically volatile issues without fearing what impact it will have on his political future.

Parkinson could make many Kansans nostalgic for the days when both the governor’s office and the Legislature were populated mostly by people who didn’t spend their careers in politics. They were people like Parkinson who had other businesses to go back to and didn’t pin their futures to the ability to be elected again in two or four years. It freed them up to do the right thing rather than having to constantly weigh the political fallout.

The 2010 legislative session will be an interesting one. It’s refreshing to see Parkinson tackle some of the state’s tough issues and it will be exciting to see what agenda he puts forth. It’s just too bad that financial concerns might temper what could be a truly dynamic time for Kansas.