Hugh Flournoy's Celebration

Last night we had a celebration of former California Controller, Hugh Flournoy's life. It was a grand event. There were some good remembrances from Hugh's colleagues and friends. There was a lot of talk about Hugh's practical side and his commitment to policy.

For me there were a couple of highlights of the evening. First, to see a group of formerly young politicos expressing respect for one of their departed colleagues was inspirational. Second, it was to hear from a couple of people, especially one of his advance persons and a former Reagan deputy director of the Department of Finance, who told stories about Hugh's willingness to speak truth to power. Others spoke about his absolute commitment to following through; if he made a promise it was done.

But the best part of the evening came from something that was pointed to be a lot of participants but never actually pinned down. Hugh had a clear philosophy of government. I think he was perhaps more Hamiltonian than I, believing more in the possibility of the positive effects of government. But what came from all of his friends and colleagues was that his philosophy was not marred by rigid ideological orthodoxy. That offered him a chance to accomplish two things which today's politicians are woefully inadequate at. He was able to work toward solutions in his elected roles based on consistent principles. But he had enough respect for the process so that he could work with politicians who started from a very different base.