In reflecting on the curious decision by then-outsider Gov. Rick Scott to tap consummate insider Steve MacNamara to revamp his image and legislative relations, wise words some attribute to 18th century philosopher and, ironically, the father of modern conservatism Edmund Burke might provide some insight: “Those who don’t know history are bound to repeat it.”
 
As a newcomer to the governing process, Governor Scott placed himself at a distinct disadvantage in assuming his CEO style of management in the business world would translate in the political one. His first year in office came off more as a hostile takeover attempt than an honest effort at learning the ins and outs of heading up the country’s fourth largest – and very diverse – state.
 
That singular approach to leading also spilled over to his views of the Legislature: a pesky annoyance that kept getting in the way of implementing his agenda. And while the relations with some of his fellow Republicans were rocky, with Democrats they were non-existent.
 
Enter Mr. MacNamara. While the old saying of, “if you can’t beat 'em, join 'em,” might not have been such a bad idea to resuscitate the governor’s flagging poll numbers, the decision to bring on as his chief of staff a Tallahassee insider entrenched in the good-ol'-boy way of doing things became a classic head-scratching case of “what was he thinking?”
 
Mr. MacNamara had a history of the kind of insider deal-making that typically brought controversy to those he previously served in similar capacities. And so I question how much the governor knew about his past, or whether he bothered to look beyond the mahogany entrance to the Senate President’s office as he picked his top lieutenant.
 
Unfortunately, while Mr. MacNamara may have aided the governor in freshening his image on the outside, the negative public perception resulting from his own actions tarnished that polish, leaving a lingering specter hanging over the governor’s choice as “business as usual.”
 
Whether Governor Scott’s new selection to replace his outgoing chief of staff will prove more capable of successfully navigating the Capitol’s hallways remains to be seen. But I am hoping for the best. From all accounts, he will bring a more balanced, less imperious approach to the job ahead of him.
 
As leader of the Senate Democrats, I would remind him that there are many dance partners in this process and alliances are not always defined by partisan affiliation. Mr. MacNamara’s fatal mistake, for example, in assuming he could disrupt the lives of thousands of state corrections officers as a favor to his lobbyist friend seeking to privatize many state prisons was in discounting the ability of my caucus to join with more moderate Republicans to block the move. 
 
If the governor truly wants to improve the lives of Floridians and the future our state holds, he needs to remember that our diversity reflects the diversity we represent, and that our voices matter. We will not always agree, but neither will all of his fellow Republicans.
 
The challenge he and his new chief of staff face is allowing dissent to improve the final product rather than banishment from the process or a ticket to the unemployment line.
 
And that a Machiavellian approach from those serving as governor – or governing in the shadows – breeds discontent and resentment. As any good historian will remind them.
 
Nan Rich is the Democratic leader of the Florida Senate.