Rosellini, sharp and with a good sense of humor at age 94, recalled a time when politicians argued during the day and partied together at night.

“In the old days, we'd fight viciously during the day on issues, and in the evening… we'd go have a great time together,” said Democrat Rosellini, who was governor from 1957 to '65.

Compromise and working together was the general suggestion the panel had on how current public officials could achieve less discourse. Gardner, a Democrat who served as governor in 1985-93, said, “Politics is the art of compromise. We wouldn't have quality of life unless we're able to work together.”

Quality of life was also cited as one of the reasons growth management is such a big topic. “The issues wouldn't be here if we didn't have growth” and if the state wasn't a good place to live, said Lowry, a Democrat governor in 1993 to 1997.

While acknowledging that the Growth Management Act has issues and should be revised, the four men seemed to agree that striking down the GMA completely would be a mistake. The alternative to the GMA was the Shoreline Management Act, which “took everything case by case” and took much longer for reviews, said Gardner, who was at the state helm when GMA was adopted.

“Maybe the Act is not as bad as the application of the Act by officials,” said Spellman, a Republican governor who served in 1981 to 1985.

The panel expressed similar sentiment about the new 9.5-cent gas tax, saying they would not support the initiative on the November ballot seeking to repeal the tax. “We have to be willing to make decisions to invest into transportation problems. The idea to reject the package makes no sense at all,” Lowry said.

Gardner, who said that “states are run by initiatives today and that's not healthy,” suggested running a petition to establish a state income tax. Rosellini had proposed such a tax in 1963, that would have at the same time cut the sales tax and eliminate the Business & Occupation tax. While the proposal passed the Senate, it died in the House. But he said that kind of plan was not likely to pass today because “people generally don't trust the Legislature and public officials.”

The luncheon, which was attended by 235 people, was hosted by the Kitsap County Association of Realtors. The association has in the past hosted speakers such as Dino Rossi and former Congressman Slade Gordon at its member lunches. Getting the institutional history “in order to plan for the future” was one of the goals for the forum, said Michael Eliason, government affairs director with the association.

“Who better to have than the state's chief executives… and be able to learn from their experience and their perspectives,” he said. “I appreciated hearing from them about the cooperative spirit between the parties, and that's something we don't have today.”

The other issue that resonated with him, he said, was taking a bold step and showing leadership by making tough decisions. “We've got some pressing issues in Kitsap County in land use and transportation that need to be addressed,” he said. “It will take (leadership) from local leaders to move forward.”.