Besides Jerry Brown, a remarkable group of Governors took office this year and seemed likely to offer novel departures from conventional politics. A progress report on four of them:
NEW YORK'S HUGH CAREY. Democrat Carey, 55, had planned during his first 100 days to begin reorganizing the state's criminal-justice system, reforming election laws and dumping outmoded boards and commissions. Instead, he has had to wrangle with the Republican senate over revenue and deal with inherited emergencies.
Carey describes the government that he took over as Nelson Rockefeller's "megastate," an expansive creature that could be...