Rita Sklar, director of the Arkansas ACLU, has protested some of Governor Huckabee's actions, including a letter of recommendation he wrote for a religious group that used the letter to gain access to the public schools. Hardly anyone but the Arkansas Times noticed. A lawsuit over the legality of these expenditures is in progress. Huckabee's relationship with the predominantly Democratic legislature started off quarrelsomely, but has improved. Legislators say both the governor and his staff have grown, becoming less partisan and more co-operative.
Some legislators say they've grown too.
Everybody had to adjust. Sen. Jay Bradford of Pine Bluff notes that he and Huckabee reached agreement on the tobacco settlement and welfare reform, two of the biggest issues of the Huckabee administration so far. He doubted people's motives. I think he's finally realized there are people from the other party who are working for the state's best interests. Whether Huckabee is working for the state's best interests is still a question with some groups.