LEXINGTON — One was deeply distrusted by General Assembly members before taking office and disliked thereafter. One was eagerly awaited by legislators, even if his term was anticlimactic.

        One was a product of the legislature, another disdained politics and politicians and eventually let the legislature free of its executive bonds. One is a Republican, another a deeply committed Democratic soldier.

        Yet all of Kentucky's living former governors, save one, agree on one topic concern ing the Kentucky General Assembly: It should not have annual sessions.

        “I'm still one of those who believes we'd be better off if the General Assembly met two days every 45 years,” said Wallace Wilkinson, whose term from 1987-91 produced some of the greatest tension between the first and third floors of the Capitol in the state's history.

        Brereton Jones, who followed Mr. Wilkinson with the blessing and overt support of legislators, agreed with his former nemesis. There needs to be an equilibrium between the two branches of government and annual sessions would tilt it in favor of the legislature.

        Wendell Ford, Kentucky's living political godfather, came up through the legislature, serving as a state senator before his election as lieutenant governor in 1967. If the legislature undertakes annual sessions, Mr. Ford sees Washington-like gridlock. “All we do is argue,” he said of his 24 years in the U.S. Senate.

        John Y. Brown Jr. is generally credited with taking a hands-off approach to selec tion of legislative leaders — the first governor to stay out of it — and thereby giving the General Assembly its freedom. “They've maybe overreached their power from time to time,” Mr. Brown said.

        Louie Nunn, the only Republican to serve as governor in the last half-century, said he fears a cadre of professional legislators, even if one of them is his son, state Rep. Steve Nunn.

        Martha Layne Collins said the concept of a citizen legislator envisioned in the Kentucky Constitution would be at risk.

        “I want people who go home, who are not professional legislators,” Ms. Collins said.

        Edward T. “Ned” Breathitt said he is already concerned about committee chairmen who have set up their own “little power bases” from which they summon state officials to answer questions and take them away from real work.

        The incumbent governor, Paul Patton, agrees with most of his predecessors and opposes annual sessions.

        The lone dissenter among the eight living former governors is Julian Carroll, who coincidentally is also the only former governor who lobbies the legislature.

        Mr. Carroll said trying to formulate a budget 30 to 36 months in advance is too difficult. Yet even he warned about committees nitpicking every executive agency.

        The comments came at a historic gathering of the ex-governors at the Kentucky Educational Television studio last week. They taped a one-hour program on their observations and recollections that will be broadcast Nov. 6, the night before the election at which voters will decide whether to approve the constitutional amendment that would create annual sessions.

        The amendment would create a session of up to 30 days in odd-numbered years. The amendment places no restrictions on a governor's power to call special sessions, but it would require lawmakers to gain three-fifths majorities in both chambers to take up tax or budget matters.

        Unfortunately, the discussion of annual sessions took place after the cameras were turned off. On the other hand, the discussion provided some of the most frank and incisive comments of the evening.

        Mr. Carroll pressed his point about the budget to the exasperation of some of his colleagues. Mr. Carroll insisted he was the only governor to ever personally write a budget and therefore knew more about it than anyone in the studio or elsewhere.

        “Julian, don't act like a lone ranger. You act like we didn't do anything,” Mr. Ford responded.

        All the governors indicated that annual sessions would have little bearing on whether they would call special sessions, even though proponents of the amendment say it would cut down on their number.

        Mr. Jones, who called nine special sessions during his four years, said governors use them to focus attention on what they want in a way that cannot be done during a regular session.

        “Nobody has a place to hide,” he said.

        Mark R. Chellgren is the Frankfort correspondent for The Associated Press.

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