Perhaps they’ve both enjoyed a bountiful Thanksgiving and now are prepared to sit down and talk about Kentucky’s budget challenges. It’s time Gov. Steve Beshear and Senate President David Williams declared détente. Kentucky’s problems are too serious to continue their wrangling.

Beshear will have to make the overture. Williams is annoyed with the governor for his involvement in state Senate races and his declaration during the 2007 gubernatorial campaign he intended to take back control of the Senate from Williams and Republicans. That’s a bit disingenuous – if Williams follows that logic he’ll stay out of the 2011 governor’s race, either as a candidate or on behalf of another Republican opponent for Beshear. Besides, Williams won those Senate races. He can afford to be magnanimous.

On the other hand, Beshear has poked his finger in Williams’ eye several times on legislative matters. The latest is the governor’s contention that he has the authority to enact a spending reduction plan even though the revenue shortfall is more than 5 percent. And the existing budget contains priorities for spending reductions as well, which would seem to bind the governor.

Beshear should first adopt those budget reduction priorities lawmakers inserted when they passed the budget this fall. After all, it’s the law, and Beshear signed it. Then he should recognize that a 5.1 percent revenue shortfall requires legislative action. He should invite Williams to sit down, make peace, however uneasy, and show Williams his numbers and explain why lawmakers should raise the cigarette tax rather than enact even more painful budget cuts. The cigarette tax increase won’t prevent deep cuts, but it might soften them.

He should also find ways to cut administrative costs – yes, candidates and the public always complain about cutting the fat out of the budget, a complaint that has basis but doesn’t add up to a balanced budget. Still, Beshear might look at everything from state buildings lit up at night to the number, size and gas mileage of state vehicles. When he’s shown Williams every conceivable cost-savings measure has been identified, Williams must decide if he wants to preside over deep cuts in social services, public schools and higher education.

The disdain toward the legislature – the Democratic House as well as the Republican Senate – by Beshear and his staff is no secret. When he first came into office, some of his staff openly talked of “forcing them (lawmakers) to make hard choices,” to stop the biennial game of budget gimmicks and projects to take back home to secure re-election. The diagnosis was correct – the remedy hasn’t worked. Beshear, according to his data, has done a good job of reducing the number of state employees and finding “efficiencies.” But now he must decide if he wants to work with lawmakers or watch higher education elude the grasp of more young Kentuckians, watch public schools fall further behind their goal of proficiency, watch more of the poor and elderly and infirm suffer.

Williams has similar choices. It’s likely in 10 or 15 years history will look back on this as the David Williams era. He’ll get credit for dealing with pension reform and legislative dominance, but he must decide if the ultimate verdict of history will be that he chose to score political points while presiding over Kentucky’s further slide into poverty and national irrelevance. It’s in both men’s interests – and Kentucky’s – to put aside their dislike of each other and work together.

Ronnie Ellis writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. He can be reached by e-mail at rellis@cnhi.com.