It has been more than half a century since Oklahoma found itself bogged down in the kind of tough times we have been in for the past couple of years. Unemployment rages on and on at high levels, budgets of government at all levels, from the state down to cities and towns and school districts, have been cut below levels that will provide necessary services, and nowhere are there signs of improvement in the immediate future.

Clearly, selection of a governor is more critical this year than it has been in decades.

Fortunately, one candidate in this year’s contests has the character, maturity, training, background, ideas and foresight to lead Oklahoma out of our morass.

Drew Edmondson is finishing his fourth term as probably the best attorney general Oklahoma ever had. On Monday he filed as a Democratic candidate for governor, and we think he is exactly the person we need in our state’s top office in these dark days.

In trying to decide who should be our next governor, we should consider a candidate’s past performance, what they pledge to accomplish in the next four years, and what their programs might mean for us in the years even beyond their term in office.

Edmondson’s record as attorney general and his plans for the future demonstrate in the strongest ways possible that he is truly the right candidate to be our next governor.

First of all, we must have someone who will make tough decisions. All through his career, Edmondson has done just that. No matter the issue, he has made decisions and followed through on them even when it led to controversy. A case in point is the current lawsuit over pollution of the Illinois River by poultry waste. To put it mildly, filing the suit was not universally popular, but it was necessary. Edmondson could have sat idly by while the waters of eastern Oklahoma were slowly fouled beyond use. But he did not. He made the tough decision to do what he could to stop the pollution.

Second, we must have someone who looks beyond the quick fix that may be politically popular but which won’t produce the best solution now or for our future. To put it another way, what has Edmondson done as attorney general that proves he would be our best and most innovative governor going forward?

Here are two examples of his work that showcase his vision:

The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust was created by constitutional amendment in 2000 after settlement with big tobacco companies in 1998. Edmondson was a central participant in both the settlement and creation of the trust.

The trust operates on the interest earnings of the settlement and has gone from $650,000 in Fiscal Year 2002 to $18 million in Fiscal Year 2010 and will continue to grow.

At the start, the state got low marks by national organizations because it was not funding very many programs, but now, eight years later, it has dramatically increased funding while keeping the principle intact.

A second example involves the Oklahoma Education Technology Trust, which was set up with a $30 million settlement engineered by Edmondson with Southwestern Bell Telephone in 2001. From the interest and earnings from the $30 million, the trust has made grants to help train 1,200 administrators and 3,500 teachers to use Smart Board technology and equipped classrooms used by 55,000 students with Smart Boards.

The state went from 50th to 12th in the nation in students with computer access. That is real progress.

In keeping with his history of coming up with solid plans that bring great solutions to big problems, Edmondson opened his campaign with announcement of a 12-point plan for economic development. The plan goes far beyond the traditional effort of calling on prospective industries and businesses begging them to come to our state.

Instead, it begins with education and brings together positive programs in all parts of Oklahoma life including, but not limited to, rural jobs, aerospace, energy, health care, water and agriculture, medicine and partnerships with our American Indian tribes.

We have before us a candidate with a solid plan for our future and a personal history of success in turning big plans into action. That is exactly what we need in our next governor.

As you watch this summer’s campaigns unfold, we hope you will take a close look at Drew Edmondson. We think you will like what you see.