COLUMBIA - When Bobby Harrell gavels the state House of Representatives to order today for his first legislative session as speaker, he'll do it by the book.

The House staff prepared a manual for the West Ashley Republican to follow as he learns the ropes. A few weeks ago, Harrell and staff members ran through a private mock session to prepare for the General Assembly's return to Columbia.

"I could see me getting there on the first day, banging the gavel three times, saying, 'The house will come to order,' and then saying, 'Now what do I do?' " said Harrell, a 12-year House veteran.

Harrell's cheat sheet will guide him through the proper protocol, but a change at the helm of the House - the first in more than a decade - still presents a difficult challenge: He must win the confidence of his colleagues while tackling some major legislative matters.

The 49-year-old insurance agent was selected in June to complete the term of former Speaker David Wilkins after the Greenville Republican was appointed as U.S. ambassador to Canada.

In December, lawmakers must reconfirm Harrell as speaker. If he fumbles from the start, then another contentious speaker's race is possible.

In some ways, the dust hasn't completely settled from last year's race. Claims that Harrell bought votes through political contributions and budget allocations haven't died, despite his repeated denials. The fact that his brother John launched a lobbying firm last summer also created a few headaches.

On top of these internal issues, Harrell takes over at a trying time for the state. His ability to get things done in his first year will set the tone for his tenure, political observers said.

"He's got a pretty big plateful," said House Democratic Leader Harry Ott. "The public is demanding property tax relief, there's a court order saying our early education system is not adequate and at the same time we have an unemployment rate that is third-highest in the nation and going up. He's got to deliver some solutions."

A negotiator

Harrell said he is going to approach the job as he did when he was chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and before that the majority leader.

"I'm doing what I believe is right," he said. "I really don't feel any pressure."

During the off-season, Harrell sought to soothe any lingering hard feelings from the speaker's race by traveling the state to meet with groups of lawmakers. He made it a bipartisan affair, hosting three meetings with Democrats and five with Republicans.

"I hope to be fair to everybody, thoughtful on issues, and someone who tries to reach a consensus and recognize that everyone has a contribution to make to the debate," he said.

From the start, Harrell is making it clear he listens to Democrats. He and Rep. James Smith, a vocal Columbia Democrat, plan to co-sponsor a bill that would set up a wide-ranging task force, modeled after the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, to look at the state's education system.

Harrell made sure to give the credit to Smith for originating the idea, which political observers say reflects Harrell's leadership.

"His style is a lot more about conferencing and negotiating and working to get as many parties as possible on the same sheet of music," said Blease Graham, a state politics expert at the University of South Carolina.

Moving forward

At the same time, Harrell can be a shrewd politician who knows what he wants.

"It is going to be his way or no way," said former Rep. Harry Stille, a Due West Republican who came to Columbia the same year as Harrell. "He's not a guy who's going to ask questions; he makes his mind up and that's it."

During the speaker's race, a couple of his fellow lawmakers complained that Harrell intimidated them when it came to legislation or the budget. Rep. Dan Tripp, R-Mauldin, cast the lone vote against Harrell for speaker, saying he couldn't support someone who won the race "based on fear and threats."

More didn't speak out because of "fears of retribution," Tripp said.

Harrell brushes off talk of special favors. He said campaign contributions through his political action committee, specific projects in the budget and the recent appointment of top allies to prime committees had nothing to do with the speaker's race.

"Whatever tools it looks like you have at your disposal, I would expect people to think that that was occurring," he said. "What was ironic here is that we had completely written the budget and it was gone from the House before the speaker's race was ever started."

All this baggage will be an afterthought at noon today, as Harrell raps the gavel on the House dais. His family will be on hand for the event.

Harrell said he wouldn't be nervous. "It's an open-book test, and I'll have my book."

Contact John Frank at jbfrank@postandcourier.com or (803) 799-9051.