FRANKFORT — It was a week of ceremony and celebration as Gov. Steve Beshear became only the third Kentucky governor inaugurated for a second term. No one expected much news. But things happen as Congressman Geoff Davis’ surprise retirement announcement showed.

A large inaugural parade crowd didn’t happen. Some saw it as a slight toward Beshear but that’s unfair. It was, after all, a second inauguration after an anti-climactic election, the result of which was never in serious doubt, and the weather was overcast and brisk. And close to 2,000 showed up for inaugural speeches by Beshear and his new Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson. So did six of Kentucky’s seven former governors, which makes any event worth attending.

Beshear asked the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to first lady Jane Beshear, providing a warm beginning touch. But the delay in beginning his speech led to an awkward, noisy fly-over of airplanes while Beshear was still speaking. The governor, who won’t be remembered as one of Kentucky’s better orators, also seemed a bit off-key with some early passages in his speech. He said he inherited a “lack of trust” when he first won the job four years ago – with his predecessor Ernie Fletcher seated only a few feet away. And with the vanquished David Williams seated a couple of rows behind him, Beshear decried the partisanship of his opponents while pleading for their cooperation. One Democratic elder statesman thought “this wasn’t the time or place or time for that.”

Beshear pleased some who wanted an indication of where he wants to lead the state, notably those who favor expanded gambling. He called for allowing voters to decide the issue at the ballot and he pleased, and probably surprised, others by saying it’s time to restructure Kentucky’s antiquated tax code. That was in contrast to his persistent resistance to the idea during the campaign while Williams made tax reform a central plank of his platform. He reiterated his emphasis on education and children’s health issues though he provided few specifics.

Abramson demonstrated his substantial political skills, flashing his ever-optimistic smile and delivering an upbeat speech. (It reminded me of a press conference during Fletcher’s administration when the two men announced that Ford Motor Co. would not shut down a Louisville facility. An uninformed passer-by  might have mistaken Abramson that day for the governor. It’s hard to overshadow him even at your own inauguration.) Abramson has already scored points in the capitol by lunching several times in the annex cafeteria joking with lawmakers from both parties, entertaining reporters and charming state workers. He even brought his wife and son to lunch one day. Given state workers’ disdain for Beshear’s employee furloughs, it can’t hurt that Abramson is making friends among those who work in the capitol.

Later in the week, something Beshear surely wished would happen didn’t. Republican senators didn’t replace Williams as their president. According to Williams and others in the room, no one called for a change in leadership. As they emerged from their two-day meeting, even those who in the past have chafed under Williams’ control were smiling and laughing. Their smiles may have been affected, Williams may have been instructed to adopt a less confrontational style, but he remains president and he remains a skillful legislator and strategist. Beshear will have to work with him or around him.

Now the real work begins. Lawmakers must resolve re-districting, Beshear must sell his gambling proposal and both have to wrangle together a budget without enough money to spend. Better wish them luck because they’ll surely need it.

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com. Follow CNHI News Service stories on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cnhifrankfort.