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Saturday, January 29, 2005

Ind. Gov't. - Great majority of board appointees rebuff Daniels' call to resign

"Appointees rebuff Daniels: Several point-blank refuse to resign despite governor’s wish for new faces" is the headline to this story today by Niki Kelly in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. Some quotes:

Only about a quarter of the Hoosiers Gov. Mitch Daniels asked to resign from 17 policy-making boards and commissions submitted resignations as of the deadline Friday. Of the slightly less than 120 people from whom resignations were sought, 33 resigned while 13 specifically rejected the request. Others did not respond. * * *

“The Indiana State Lottery was specifically designed to be above partisanship or even gubernatorial control,” wrote Fort Wayne executive Michael Gouloff in his letter declining Daniels’ request. “That is why in creating the Lottery, the legislative and executive branches agreed that in order to overcome political and ideological patronage in the transition of power, the terms of the Lottery Commissioners would extend beyond those of the appointing governor. “This gives the Lottery credibility, continuity and removal from political considerations.” Gouloff is chairman of the Indiana Lottery Commission, and his term ends in June.

Many of the letters declining to resign used pointed language and remarks suggesting similar concerns. * * *

Daniels said Friday he would not reappoint in the future those who did not offer to resign.

“Not all these boards have policy roles. Those that do of course we want the board members aligned with a program of change,” he said. “Frankly in some cases I think turnover is just a good idea. Let somebody else have a chance. We’ve got a lot of talented and public-spirited citizens in this state. Someone may have served for years and years. It may just simply be time to let someone else have a go.” * * *

[Fort Wayne executive Michael] Gouloff – The Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority Board chairman is just months away from finishing his second term on the Indiana Lottery Commission, which has a two-term limit. He is a Democrat appointed by O’Bannon. “The new governor seems to be trying to administer government by executive order,” Gouloff told The Journal Gazette. “There has to be some continuity. I understand what he wants, but sometimes good things take time. He’s got to chill out.”

From the Indianapolis Star today, a story by Kevin Corcoran headlined "Governor's wish dealt a setback: Few appointees agree to resign so Daniels can fill state commissions with new members." Some quotes:
Gov. Mitch Daniels' unusual effort to quickly gain control of 17 state boards and commissions -- which do everything from setting education policy to running Indiana's license branches -- has hit a snag. Fewer than one-third of the nearly 120 people whose immediate resignations were sought a week ago agreed to quit by Friday's 5 p.m. deadline. The list of those who offered resignations included a smattering of both Democrats and Republicans.

"I certainly appreciate all those who stepped forward and offered," Daniels said Friday. * * * Daniels said "a large number" of the 33 people who resigned would be asked to continue if they support his agenda, and several have expressed interest. But, he said, "those who declined to take this offer will not be reappointed."

Some of those asked to resign, such as Terre Haute attorney Frederick T. Bauer, a veteran of nearly 32 years on the Commission for Higher Education, reminded Daniels of the limits of his executive power.

"For me to submit to this request would find me a participant in what painfully appears to be an effort to overturn a carefully considered legislative intent that commissioners' terms be staggered and that commissioners serve for a term certain -- not 'at the pleasure of the Governor,' " wrote Bauer, a former state lawmaker who helped write the state law that created the commission.

The Star story included this "breakdown of the 33 governor's appointees to 17 state boards, commissions and authorities who agreed to resign":
• Bureau of Motor Vehicles Commission, one of four appointees
• State Board of Education, 0 of 10 appointees
• Hoosier Lottery Commission, two of five appointees
• Indiana Gaming Commission, three of seven appointees
• Indiana Horse Racing Commission, five of five appointees
• Commission for Higher Education, one of 14 appointees
• Unemployment Insurance Board, three of nine appointees
• Indiana Judicial Nomination Commission, 0 of six appointees
• Indiana Bond Bank, four of five appointees
• Professional Standards Board, two of 18 appointees
• Indiana Transportation Finance Authority, 0 of three appointees
• Indiana Development Finance Authority, three of six appointees
• Indiana Housing Finance Authority, one of six appointees
• State Office Building Commission, three of 13 appointees
• Indiana Ports Commission, 0 of seven appointees
• Public Employees' Retirement Fund, three of five appointees
• Teachers' Retirement Fund, two of five appointees
A story by Jennifer Whitson in the Evansville Courier& Press includes a number of quotes from letters to Daniels:
Gertrude Howard, an Evansville math teach on the Professional Standards Board, said she was offended by Gonzo's letter. "It sort of belittled our abilities to continue to do our work," she said. "(Daniels) doesn't know us. He doesn't know our capabilities." Howard, whose term ends mid-2007, said she would keep up the work.

Others who wrote in to decline the request to resign were obviously irritated by the curt letter from the governor's office.

Liz Peralta, who serves on the Judicial Nominating and Qualifications Commission, reprimanded Gonzo for the letter's tone. "Here are some alternative first paragraphs to your letter, sort of a kinder, gentler approach. Try it sometime!" the South Bend woman wrote. Her suggestions for openers were: "Gee, Liz, thanks for missing your daughter's birthday to attend a Commission meeting" or "That was swell of you to drive across the State of Indiana at 5:30 a.m. in the ... middle of winter to attend a meeting in Indy. Go, girl."

Asked Friday if the resignations could lead to the loss of institutional knowledge on some of these boards, Daniels said such knowledge is "overrated."

He said he may not accept all of the resignations but would only keep someone on a board if they bought into his philosophies.

"I would simply like the flexibility because in many cases, significant policy decisions are made in these boards and we're here to change policy in certain respects," Daniels said. "We will be selective about it but lingering, failed policies, I think, was probably not the legislature's intent.

[Update Sunday, 1/30/05] Leslie Stedman Weidenbener has a story today in the Louisville Courier Journal going over much the same ground as above, and ending with this paragraph:
Meanwhile, Daniels dismissed Democratic criticism last week that he was gutting institutional knowledge from boards and commissions that set important public policy for the state. He called such background "overrated."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on January 29, 2005 09:36 AM
Posted to Indiana Government