Culver's regent choices raise issue
Terry McCoy - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 3/19/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 1
Gov. Chet Culver called for a fresh start for the state Board of Regents last week when he nominated four individuals to sit on the panel. But the fresh start, pending approval, would not involve any Iowa area west of Interstate 35.
Of the four nominees and five returning regents, not one resides in western Iowa, which leaves roughly half of the state underrepresented on the board.
"It seems like geographic representation has not been a priority for the governor," said Jeff Angelo, R-Creston, adding that the Culver administration has said it has had trouble finding candidates from all over. "But I find that hard to believe."
The nominees are David Miles of West Des Moines, Craig Lang of Brooklyn, Jack Evans of Cedar Rapids, and Bonnie Campbell of Des Moines. With the Senate's approval of the quartet, more than half of the regents would call the Des Moines area home.
Angelo said he is not certain the administration is looking hard enough for a western-Iowa-based regent. He suggested Culver had likely fallen victim to a common trait among newly elected officials - appointing to government positions only campaign supporters and friends.
He likened such a prospective board to a state Legislature elected only by eastern and central Iowa voters.
But personal geographic location has little to do with regent activities, said Regent Teresa Wahlert, who will step down from the board May 1.
"I don't think that geography is a determinant of who makes a good regent," she said. "The most important qualifications [as a regent] is to understand markets and industry and to have a balanced, excellent background in professional life. That outweighs issues of geography."
The prospective appointees would replace Regents Wahlert, Amir Arbisser, and Mary Ellen Becker - who both sought an additional term - and former Regent Tom Bedell, who resigned following a tumultuous chain of events last year involving the UI presidential search.
Regent Jenny Connolly said she is disconcerted about the lack of western Iowa representation, noting that Bedell, a resident of Spirit Lake, had represented the region.
But it is impossible for the regents to represent every person in Iowa, she said.
"Even if you had a board of 50, you are not going to represent every constituency in Iowa," she said.
Angelo, an Education Committee member, said that while analyzing the four candidates, he will focus first on whether they will work to keep tuition low, noting that since fiscal 2000, tuition has gone up roughly 100 percent at the state universities.
A gubernatorial nomination does not necessarily guarantee approval, he noted.
"I am not sure if we are going to start just blanket-approving nominees, and we have expressed concerns," he said. "There needs to be some dialogue between the Legislature and the governor on appointments."
Meanwhile, Miles, the West Des Moines-based nominee, said that if he garnered senatorial consent to join the regents, he would make efforts to craft a more "collaborative" board that would boast faculty, staff, and student involvement.
"It is very clear that we need to have open processes for the Board of Regents," he said. "The governor is very clear on going forward, and I am as well."
The other three candidates could not be reached for comment Sunday.
E-mail DI reporter Terry McCoy at:
terrence-mccoy@uiowa.edu
Regent Nominee Bios
Bonnie Campbell: The only woman who has ever been Iowa's attorney general, a position she held from 1990 through 1994. Currently, she focuses on providing crisis management in publicized matters in her legal practice. She is a Democrat and lives in Des Moines.
Jack Evans: The president of the Hall-Perrine Foundation, a private Cedar Rapids philanthropic corporation. He sits on the Board of Directors of Gazette Communications and has experience on the floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange. He is a Republican and lives in Cedar Rapids.
Craig Lang: The president of the Iowa Farm Bureau, an organization that he joined in 1992, when he was elected as the District 6 representative. Along with his father and brother, Lang farms more than 1,000 acres, where they own 400 dairy operations. He is a Republican and lives in Brooklyn.
David Miles: The chief financial officer of Countryside Renewable Energy Inc. He has financial experience, which he developed as the executive vice president of Principal Mutual Funds. Miles is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a Democrat. He lives in West Des Moines.
Source: Gubernatorial press release dated March 15
Of the four nominees and five returning regents, not one resides in western Iowa, which leaves roughly half of the state underrepresented on the board.
"It seems like geographic representation has not been a priority for the governor," said Jeff Angelo, R-Creston, adding that the Culver administration has said it has had trouble finding candidates from all over. "But I find that hard to believe."
The nominees are David Miles of West Des Moines, Craig Lang of Brooklyn, Jack Evans of Cedar Rapids, and Bonnie Campbell of Des Moines. With the Senate's approval of the quartet, more than half of the regents would call the Des Moines area home.
Angelo said he is not certain the administration is looking hard enough for a western-Iowa-based regent. He suggested Culver had likely fallen victim to a common trait among newly elected officials - appointing to government positions only campaign supporters and friends.
He likened such a prospective board to a state Legislature elected only by eastern and central Iowa voters.
But personal geographic location has little to do with regent activities, said Regent Teresa Wahlert, who will step down from the board May 1.
"I don't think that geography is a determinant of who makes a good regent," she said. "The most important qualifications [as a regent] is to understand markets and industry and to have a balanced, excellent background in professional life. That outweighs issues of geography."
The prospective appointees would replace Regents Wahlert, Amir Arbisser, and Mary Ellen Becker - who both sought an additional term - and former Regent Tom Bedell, who resigned following a tumultuous chain of events last year involving the UI presidential search.
Regent Jenny Connolly said she is disconcerted about the lack of western Iowa representation, noting that Bedell, a resident of Spirit Lake, had represented the region.
But it is impossible for the regents to represent every person in Iowa, she said.
"Even if you had a board of 50, you are not going to represent every constituency in Iowa," she said.
Angelo, an Education Committee member, said that while analyzing the four candidates, he will focus first on whether they will work to keep tuition low, noting that since fiscal 2000, tuition has gone up roughly 100 percent at the state universities.
A gubernatorial nomination does not necessarily guarantee approval, he noted.
"I am not sure if we are going to start just blanket-approving nominees, and we have expressed concerns," he said. "There needs to be some dialogue between the Legislature and the governor on appointments."
Meanwhile, Miles, the West Des Moines-based nominee, said that if he garnered senatorial consent to join the regents, he would make efforts to craft a more "collaborative" board that would boast faculty, staff, and student involvement.
"It is very clear that we need to have open processes for the Board of Regents," he said. "The governor is very clear on going forward, and I am as well."
The other three candidates could not be reached for comment Sunday.
E-mail DI reporter Terry McCoy at:
terrence-mccoy@uiowa.edu
Regent Nominee Bios
Bonnie Campbell: The only woman who has ever been Iowa's attorney general, a position she held from 1990 through 1994. Currently, she focuses on providing crisis management in publicized matters in her legal practice. She is a Democrat and lives in Des Moines.
Jack Evans: The president of the Hall-Perrine Foundation, a private Cedar Rapids philanthropic corporation. He sits on the Board of Directors of Gazette Communications and has experience on the floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange. He is a Republican and lives in Cedar Rapids.
Craig Lang: The president of the Iowa Farm Bureau, an organization that he joined in 1992, when he was elected as the District 6 representative. Along with his father and brother, Lang farms more than 1,000 acres, where they own 400 dairy operations. He is a Republican and lives in Brooklyn.
David Miles: The chief financial officer of Countryside Renewable Energy Inc. He has financial experience, which he developed as the executive vice president of Principal Mutual Funds. Miles is a graduate of Harvard Law School and a Democrat. He lives in West Des Moines.
Source: Gubernatorial press release dated March 15
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Taxpayer
posted 3/19/07 @ 11:32 AM CST
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Hey new members. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Way to buy your way on to the board. Just have to give lots of money to Culver. (Continued…)
Western Iowa Supporter
posted 3/19/07 @ 2:39 PM CST
I'm originally from Sioux City... I can't think of a single person there who has the qualifications to be a successful regent. I think that's a shame, too. (Continued…)
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