Return to Nicholas Johnson's Iowa Rain Forest ("Earthpark") Web Site

Return to Nicholas Johnson's Blog, FromDC2Iowa
 
 

[Note: This material is copyright by the Press-Citizen, and is reproduced here as a matter of "fair use" for non-commercial, educational purposes only. Any other use may require the prior approval of the Iowa City Press-Citizen.]

Congratulations again on your November victory. Johnson County Democrats have been waxing ecstatically about how your inauguration Friday will give their party, for the first time in a generation, simultaneous control of the Statehouse and Terrace Hill.

Thanks as well for holding part of your inauguration festivities in Iowa City -- both the free festivities this afternoon and tonight's $25 Hancher tickets to hear soul singer Al Green celebrate your impending governorship. You're demonstrating that you understand full well how much your 17,000-vote margin in Johnson County contributed to your statewide victory. And, after wowing local Democrats the Sunday before the election by bringing in presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, it only makes sense that you would seek to include local activists so prominently in your party plans.

While we have your attention for a moment, we would be remiss not to bring up what is sure to be one of the thorniest issues you'll have to decide in the early weeks of your administration: How to cool tensions between the University of Iowa community and the Iowa state Board of Regents. Indeed, as you are celebrating today in Iowa City, UI staff, students and faculty are preparing for the start of classes Tuesday, and the regents are meeting in Urbandale to discuss, among other things, the continuing saga of the search for a UI president.

Your predecessor, Gov. Tom Vilsack, has offered little effective leadership on this issue in the last few months. Indeed, the failure of anyone to mediate this dispute led Regent Tom Bedell to resign last month, leaving you with the daunting task of replacing four of the nine members of what has been called the most public board in the state ("Regents could get new look," Jan. 8).

We recognize that you have many factors to balance in your decision -- party affiliation, institutional ties (no one currently has ties to Iowa State University), gender and geography (drawing from beyond Des Moines and the North Corridor) -- but we would ask you to keep some things in mind as you wade what must already be a long list of suggested names.

Former Gov. Terry Branstad, who appointed more than 30 regents during his 16 years in office, correctly points out that you'll "want people who have the ability to get along with others" -- people who are "consensus builders" -- but who also have "strong personalities and aren't afraid to speak out." We've called for all the regents to resign to make it easier for your to appoint or to reappoint the regents that you want, but -- other than Bedell -- no regent seems anxious to follow that advise. Likewise, although there has been a groundswell of criticism against the board leadership, no one in leadership has suggested that board President Michael Gartner be forced to resign either his presidency or his membership on the board.

Thus, if no one else will be going away willingly and given the "strong personalities" already on the board, you'll need to find people with enough clout to be respected, enough self-confidence to not be intimidated and enough diplomacy skills to respect contrary opinions. Choosing regents of this caliber would help set a bipartisan, thoughtful and innovative tone for the rest of your time in office.

If you have an appropriate name already in mind, however, we suggest that you submit it as early as possible. Bedell resigned in part to give you an opportunity to appoint a new regent who could become the next board president quickly. You've not made any indication that you would appoint anyone more quickly than the March 15 deadline, but we would encourage you to use the option that Bedell has given you.