Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Two men, a Democrat and a Republican, were urged by the Branstad administration to vacate their leadership roles on the Iowa Board of Regents. They have. Another man, appointed and Senate-confirmed to lead the Division of Workers’ Compensation, has refused. The Branstad administration cut his salary to the lowest possible level.
Democratic leaders are now speaking out about the pressure being placed by Gov. Terry Branstad on agency leadership he has targeted for replacement.
Bob Dvorsky
Sen. Bob Dvorsky described the situation at the Iowa Board of Regents as an “over-the-top” political maneuver by Branstad. In May, Branstad’s office encouraged Regents President David Miles, a Democrat, and (a few days later) Regents President Pro Tem Jack Evans, a Republican, to step away from their leadership positions. After mulling the proposal over for several weeks, Miles announced Monday, in a letter to his fellow Regents, that the two had decided to resign.
“It’s just soft of overreaching. The governor is still in campaign mode. It’s supposed to be an independent board and this is not good news for that situation,” Dvorsky (D-Coralville) told reporter Diane Heldt of The Gazette Tuesday.
… Branstad on Monday said Regent Craig Lang, of Brooklyn, is his pick to become the new president. Lang, a Republican, was appointed to the board by Gov. Chet Culver in 2007.
“I respect and recognize the separate governance of the board, but I think it’s also important to have somebody that I think shares my general philosophy and somebody that we feel that we could work well with,” Branstad said. “I also feel that the relations with the Republican Legislature have been somewhat strained under the present leadership and this, I think, will also improve our relationship with the Legislature as well.” …
[Former Regents President Michael] Gartner[, who chose to step aside in December 2007 and preceded Miles], said he’s been told that Regent Bruce Rastetter, a Republican appointed by Branstad this year, will be named president pro tem and will take over as president next year.
Rastetter, of Hubbard, did not return a message Monday. …
Dvorsky speculates that the shake-up with the Regents could be connected to a decision earlier this year by the body to allow a new Iowa State University public policy institute to be named after U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, a currently serving Democratic official. Lang, Branstad’s suggested replacement for Miles, was one of two Regents to vote against naming the institute after Harkin. (The other vote in opposition was Regent Greta Johnson. Harkin’s wife, Ruth, abstained from all votes related to the matter.)
The Branstad administration also urged Chris Godfrey, current Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner, to resign his post. When he refused, his salary was slashed from $109,000 to $73,259 per year — the lowest level of his pay grade, according to reporter Jason Clayworth of The Des Moines Register.
Bill Dotzler
“The governor wanted, desired and still desires to have his own team in place in all of these critical positions,” Branstad’s Chief-of-Staff Jeff Boeyink told Clayworth Tuesday.
Sen. Bill Dotzler, a Waterloo Democrat, equated the situation with extortion.
Although most state agency heads serve at the pleasure of the Governor’s Office, there are some that are appointed by the executive branch and also confirmed by the Iowa Senate for a specific term of service. Godfrey is the latter and Senate-confirmed to serve the state until the end of April 2015. Likewise, Regents are provided a term of service. Evans’ and Miles’ terms were not scheduled to end until the spring of next year.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, also a Waterloo Democrat, said the situation involving the Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner amounted to Branstad “injecting politics” into an agency that is supposed to be independent.
“Historically this has been a non-partisan agency whose focus has been putting Iowans back to work,” Braley said in a prepared statement. “Chris Godfrey is highly qualified. He was first appointed in 2006 and re-appointed in 2009 to fulfill a six-year term after being confirmed 49-0 by the Iowa Senate. He serves in a capacity that is independent of the Governor and the political climate. The Governor has injected politics into this, leaving workers and employers hanging in the balance. It’s highly unusual for the Governor to pressure a Commissioner of this type into resignation. It’s one thing to surround yourself with staff of your choosing, it’s another to conduct a clearly political witch hunt against a qualified and competent employee.”
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