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And to all a good night

December 23, 2010 By

Governor Chet Culver, the Democrat who lost his bid for reelection in November, issued a holiday statement today.  Read it below.

HOLIDAY MESSAGE FROM GOVERNOR CULVER
DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver issued the following statement today:

“I want to wish every Iowan a peaceful and joyous holiday season and best wishes for the new year to come. 

“As Iowans, we close out the first decade of the 21st Century on a positive note, with a growing economy, a fiscally sound government and a healthy recovery from historic natural disasters.   May our state enjoy continued success and prosperity in 2011 and beyond.
 
“I also wish to acknowledge and honor the families who are apart this holiday season because a family member is deployed in the armed forces, including more than 3,100 Iowa soldiers who are overseas as part of the largest deployment in more than 65 years.  The prayers of all Iowans are for your safe return.    

“For me, this holiday season is one filled with tremendous gratitude.  It has been my great honor and privilege to serve the people of this state. On behalf of the First Lady, the Lt. Governor, and the entire Culver and Judge families, we wish a happy holidays to one and all.”

Filed Under: Politics

Jan. 18 election date set to fill Ankeny-area senate seat

December 23, 2010 By

Governor-elect Terry Branstad chose state Senator Larry Noble, a retired state trooper, to head the Iowa Department of Public Safety.  Today, Governor Chet Culver issued a proclamation setting the date for a special election to fill Noble’s Ankeny-area seat.  Read the pertinent news releases on this subject below.

From December 16, 2010: Branstad names Larry Noble as Public Safety Commissioner
 
(URBANDALE) – Today, Gov.-elect Terry Branstad named state Sen. Larry Noble as the commissioner of the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

“Larry has a wealth of public safety expertise,” said Gov. Branstad. “He loves this state, and cares deeply about the safety of its citizens. He is a great addition to my team in heading this very important department.”

Noble, of Ankeny, became a police officer while attending college at Central Missouri State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration. Upon his graduation in 1973, Noble was appointed as a special agent with the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Investigation.

In 1979, Noble transferred to the Iowa State Patrol and was assigned to the governor’s security detail, serving both Govs. Ray and Branstad until becoming an assistant district commander for the Iowa State Patrol in 1982, and was promoted to lieutenant in 1986 and became district commander of the Oelwein district of the Iowa State Patrol. In 1988, he was promoted to captain, returning to Ankeny as the executive assistant to the Commissioner of Public Safety.

“I look forward to continuing to serve the people of Iowa,” said Noble. “There  is no greater role for government than to protect its citizens, and this is a responsibility I take very seriously. I am honored Governor Branstad has chosen me for this role in his administration. I also want to thank my fellow senators for the opportunity to serve alongside them these past four years.”

Noble was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2006. His resignation from the Senate will be effective tomorrow. Larry is married to his wife Jane and they have four grown children.

From December 23, 2010: Governor Culver Sets Date for Special Election

Election will fill vacated seat in the 35th Senatorial District

DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver today announced that the special election to fill a seat vacated in the Iowa State Senate will be held Jan. 18, 2011. The seat was vacated when Senator Larry Noble resigned the post last week.

The 35th Senatorial District in central Iowa encompasses the northern portion of Polk County. The text of the proclamation directing the special election is below.

SPECIAL ELECTION PROCLAMATION

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics, State Government Tagged With:

Culver “at peace” with voters’ decision

December 17, 2010 By

Governor Chet Culver is the guest on this weekend’s edition of “Iowa Press.”  The show was taped early this morning.  

Culver talked about a couple of the issues which remain percolating for the remainder of his term: project labor agreements for the women’s prison in Mitchellville & the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown and the prospect of him choosing the three new members of the Iowa Supreme Court (“that will not be possible for me to make those appointments”).  After the program Culver held a press conference, during which he talked briefly about the $84 million budget-cutting plan he has to devise.

Rod Boshart of The Cedar Rapids Gazette filed this story from the show.  Kathie Obradovich of The Des Moines Register blogged about Culver’s “family first” commentary.

Culver also talked about his future (he’d like to be the CEO of a company in the renewable fuels industry).  When asked to describe his legacy, Culver talked about how his family leaves Terrace Hill “content.”   The governor said he was “at peace” with the voters’ decision, and took some time during the program to thank his staff and supporters.  Culver did not rule out running for public office in the future, but said he was ready to pursue another “dream” right now.

”I’ve been privileged to serve the people of Iowa, now, for 12 years in statewide elective office,” Culver said.  “I’ve been in politics for closer to 20 years, starting right out of college in 1988 working for the Iowa Democratic Party, so I’m really excited about pursuing some of my other dreams.”

Culver’s demeanor throughout the program was upbeat.  And there was no “you won’t have me to kick around anymore” moment.  He ended the show by saying it had been an “honor and privilege” to be governor, and Culver promised to keep watching “Iowa Press” — which he described as “one of my favorite shows.”

Filed Under: Politics, State Government Tagged With: ,

Legislative leaders discuss ’11 session

December 15, 2010 By

Two Democrats and two Republicans — two from the House and two from the Senate — are on a panel this morning organized by IowaPolitics.com.  The first topic was budget-cutting. 

Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley said Republicans want to cut what “isn’t absolutely required” in the state budget because of declining state tax revenues & the economic situation.  He said voters had sent a “directive” to legislators:  “People believe govt has grown too big & is spending too much…We will be as aggressive as we can be.”

Senate President Jack Kibbie, a Democrat from Emmetsburg, struck a conciliatory tone.  “I don’t see any reason why Senate Democrats won’t look at (budget cuts)…I don’t know that we ought to stand in the way of that.”

Kibbie then suggested the Iowa Power Fund — a program launched by Governor Culver to assist development of the renewable energy industry — might continue, but under a different name because the state still needs to support the industry. ”When administrations change, those things continue, but they continue under a new name,” he said.

House Majority Leader-elect Linda Upmeyer, a Republican from Garner, told the crowd here at Drake it’s likely the first bill to be debated in the Iowa House in 2011 will “deappropriate” money from the current year’s budget.  She said Republicans will try to pursue budget cut ideas they’ve talked about for the past few years, like selling off state-owned vehicles and leasing vehicles for state employee travel instead.

She took aim at the sabbaticals for professors at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University & the University of Northern Iowa which were recently approved by the state Board of Regents.  Upmeyer said some sabbaticals which yield research grants may be needed.  ”But I don’t think Iowans are interested in paying for a sabbatical to study the growth of billiards in the Phillippines,” she said.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Des Moines Democrat who will be the minority leader in the House in 2011, said Upmeyer and other Republicans wouldn’t get much savings from suspending sabbaticals and “poking” professors “in the eye.”  

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Iowa Caucuses, Legislature, Politics Tagged With: , ,

DOT chief to stay on during transition

December 14, 2010 By

Governor-elect Terry Branstad has asked Iowa Department of Transportation director Nancy Richardson to delay her retirement and stay on at the DOT through June.  Richardson is married to Charlie Krogmeier, the director of the Iowa Department of Human Services who has not been asked by Branstad to stay on in that role.  (Charles Palmer, the man who headed up the DHS for Branstad for about a decade, is getting the job back.) Krogmeier, who held a variety of positions in Chet Culver’s Adminstration, was a Drake Law School classmate of Branstad’s and a former Democratic candidate for congress. Read the Branstad transition team’s news release below.

Branstad announces Nancy Richardson will be retained as head of Iowa Department of Transportation

(URBANDALE) – Gov.-elect Terry Branstad announced today that Nancy Richardson will be retained as head of Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) in the Branstad/Reynolds administration.

“I am excited today to announce that Nancy Richardson has been asked and accepted the opportunity to remain the head of the Iowa Department of Transportation through the 2011 legislative session,” said Branstad.  “Nancy has my full faith and confidence, and will be a full partner in my administration. She is a strong leader and we appreciate her willingness to serve in the administration as we continue our nationwide search for a new director.”

The Iowa Department of Transportation oversees matters relating to Iowa’s transportation systems including highways, bridges, waterways, railways, airports, trails and public transit services. Earlier this year, Richardson announced her plans to retire at the end of 2010.  Today’s announcement delays that retirement into the spring of 2011.

Nancy Richardson was appointed as the Director of the Iowa DOT in 2005 and served as the Iowa DOT’s Operations and Finance Division from 1993 through 2005.  Prior to that, Richardson served as director of the Administrative Division, director and deputy director of the Air and Transit Division and transit district representative in the Transit Division.

“I am very grateful that Governor Branstad has asked me to continue as head of the Iowa Department of Transportation,” said Richardson. “I am proud of my service and look forward to continuing my work to improve Iowa’s infrastructure while promoting safe and efficient travel.”

Richardson is active in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and serves as the chair of the Standing Committee on Finance and Administration. Richardson is the immediate past president of the Mississippi Valley Conference of State Highway and Transportation Officials, which is one of AASHTO’s four regional groups. Richardson is a graduate of The University of Iowa and has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work.

Filed Under: Congress, Politics, State Government Tagged With:

Iowa Bar weighs in on judicial selection process

December 14, 2010 By

A lawsuit was filed last week, challenging the process by which judges and justices are selected for Iowa’s court system.  The suit complains about the Bar Association’s role in selecting seven of the 15 members of the Judicial Nominating Commission.  (Seven other members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Iowa Senate.  The 15th member is the senior justice on the Iowa Supreme Court who is not the chief justice.)  Today, the Iowa State Bar Association has offered a defense.  Read it below.

State’s largest law-related association passes resolution supporting existing judicial nominating commission

Des Moines — On Dec. 9, The Iowa State Bar Association’s Board of Governors unanimously passed the following Resolution:

“The Iowa State Bar Association continues to fully support Iowa’s system of merit selection of judges and the current form of the State Judicial Nominating Commission, including the manner in which its members are selected.  The commission format and the merit selection process have been a part of the Iowa Constitution since 1962 and have helped to make Iowa’s judicial system on of the best in the nation.  Current challenges to the manner in which commission members are selected are politically motivated and are an attack on the right of Iowans to have judges appointed who are not only exceptionally qualified, but are also committed to rendering decisions based solely on the rule of law – not on the basis of their personal beliefs or outside influences such as pressure from special interest groups.  The Iowa State Bar Association encourages all qualified lawyers and judges who are licensed in Iowa, regardless of their political affiliations, to consider applying for the three vacancies on the Iowa Supreme Court.”

        A voluntary organization of more than 8,000 lawyers and judges who are licensed to practice law in the state of Iowa, The Iowa State Bar Association is the oldest of the voluntary bar associations in the country, The ISBA has been in continuous operation since its founding in 1874.

Filed Under: Politics, State Government Tagged With: ,

Collins “officially” a candidate for RNC chair

December 14, 2010 By

Gentry Collins, a former Iowa campaign operative who has moved onto the big stage in D.C., has made it official.  He’s running to be the next chairman of the Republican National Committee.   Collins has a long political resume, including a stint as executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa and work on the Romney ’08 & the McCain/Palin ’08 campaigns.  He had worked for the RNC in 2010 and offered a stinging letter of resignation. 

Read the news release Collins issued Monday below.

Gentry Collins Announces Bid for RNC Chairman

– Vows to bring new energy and ideas to the RNC to revitalize fundraising and position the committee as a force in the 2012 contest for the White House –

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , ,

Findley to be Branstad’s lawyer

December 14, 2010 By

Brenna Findley, the Republican Party’s unsuccessful candidate for attorney general this year, will be Governor-elect Terry Branstad’s legal counsel.  The post does not require confirmation by the Iowa Senate.  The appointment raises questions about whether Branstad, via Findley’s legal work, may in some way join the lawsuit other states’ attorney generals have filed challenging the federal health care reform law.   (The lawsuit which made news yesterday was filed solely by Virginia’s attorney general.  There’s another suit which has been filed by a group of attorneys general.)

Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecth sent this statement via email when asked whether Findley’s appointment meant Branstad intends to pursue that path:

“Gov. Branstad believes the federal health care law is unconstitutional, and will look at all of the options at our disposal while he studies this issue during the transitional phase.”

Read the Branstad Transition Team announcement about Findley below.

Branstad announces Brenna Findley as administration’s legal counsel

(URBANDALE) – Gov.-elect Terry Branstad today announced that Brenna Findley will serve as legal counsel in the Branstad/Reynolds administration.

“Brenna Findley has a talented, sharp legal mind and her knowledge and work ethic will be valued in my administration,” said Branstad. “Her work in private sector, combined with her extensive governmental experience at the federal level, provides a strong framework to serve as legal counsel in my administration.”

Findley, 34, is from Dexter, and a graduate of Drake University, with B.A. in Political Science and History, and a minor in Russian. From there, Findley went on to earn her law degree at the University of Chicago Law School, where she served as symposium editor of the school’s law journal. Additionally, she helped entrepreneurs on Chicago’s south side start their own businesses.

Upon graduation, she worked in private practice prior to serving as chief of staff to Congressman Steve King, R-Kiron. Findley is currently counsel in private practice with Whitaker Hagenow GBMG.

“I’m excited to serve in a meaningful way, helping find solutions for the state by serving in the Branstad-Reynolds administration, and I look forward to serving the people of Iowa in this position,” said Findley. “I share the governor’s commitment to open, honest and transparent government, and will work every day to ensure the goals of this administration are met.”

Filed Under: Congress, Politics, State Government Tagged With: ,

Branstad names fellow Lake Mills native to DNR

December 13, 2010 By

Governor-elect Terry Branstad – a native of Lake Mills, Iowa – has chosen another Lake Mills native to head the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Branstad names Roger Lande to head Iowa Department of Natural Resources

(URBANDALE) – Gov.-elect Terry Branstad announced today that Roger Lande will serve as head of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in the Branstad/Reynolds administration.

Lande has long been active in protecting and preserving Iowa’s natural resources as a hunter and fisherman, and also with involvement in various organizations such as the Izaak Walton League, which works to protect the soil, air, woods and water. His wife, Sarah, serves as a board member of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.

“I can think of no one better to be a steward of Iowa’s precious natural resources than Roger Lande,” said Gov.-elect Branstad.  “Roger and his family have long been champions of conservation of Iowa’s rivers, woodlands, greenways, prairies and trails and I am confident that Roger will excel in his new role as head of Iowa Department of Natural Resources.”

The Iowa DNR is responsible for caring for Iowa’s State Parks, forests and other resources to ensure that future generations of Iowans are able to enjoy those same resources.

“I am honored to have been chosen by Governor Branstad to head a department whose causes are near, and dear to my heart,” said Lande. “I look forward to working with various conservation organizations and the people of Iowa to continue to preserve and protect Iowa’s precious natural resources we have come to know and love.”

Roger and Sarah Lande reside in Muscatine, Iowa, where he is a partner at Stanley, Lande & Hunter, a law firm with offices in Muscatine and Davenport. He is a former chair of the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, and currently serves as Honorary Consul of Canada to Iowa.

Roger was born and raised in Lake Mills, Iowa, where he became an Eagle Scout and was recruited to represent the Iowa Boy Scouts as one of two youth leaders of a Natural Resources Conservation Camp sponsored by the Izzak Walton League, held at the Iowa 4-H Camp in Luther, IA. 

Lande received his Bachelor of Arts from The University of Iowa and graduated with distinction from The University of Iowa College of Law in 1961. Lande served on the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors from 1990-2005, and served on the Board of Regents from 1996-2001.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Muscatine Beyond 2000 and Musser Public Library. He is a member of Rotary International and Thirty-Three Club. Roger and Sarah have two grown children, Margaret and Christopher.

Filed Under: Politics, State Government Tagged With:

Boswell: grab as many slices as you can

December 13, 2010 By

Congressman Leonard Boswell, a Democrat from Des Moines, has issued a statement about the tax deal President Obama struck with Republicans.

“There are a lot of parts that are still moving with this legislation. I am on the record supporting the income-based tax cuts for the middle class, and other targeted tax cuts for families such as the marriage penalty relief, child tax credit, and tuition relief. I am hopeful that renewable energy tax credits could be included in this legislation, as well. As I have always said, my legislative philosophy is if you can’t take home the whole loaf of bread, grab as many slices as you can to benefit your constituents, but I will make my decision on this legislation when we have a final version for the House to vote on.”

Filed Under: Congress, Politics Tagged With: ,
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