Lawmaker files bill for election of regents

DES MOINES - Electing members of the Board of Regents would cause regents to be more responsive to Iowans' concerns about higher education - rather than appointing them because of their campaign contributions, according to Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville.

He has filed House File 610 that calls for the election of eight regents who would then appoint the ninth member of the board.

Direct election of regents wouldn't eliminate the politics of the board that oversees Iowa's three regents' universities and the schools for the blind and deaf. However, Jacoby believes it would put voters, rather than the governor, in charge.

'It's obvious that the Board of Regents has gotten far too political,” Jacoby said. 'If we look at the current nominees, it just goes to show the governor isn't interested any kind of balance. He just wants it all learning one way.”

Jacoby went on to say Gov. Terry Branstad isn't the first governor to pack the board. Democratic governors Tom Vilsack and Chet Culver took the same approach, he said.

The issue has come up as the Senate considers confirming three nominees for the board. The Senate Education Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to forward regent appointees Republicans Patricia Cownie and Mary Andringa and student representative Rachael Johnson, who has no political affiliation, to the full Senate.

If they are approved, there will be five Republicans, three independents and one Democrat on the board. However, Branstad spokesman Jimmy Centers pointed out that Cownie was a Democratic appointee to the Norman Borlaug statue committee.

According to state law, not more than half of the regents plus one can be of the same political party.

Not surprisingly, Jacoby's idea isn't poplar with Branstad. The governor believes people he appoints are 'individuals who care about higher education,” Centers said.

Although their appointments may fulfill the letter of the law, Jacoby thinks the board could better represent Iowans and give the board some 'regionality.” His bill would require one regent be elected statewide and seven from the state's four congressional districts - two each from the 1st, 2nd and 4th and one from the 3rd.

Senate Education Committee Chairman Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, said there already are too much politics involved in the selection of regents 'no matter who's governor.”

'The role of the board should be to insulate the universities from partisan politics,” said Quirmbach, an associate professor at Iowa State University.

Jacoby concedes regent elections likely would be very political and some campaign contributions would flow to the candidates rather than the governor.

'The caveat is that at least the people elected the regents.” Jacoby said. 'If I'm going to roll the dice, I'd rather roll it with the voters rather than one person downstairs - regardless of party.”

He also concedes his bill, introduced after the Legislature's self-imposed deadline for bills to win committee approval, is unlikely to go anywhere.

His senator, Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville, agrees.

'I think he's sending a message,” Dvorsky said.

l Comments: (319) 398-8375; james.lynch@thegazette.com