Electing regents is not the answer

The idea that politics and cronyism should not be part of the state Board of Regents selection process is a no-brainer. Determining the best path toward such a reality takes a great deal more thought.

We sympathize with Iowa Sen. Dave Jacoby (D-Coralville) and rally behind his quest to reduce even the appearance of impropriety regarding the selection and placement of Iowa regents. Unfortunately, we cannot support his proposed method, which we believe would only serve to increase political influence.

Jacoby has filed a bill that would change the way individuals are named as regents.

Currently, an appointment is made by the governor, which must be confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the Iowa Senate. Likewise, with Senate confirmation, the governor may remove any of the nine serving regents for cause.

Jacoby's bill would do away with the appointment process, placing all regent seats on a public ballot - six would be elected by district, three more at-large.

While recent appointments by Gov. Terry Branstad have drawn criticism, Jacoby says the change is needed not only to combat recent speculation but because, regardless of which party is in control, appointments to the Board of Regents have been swayed by political winds. Speculation that some regents favor one of Iowa's specific public institutions over others is also an issue, he said.

While the current system is not perfect, we believe lawmakers would be hard-pressed to find one that is.

Iowa Code does require no more than five regents to be of the same political party. Gender balance is also required, and at least one regent must be a student at one of the state institutions.

Such safeguards would be lost if the process was moved to a public ballot.

While electing regents may provide the appearance of independence from the executive branch and the Legislature, it also opens the door to significant political influence that is far less transparent.

One need only think back to the third-party advertising that flooded Iowa media outlets during the 2014 elections as a reminder of how ugly things can become. Elected officials must answer to the public, but dark political money has little accountability and sparks even less trust.

Removing politics from this body is a noble goal, but one that can't be achieved by ballot.

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