On March 15, the Anchorage Daily News published a short article by The Associated Press announcing Governor Palin's appointee Commissioner Click Bishop's resignation from the cabinet. A midterm cabinet member's resignation would seem odd to me if there weren't an election coming up this fall. It isn't farfetched to imagine jumping from the administration to the Senate. Stranger things have happened. Who knows who will throw their hat in the ring? If the rumor mill is correct, that is the plan here.
What is odd about this article is that a Palin appointee is leaving and it did not generate a single comment; not a snark, not a nastygram, no typical Palin Rage. He's done the best job of going completely unnoticed I've ever witnessed.
Looking forward, our state leaders have an opportunity to do something wonderfully different. They can and should select a new commissioner who is visionary, an expert in public administration. One who can take the Department of Labor to the level it has the potential to go. It is exciting to think about such an opportunity. A leader with deep integrity and high standards; wise, compassionate, experience -- plus a field-related education -- could unleash new ideas. This approach would help grow the economy, bring down years of double digit unemployment in rural Alaska, and reduce poverty. These things can be done given a talented leader.
It is time for our elected leaders abandon cronyism in filling these positions. Give us what we so desperately need. The disparity between those who can (urban, railbelt) participate in the economy and those who cannot (off road, rural) is deplorable. No state department is more important in closing that gap than the Department of Labor.
The commissioner for the Department of Labor has evolved over many years to be the turf of organized labor. This is a special-interest group no different than any other special-interest group such as open-shop advocates, environmentalists, right-to-lifers, pro-choice organizations, industry-specific professional groups (like BP Oilies) and so on.
I am not anti-union; I just think special-interest groups should stay out of government operations. The government is a referee for many competing interests and must work unbiased for the greater good of all citizens. A special interest advocate at the helm of any government office has the authority to direct and prioritize the use of state resources such as staff and funding. Too much depends on the individual integrity of the appointee under this practice. Cronyism, when abused, can result in the gross mismanagement of public resources, and even corruption. A recent scandal involving Fish and Game Director Corey Rossi is a good example of how one man's personal agenda allowed for his misdeeds.
Our elected leaders need to abandon the good-old-boy system (cronyism) and step into the world of modern management. I do hope this appointment finds someone stellar to put in the driver's seat at Alaska's Department of Labor. I remain optimistic.
Tara Jollie is the former Director of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Division of Community and Regional Affairs. After working 20 years for state government, she is now retired and blogs on rural affairs under the nickname "Leaddog" at LeaddogAlaska.net, where this commentary first appeared.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch. Alaska Dispatch welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, e-mail commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com.