Wednesday, December 15, 2010



Eighteen Candidates for
University of Minnesota 
Board of Regents



AT LARGE
Allen Anderson, former VP at CHS, Inc. and board member of the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council; Steven Hunter, current regent and secretary/treasurer of the Minnesota AFL-CIO; Robert Kennedy, president of the University of Maine; Gordon Bailey, chairman of Bailey Nurseries, Inc., and former regent of St. John's University

SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRCT
Laura Brod, a Republican state representative from New Prague; Steve Sviggum, Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner and former Speaker of the House; Kelly Smith, superintendent of Belle Plaine Public Schools; Robert Vogel, CEO of New Market Bank; Thomas Devine, executive of the David Agency, Inc., and Leon Westbrock, former executive vice president for CHS, Inc.

THIRD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

David Larson, current regent and executive VP at Cargill, Inc., Dr. Roby Thompson, Jr., associate dean in the School of Medicine, professor and head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery; Norman Rickeman, board member of The Blake School and the Minneapolis Foundation

EIGHTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
William Burns, attorney and former College of St. Scholastica trustee; Robert Ostlund, former superintendent of Wayzata Public Schools; George Goldfarb, chief operating officer of Maurices, Inc., and board member of UMD's Labovitz School of Business; David McMillan, senior VP at Allete and past chair of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors; Scott Lyons, former Duluth chief of police and coordinator for the law enforcement program at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College

 My suggestions:

At Large: Steven Hunter, Gordon Bailey

Second: Kelly Smith, Robert Vogel

Third: David Larson, Norman Rickeman

Eighth: Scott Lyons, Robert Ostlund

Comment: Just because someone is a sitting Regent does not mean that they should not be re-elected. Both Hunter and Larson have behaved admirably in their positions and have gone against the grain as much as one can given the rules of the game.  Regent Larson has suggested in the past that perhaps we should not be asking for as much funding from the state in these terrible economic times.  Regent Hunter had the nerve to question the alcohol policy.  During the last Regent selection there was a move not to re-appoint Regent Frobenius. This would have been a terrible mistake, given his performance over the last few years.  He is the one who is most likely to raise perceptive questions.

Without throwing stones, some of the candidates seem inappropriate because of their political or university connections.  Some of them will probably be selected.  Too bad.


+++

No comments: