EDITORIAL: Regents need new commissioner

Written by PARRY TEASDALE

Thursday, 13 March 2014 10:54

THERE WAS AN ELECTION in state government this week. Not the kind with TV ads extolling candidates who'll cut every tax and save us from big spenders who'd outlaw hamsters. This one was for four unpaid jobs as members of the Board of Regents. There was a local candidate for one of the seats on the Board of Regents, Regina Rose, a retired teacher and former member of the Ichabod Crane Board of Education. Ms. Rose did not win the seat, though she was qualified. So were the other candidates. And, no, you didn't forget to go to the polls Tuesday to cast your ballot. The public doesn't elect regents. Regents are chosen by the full state legislature--the Assembly and Senate--convened in a joint session. A majority of both houses voting as one body decides. The Assembly has more members than the Senate, and the Assembly has a large Democratic majority, which makes the speaker of the Assembly the most powerful player in the appointment process, more powerful than the governor.