Associated Press
12-11-06
Transition an early test, indicator for Gov.-elect Culver
DES MOINES (AP) -- Want the surest sign that a transition is under way in Des
Moines?
Earlier this month, newspapers across Iowa began running an advertisement for
a new director of Iowa Workforce Development. The position, currently occupied
by interim director Dave Neil, is just one of dozens of important positions in state
government that are about to become vacant as Iowa welcomes a new governor
for the first time in eight years.
As outgoing Gov. Tom Vilsack launches a fledgling campaign for the White
House, the agenda and administration of his replacement, Gov.-elect Chet
Culver, are already taking shape.
The transition process -- the few months from when a governor wins election to
when he's actually sworn into office -- is a critical, if harried, time for a governor
elect. It's a time when decisions from the most mundane office staff to cabinet
level positions must be determined -- usually quite quickly.
December, in particular, is a critical month in that process.
Already this month Culver and his transition team have begun to meet with many
of Vilsack's department heads and started to dig through more than 600 resumes
that have been submitted through the transition team's Web site. They're starting
a process that will eventually see more than 30 appointed positions filled, most
by mid-January.
"It's kind of enormous," says Charlie Krogmeier, who is the director of Culver's
transition team. "This isn't something you don't do very often. So it's kind of time
consuming."
Conventional wisdom might suggest that the transition will be easier for Culver
because he is taking the reins from Vilsack, a fellow Democrat. But experts and
people who have been through the transition process before say there is still a
flurry of critical decisions to be made.
"It's a very daunting task," said Cynthia P. Eisenhauer, Vilsack's chief of staff,
and a veteran of previous transitions. "He has many demands on his time and his
attention ... And there will always be more demands than he has time to manage.
He's going to need to rely on his staff and his department directors to get work
done."
Eisenhauer, who is planning to retire from state government in January after
more than 30 years of service, says Culver being a Democrat will only mean so
much in terms of continuity from one administration to the next. With his
campaign organization, his network of acquaintances, colleagues and
supporters, Culver can start with a clean slate, she said.
One cabinet member who expects to leave his current post is Mike Tramontina,
who currently serves as Vilsack's Department of Management director.
Tramontina says he hasn't decided what he'll do next -- but that he won't be
reapplying for his current post.
"I wouldn't mind staying in state government," he said. "But this is a unique
position in the way it's attached to the governor's office. It's very much a part of
the governor's management team, and incoming governor Culver should have
his own person."
How -- and who -- Culver picks for key positions may also be a barometer for his
style of leadership, says Dianne Bystrom, the director of the director of the
Carrie Chapman Catt Center for the Study of Women in Politics at Iowa
State University.
"With the early appointments you are crafting your team," she said. "(Culver)
seems to have a very collaborative leadership style," meaning he may favor
arranging a wide group of opinions.
Krogmeier, Culver's transition director, says it's too early to tell who will stay and
who will go from Vilsack's administration, but that Culver's campaign themes
showed some of his top priorities. He cited energy and education policy as two
examples.
Krogmeier also emphasized the all-encompassing nature of the transition period.
Culver's first meeting with a Vilsack cabinet member was actually with Major
General Ron Dardis, the director of the Iowa Department of Public Defense and
the Iowa National Guard.
As for when decisions will start being made, Krogmeier said, "The sooner the
better," but he adds, "You want -- you need -- to be as deliberate as you can."
Krogmeier said he expects some members of Vilsack's administration will stay
on. But Eisenhauer said the current administration is bracing for change just like
everyone else.
"Everyone in our office realizes they need to be thinking about their next career,"
she said. "Because the governor will be picking a new team."