Senate majority leader Mike Bishop threatens to block appointments to Board of Trustees
Recent appointments to the governing boards of eight Michigan universities are getting a second look by state lawmakers.
The State Senate announced a proposal to block Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s recent trustee nominations. Central Michigan University is among the schools affected by the proposal, spearheaded by Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop.
The Senate Republican Caucus tried to move on it Thursday, but had procedural issues, said Matt Marsden, press secretary for Bishop, R-Rochester. However, Bishop hopes the proposal will move forward within the next week.
“We think it is the next governor’s right to pick who he or she wants on the board of the higher education,” Marsden said. “They wouldn’t take positions for nine months. If we approved them, they would sit for eight months.”
The two appointees to Central Michigan University’s Board of Trustees are Ronald C. Edmonds, vice president and controller of the Dow Chemical Co., and Kevin F. Kelley, Wayne County’s director of senior and veterans services.
Aside from CMU, 17 members were nominated by Granholm for governing board positions at Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Oakland, Ferris State, Michigan Technological, Northern Michigan and Grand Valley State universities.
Marsden said the decision has nothing to do with the qualifications or party affiliations of the candidates. It is just not how the process is historically done, he said.
If there were vacancies open now, then this would not be an issue, Marsden said.
Spokeswoman: Appointments bipartisan
Public Relations Director Steve Smith referred comment to Granholm’s office. Liz Boyd, spokeswoman for the governor, said because Trustees Gail Torreano and Stephanie Comai have terms ending Dec. 31 and Granholm will wrap her term Jan. 1, 2011, new trustees would be in during her governorship.
“The bottom line is the (Michigan) constitution doesn’t put a time limit on the Governor’s authority,” Boyd said.
She said it is tradition the leaving governor would fill many open positions before leaving office. The same thing happened with former Gov. John Engler, Boyd said. Engler appointed A. Douglas Rothwell to Michigan Technological University’s Board of Control in 2002 before he exited as governor.
Boyd said she feels Granholm trustee appointments were bipartisan and there is not any reason for them not to be confirmed by the Senate.
-University Editor Eric Dresden contributed to this report.
