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Keep the baby. Throw out the bathwater.
As the scandal at the University of Illinois continues to unfold and the allegations against the Board of Trustees grow more serious it is only natural that some are calling for broad changes to the governance structure. This is, after all, Illinois, which has had some fairly notable experience with "down and dirty" politics and where the last two governors who appointed these trustees were disgraced.
But is there something fundamentally wrong with the governance system? Far from it.
Trustees who are derelict in their duties deserve our reproach and should be reprimanded or dismissed. But any changes to the existing governance structure would be like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. As a single elected official, the governor can be held accountable. If gubernatorial appointees fail, the governor bears the responsibility. That is why the current governor has already called for an independent commission to examine the scandal. That is, in turn, why the Illinois constitution already gives the governor the authority to remove trustees "for incompetence, neglect of duty, or malfeasance."
Throwing out the bathwater makes sense. But the baby too? Absolutely not.
Posted by David Azerrad on July 21, 2009 at July 21, 2009 05:15 PM
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