Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Just Because

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by

Dick Hall-Sizemore
in , ,

Cookie Scott

by Dick Hall-Sizemore

Glenn Youngkin seems to be intent on replacing members of higher education boards of education appointed by his Democratic predecessors just because.

Case in point: N.H. “Cookie” Scott. Scott was one among the first Black students to enroll at Longwood University in Farmville in 1968 and the first to graduate four years later. She was a sociology major and was a psychiatric social worker before joining the Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC). In that agency, she worked her way up to Deputy Director for Administration. When she retired in 2018, she was overseeing several departments in an agency that had a total budget of $1.2 billion and over 12,000 employees. In 2019, Governor Northam appointed her to the Board of Visitors of Longwood. [Disclosure:  as the DOC analyst with the Department of Planning and Budget, I worked with Cookie for many years and was on friendly terms with her.]

So, an accomplished Black woman with no partisan ties and no political contributions (at least none reported by the Virginia Public Access Project), was not reappointed. It is not as if the new Youngkin appointees to the Longwood Board of Visitors had any higher education administration or oversight experience or, lacking that, any experience with state government, the General Assembly, or managing a large public bureaucracy with a billion-dollar budget and thousands of employees.

There is Kathryn Roberts. She is the chief financial officer of a small development company in South Boston headed up by her husband. She does have in her favor that she is a Longwood graduate.

Jeffrey Nottingham is the “Regional Modulator Leader” of Interventional Cardiology and Radiology at GEHealthcare. (It would seem that government has nothing over private industry as far as vague and important-sounding titles go. I assume that he sells X-ray machines and related devices.) He also is familiar with Longwood and Farmville. He is a graduate of the small, all-men’s private school down the road, Hampden-Sydney College.

Finally, there is Brian Schmalzbach. He is a partner with McGuireWoods, otherwise known as the “shadow government” of Virginia. Enough said.

As I said at the beginning, just because.

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Comments

42 responses to “Just Because”

  1. Eric the half a troll Avatar
    Eric the half a troll

    Elections have consequences to be sure… something to keep in mind…

    1. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      I was not reappointed to SCHEV by T-Mac, so got only the one four year term. Just because. Boo-hoo.

      1. f/k/a_tmtfairfax Avatar
        f/k/a_tmtfairfax

        Haner – don’t you know by now that this is different? It’s no different than the Post’s missing the Northam blackface incident in two election cycles while it spent a fortune covering a special Alabama election.

        1. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          I understand that the Washington Post has lost 500,000 subscribers since Joe Biden was elected. The end of the Trump Bump.

          I further understand that the Washington Post is on track to lose $100m this year (2023).

          Apparently, Mr. Bezos will be getting more involved in the day-to-day running of the WP.

          That couldn’t have happened to a more deserving bunch of people.

          1. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            After my dad passed away in 2021, I got to call the Washington Post and cancel the subscription. Even before he passed, he wasn’t reading it. He only had two birds, so even as a bird cage liner it was too much.. most went into the recycling bin unopened.

      2. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
        Dick Hall-Sizemore

        Unlike Ms. Scott, you had some partisan background. However, I do think he would have done well to have reappointed you.

        1. Stephen Haner Avatar
          Stephen Haner

          🙂

  2. Kathleen Smith Avatar
    Kathleen Smith

    Even with the changes he has made on boards, still has trouble getting his agenda approved.

  3. Ronnie Chappell Avatar
    Ronnie Chappell

    Most of Mr. Hall-Sizemore’s posts are thorough, well-researched, and well-reasoned. Which leaves me wondering why there is no recounting of Ms. Scott’s voting history on the Longwood board. Without that, the assertion “just because” is a claim that lacks a foundation.

    1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      Quite simple. I did not see the need to conduct the extensive research into all the issues that came before the Board during her tenure. If any of the new appointees had had any sort of background that would indicate that they would be as, or better, qualified than her to consider the complex issues that come before boards of visitors, I would have refrained from commenting.

      By the way, there is another factor in her favor. She is retired and, therefore, would have the time to give thorough and serious consideration to Board issues. All the others have busy careers.

      1. Nathan Avatar
        Nathan

        “By the way, there is another factor in her favor. She is retired and, therefore, would have the time to give thorough and serious consideration to Board issues.”

        So what was her attendance record? We don’t know.

        Did she ask probing questions and hold administrators accountable? We don’t know.

        Or did she sit there like a bump on a log? We don’t know.

        She looks good on paper, but what was her actual contribution? We don’t know.

        What were the goals of the institution when she was appointed and what progress was made during her tenure toward achieving them? We don’t know.

        I worked in higher education for over 20 years and have attended board meetings. Voting record would be nice, but it’s only one of many ways a board member contributes to meetings.

        She may have been the greatest board member in the history of boards, but you haven’t made the case. One’s past experiences and other qualifications can get someone appointed to a board, but it should be performance that keeps them there.

      2. WayneS Avatar
        WayneS

        You stated in your column that Ms. Scott has no partisan ties. How can you know that if you have done no research regarding her tenure on the board?

        1. Nathan Avatar
          Nathan

          What we don’t know is a long list indeed.

          For starters, I haven’t even been able to confirm that Ms. Scott wanted to continue serving.

          I’ve Googled her name and there’s nothing to go on here one way or the other.

        2. Lefty665 Avatar
          Lefty665

          Partisan ties are often what gets people appointed to boards. That’s why it is called patronage.

          Tim Kaine appointed my wife to a board, a minor board, and she was good at it. But, the appointment was a partisan reward for being visible and a good party member.

      3. Matt Adams Avatar
        Matt Adams

        ” I would have refrained from commenting.”

        No, no you wouldn’t have. You’re a partisan to the core and will and have attempted to find anything to complain about the Governor since the moment he was elected.

        1. VaNavVet Avatar
          VaNavVet

          It is not very difficult to find something to complain about with this Governor!

          1. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            Well all it takes for you two to “complain” is the R after his name, which is why you’re partisans.

            The previous two Governors were awful and I’m sure you thought they were the best things since sliced bread.

          2. VaNavVet Avatar
            VaNavVet

            Spoken like a true partisan.

          3. Matt Adams Avatar
            Matt Adams

            Not at all, the last Governor oversaw the trampling of the rights of every single Virginian. The closing of small businesses, while large box stores raked in money and the like.

            His predecessor did nothing, his claim to fame is and has always been raising money for himself and his friends.

            Clearly you don’t know what the term “partisan” means.

          4. DJRippert Avatar
            DJRippert

            57% approval rating.

            Facts are stubborn things.

          5. VaNavVet Avatar
            VaNavVet

            Thus almost half the residents disapprove. That would seem to reinforce the idea that there is plenty to complain about. Anyway polls are a snapshot in time and not very reliable.

          6. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            Where is any evidence that the minority of 43% disapprove? How many have no opinion, or moderate approval? Again, all blather, no facts.

          7. VaNavVet Avatar
            VaNavVet

            One would presume that moderate approval was counted as approval. There could be a small slice with no opinion but then polls are not very reliable anyway.

      4. Lefty665 Avatar
        Lefty665

        There is no indication that any of them, including Scott, have any particular expertise in education.

        If you want to criticize, perhaps going after several governors of both parties for appointing people with no particular expertise in education to education boards might be in order.

        While having experience in bureaucracy may be a feature, it is no substitute for subject matter expertise, in this case education.

        1. Nathan Avatar
          Nathan

          What was Mitch Daniels expertise in education? Whatever he brings to the table, we could use more of in VA.

          Daniels has made student affordability and student success top priorities, pledging to keep a Purdue education within reach for students and families. Breaking with a 36-year string of increases, Purdue commenced a series of tuition freezes in 2013 that will last through at least the 2022-23 academic year. During that same time, room and board costs were cut by five percent and have remained steady since 2013, resulting in an overall decrease in the cost of attending Purdue since President Daniels took office that year. A first-of-its-kind partnership with online retailer Amazon.com is also saving Purdue students an average of 31 percent on their textbooks each year.

          https://www.purdue.edu/president/mitch-daniels/about/biography.php

        2. Nathan Avatar
          Nathan

          What was Mitch Daniels expertise in education? Whatever he brings to the table, we could use more of in VA.

          Daniels has made student affordability and student success top priorities, pledging to keep a Purdue education within reach for students and families. Breaking with a 36-year string of increases, Purdue commenced a series of tuition freezes in 2013 that will last through at least the 2022-23 academic year. During that same time, room and board costs were cut by five percent and have remained steady since 2013, resulting in an overall decrease in the cost of attending Purdue since President Daniels took office that year. A first-of-its-kind partnership with online retailer Amazon.com is also saving Purdue students an average of 31 percent on their textbooks each year.

          https://www.purdue.edu/president/mitch-daniels/about/biography.php

    2. Nathan Avatar
      Nathan

      “Most of Mr. Hall-Sizemore’s posts are thorough, well-researched, and well-reasoned.”

      Agreed.

      I too found this one a disappointment. I kept reading, but there’s no there there. Seems it was written, “just because.”

  4. Matt Adams Avatar
    Matt Adams

    If you have to resort to attacking the person that replaced Ms. Scott, you don’t have an argument to begin with.

    Furthermore, the Governor is entitled to appoint as he pleases, just because it displeases a partisan, doesn’t really mean squat.

  5. walter smith Avatar
    walter smith

    And you were writing these same articles during McAwful and Northam?
    The executive has the appointment power. In an ideal world, nobody would care bc people who actually cared about education and loved the school would be appointed, and the school would stick to education.
    That is not the case at UVA. I know. I have the receipts. It’s not just 96% contributions to Dems…far worse, and a supine BOV that let’s Jim Ryan roll with DEI, which is Marxist, repackaged to the same ends.
    I will repeat to make heads blow up, but a simple truth which Youngkin should ask.
    Every single appointee to every Virginia office, but particularly the education ones – “How many sexes are there?” If anyone answers other than “Two,” remove them. If a true Lefty answers “Two,” the other Lefties will destroy their former ally.
    But, anyone who cannot acknowledge biological cellular reality should not be in a position of public power and trust.

    1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      I was not participating on Bacon’s Rebellion during the McAullife administration. During the Northam administration, the appointments made by McDonnell would not have been eligible for reappointment. In addition, I was not talking about UVa.

      1. walter smith Avatar
        walter smith

        The Governor has had this appointment power for … a long time. I think Dragas may have been onto something, and, unlike many of these appointments, actually wanted to do more than just go the nice dinners and football games. But nobody used to care bc the schools stuck to education. I’d love to get back to that…

  6. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    These appointments are patronage and always have been.

    Yesterday, Joe Biden canceled Space Force’s planned move from Colorado to Alabama. While the head of Space Command supported staying in Colorado, his bosses in the US Air Force believed that the move to Alabama should proceed.

    As Associated Press reported:

    “U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Monday that Biden was convinced by the head of Space Command, Gen. James Dickinson, who argued that moving his headquarters now would jeopardize military readiness. Dickinson’s view, however, was in contrast to Air Force leadership, who studied the issue at length and determined that relocating to Huntsville, Alabama, was the right move.”

    For comparison purposes, Space Command has 8,600 military personnel, the USAF has 328,820.

    So, why would the President of the United States take time out from one of his innumerable vacations to reverse a decision to move 8,600 people (out of 328,000) from Colorado to Alabama?

    Politics, and nothing else.

    Biden is in a snit fit over Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama’s blocking of federal appointments.

    And so it goes ….

  7. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    It’s not “just because”. Someone with money, power, or both wants it. The question is “How can this be spun in a place like Michigan to garner some votes?” At this point, actions have priority on the national, not State, debate stage.

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      “Illibeanie chillibeanie the spirits are about to speak!”

      “What’d they say?”

      “I don’t know. It sounded like ‘Vos’, whatever that means.”

    2. VaNavVet Avatar
      VaNavVet

      Someone might ask are all or most of the Black members of the Boards being replaced? So would that be a fair question?

      1. Nancy Naive Avatar
        Nancy Naive

        Perfectly fair.

      2. Lefty665 Avatar
        Lefty665

        You asked a racist question without any basis in fact. If you really cared about the answer you could have done a little research yourself and contributed something to the conversation. But, that would have required a little effort, more than making a cheap racial slur.

        1. VaNavVet Avatar
          VaNavVet

          I did not ask the question but only noted that it might occur to some and if so whether that would be a fair question. This was in response to Nancy saying that someone with money, power, or both was probably pulling the strings. If so, might this person have some type of bias?

  8. WayneS Avatar
    WayneS

    Just Because

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGIz1OVV9vA

    An old, old, song performed by Paul McCartney.

    1. Lefty665 Avatar
      Lefty665

      A Bluegrass instrumental version of this is called “Santa Claus”. It is fun to flat pick.

      Nice links:)

    2. WayneS Avatar
      WayneS

      And the original 1929 recording by Nelstone’s Hawaiians:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gEI7bklOsY

    3. Lefty665 Avatar
      Lefty665

      A Bluegrass instrumental version of this is called “Santa Claus”. It is fun to flat pick. That comes from the lyric “you laugh and call me old Santa Claus… because, just because.”

      Nice links:)

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