Our Views: Jindal move seems typical
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Although he entered office promising a new and more progressive style of state government, Gov. Bobby Jindal’s leadership too often appears to evoke the worst of Louisiana’s political traditions.
An administration that promised transparent government recently supported a bill in the Legislature — one that eventually passed — which actually shields more public documents from public view.
And now, in what seems like another exercise in backroom politics, the governor is trying to nudge out a key education leader in a way that raises more questions than it answers. Jindal has asked for the resignation of Tammie McDaniel, of Oak Ridge, a member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education whom Jindal appointed to the board.
Jindal has given no clear reason why he wants McDaniel to step down, and McDaniel has said she’s still considering Jindal’s request. As far as we can tell from reading the state constitution, McDaniel doesn’t have to resign from BESE simply because the governor asked her to.
“I’ll say this, every person we appoint to any board, we expect them to support a reform agenda,” Jindal said in explaining his motivations to oust McDaniel.
What does this mean? We have seen no evidence that McDaniel has done a bad job on BESE . She does have a reputation for asking a lot of questions at board meetings, which we see as a good thing. She also has clashed occasionally with state Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek, whose policies we generally support. But BESE is supposed to be a deliberative body, not a rubber stamp for either Pastorek or Jindal. If Jindal has some compelling reason for wanting McDaniel off the board, he should offer specifics, not innuendo.
If McDaniel’s only offense is not being a yes-person for Jindal, then we hope she stays on the board.
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