Senate Republicans vote to reject nominee to head Department of Public Safety
Dan Gearino
Globe Des Moines Bureau
DES MOINES — Iowa Senate Republicans gave Gov. Chet Culver a political punch in the nose Tuesday night, voting to reject his appointee for commissioner of the Department of Public Safety.
The appointee, Gene Meyer of West Des Moines, will become unemployed because he only got 31 votes out of 50 for confirmation, three votes short of the two-thirds he needed. Meyer is the former head of the Division of Criminal Investigation, an office within the public safety department. He is also the former mayor of West Des Moines.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, decried the vote in terms rarely heard on the Senate floor.
“This is the most gutless display I’ve seen in my 25 years in the Senate and I’m not ashamed to say I’m angry,” he said.
He also called GOP senators “a bunch of political hacks.”
Democrats hold a 30-20 majority in the Senate. The Republican minority has little power to pass legislation, but enough power to reject gubernatorial appointees.
Senate Minority Leader Mary Lundby, R-Marion, said Republicans think the leader of the Department of Public Safety should come from outside the department.
“The reasoning for that is so that the person doesn’t come in with biases toward certain people or divisions within the department,” she said.
Lundby said past directors have come from outside, which she thinks is a good tradition.
After Gronstal’s comments on the Senate floor, Lundby noted that Meyer is a Republican. She said Gronstal insisted on brining the confirmation up for a vote Tuesday night, rather than discuss Republican concerns.
The action comes a day after Lundby and Culver had a closed-door meeting to talk about Republican objections to the governor’s four nominees for the Board of Regents. Republicans have said they will reject some of the Regents’ nominees because there are no candidates from western Iowa and no candidates with experience on medical issues.
Two Republicans voted for Meyer’s confirmation: Pat Ward of West Des Moines and Brad Zaun of Urbandale.
“I’ve known him for a number of years. I have respect for him as an individual and respect his service to the community,” Ward said earlier in the day.
In a procedural move, Gronstal switched his vote at the last minute so he would be on the prevailing side. This allows him to file a motion to reconsider and bring the nomination up again if Democrats can persuade two more Republicans to support it. Technically, the rejection of Meyer won’t be final until Gronstal lifts his motion.
The vote against Meyer is part of a larger tug-of-war between Senate Republicans and Culver over appointments. Republicans have threatened to reject some of the governor’s four nominees for the Board of Regents because there are no candidates from western Iowa and no candidates with experience on medical issues.