Gov. Bob McDonnell has named 31 members to his Government Reform and Restructuring commission.
The commission is tasked wtih developing recommendations to streamline and restructure state government. McDonnell said in a statement that the commission will be charged wtih finding new ways to eliminate duplicate, oudated and ineffective services. A report is due July 16.
Fred Malek, founder and chairman of Thayer Capital Partners, will chair the commission. Malek has a wealth private sector experience, including work at Marriott, McKinsey & Co. and the Carlyle Group. He’s also held prominent political roles. He served as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Nixon, managed President H.W. Bush’s re-election campaign and most recently served as co-chairman of John McCain’s campaign finance committee during the 2008 presidential campaign.
Mike Thompson, chairman and president of Thomas Jefferon Instiute for Public Policy, and Bill Leighty, former chief of staff to Govs. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, will serve as special advisers to the commission.
McDonnell is launching the commission at a Richmond Times-Dispatch public square on Monday.
In addition to Malek, the commission will include:
· Alexandra Liddy Bourne, executive director, American Energy Freedom Center, Alexandria
· Del. Bob Brink, Arlington.
· Heather Carroll Cox, senior vice president, Customer Operations and Business Chief Risk Officer, Capital One, Alexandria
· William Eggers, director, Deloitte Public Leadership Institute, Arlington
· Howard Estes, principal, Estes & Associates, Midlothian
· Mayor Paul Fraim, Norfolk
· Bruce Gemmill, president, Campbell and Associates, Fairfax
· Marcia Gilliam, president, CSE Financial Services, Abingdon
· Speaker of the House of Delegates William J. Howell, Stafford
· Councilwoman Alicia Hughes, Alexandria
· Michelle Jenkins, attorney, Gate City
· Councilwoman Suzy Kelly, CEO, Jo-Kell Inc., Chesapeake
· Bobbie Kilberg, president & CEO, Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC), Reston
· Benjamin Lambert, former Virginia State senator, Richmond
· Sen. Louise Lucas, Portsmouth
· Sen. Ryan McDougle, Hanover
· Alexander B. McMurtrie Jr., former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Chesterfield
· Maurice McTigue, vice president & distinguished visiting scholar, Mercatus Center, George Mason University, Arlington
· Sen. Mark Obenshain, Harrisonburg
· Del. G. Glenn Oder, Newport News
· Scott Pattison, executive director, National Association of State Budget Officers, Midlothian
· John H. Rust Jr., principal, Rust & Rust PC and former chairman of Attorney Gen. McDonnell’s Regulatory Reform Commission, Fairfax
· Geoff Segal, vice president, Macquarie Capital, Arlington
· Gilbert Shelton, retired banker and business consultant, Caroline
· Ron Tillett, managing director, Morgan Keegan & Co. Inc., Midlothian
· Del. Lee Ware, Powhatan
· Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, Arlington
· John O. “Dubby” Wynne, vice chair, Council on Virginia’s Future, Virginia Beach
· Ric Brown, secretary of finance
· Lisa Hicks-Thomas, secretary of administration
I see bankers, politicians, and interests. This list reeks of Conflict of Interest.
I have ample resume for this sort of work. It was my role as a systems engineer with a Fortune 500 “Solutions Provider”.
There are industry-proven methods for this sort of work. I vote we waste no tax dollars trying to reinvent the wheel, rather this sort of analysis be conducted under industry-proven management approach.
Let us see the strategy, let us see the current management approach. Let us see a list of deliverables that should include thorough documentation of the current state of whatever scope of “the system” you’re prepared to evaluate.
I believe you shall find that gone are the days of this sort of “Business as Usual” government strategy. Perhaps you don’t fully understand social media or the impact of current technologies.
Was there a proposal for this? Was this proposal made available to the public? How was this list created?
--Jeremy E. Simpson of Rocky Mount, Virginia
May. 9, 2010 at 08:43 AM
I really like this concept - even when Obama does it - but as usual, the proof is really in the pudding. If we see real change come out of it and not just positive (fake) media attention, then we will know that it was well worth it.
Are these people being paid for their service? And other than a generic, “eliminate fraud, waste and abuse” mission - what specifically are they targeting. What accountability is built in to the process?
--Cheryl Johnson of Oakton, VA
May. 10, 2010 at 07:43 PM