JAMAICA — In a recent letter about the role of the Public Service Board (PSB), state Rep. Richard Marek, D-Newfane, states that, “the members of that board are appointed by the governor for six-year terms and, at the moment, all of them are appointees of our former governor.”
I am unsure of what should be inferred from the statement that all of the board members “are appointees of our former governor,” but with all due respect to Rep. Marek, I think your readers deserve a more complete picture of these appointments.
In fact, all three members of the PSB have been appointed - and subsequently reappointed - by governors of different political parties. Board members David Coen and John Burke were both appointed by Democratic Gov. Howard Dean, and then reappointed by Republican Gov. Jim Douglas. Board chairman James Volz was appointed by Gov. Jim Douglas and was recently reappointed by Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin.
The history of these appointments is a testament to the impartiality of the board and the qualifications of its members.