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3 in Martz Cabinet seek to retain jobs
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Three members of Gov. Judy Martz’s Cabinet have said they are interested in keeping their jobs in the administration of Gov.-elect Brian Schweitzer.
Jeff Hagener, director for the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks; Bill Slaughter, Corrections Department director; and Dave Gibson, head of the Office of Economic Opportunity, met with Schweitzer and his aides Tuesday to talk about possible employment after Martz leaves office Jan. 3.
Associated Press
The directors of the other departments where new appointments have yet to be made said they plan to leave. Wendy Keating, Labor and Industry; Gail Gray, Public Health and Human Services; and Dave Galt, Transportation, expressed no interest in keeping their jobs.
Hagener said he is within two years of reaching the retirement threshold of 25 years in state government, including 19 in the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. He said he has expressed an interest in continuing to head the fish and game agency, and that several conservation groups have voiced support for him.
Slaughter, who was a Republican sheriff in Gallatin County before taking over the corrections four years ago, said he applied with Schweitzer to stay on at the agency. He said he has support from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle and from the department’s staff.
Gibson, the first to hold the job of economic czar, said he wants a position somewhere in a Schweitzer administration, even if not in his current role. "It’s all about what team you’re working on," he said. "I’m a good utility player. I’m happy to support the cause from another vantage point."
If not hired by Schweitzer, Gibson said he would be interested in a newly created position with the Montana University System to help coordinate economic development efforts among higher education and other government agencies.
Keating said she would retire from state government, but may get involved in work force training programs in higher education.
Gray plans to join her husband, Rick, in Rapid City, S.D., where he is a college administrator. She said she may return to teaching, this time at the college level.
Galt said he would leave government after 28 years and open a consulting and lobbying firm that specializes in transportation and information technology issues.
So far, Schweitzer has named four department directors: Richard Opper of Lewistown, Environmental Quality; Nancy Peterson of Havre, Agriculture; Tony Preite, Missoula, Commerce; and Nancy Sexton, Choteau, Natural Resources and Conservation.
Some of the directors they will replace already have some plans for after leaving office.
Commerce Director Mark Simonich will be chief policy adviser to incoming Secretary of State Brad Johnson, and Bud Clinch, DNRC director, will become executive director of the Montana Coal Council after Jim Mockler retires after the 2005 Legislature.
Jan Sensibaugh said she would have considered staying at the Department of Environmental Quality if Schweitzer wanted, but she is able to retire from state government and is unsure what she will do beyond that. Agriculture Director Ralph Peck said he has made no definite plans.
Copyright © 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
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