Saturday, October 24, 2009

Note to Gov. Culver: Leading Takes more than Symbolism

In this space a few weeks ago I suggested that Congressman Steve King was in need of a dictionary so he could learn the definition of socialism. Governor Chet Culver and his staff should borrow Mr. King’s book, thumb to the L’s and take a look at the word Leadership. They do not understand any of the four ways to define the word and they fail to appreciate one cannot self-identify as a leader – only others can give you that title.

Governor Culver decided his taking a pay cut of 10% would demonstrate his self-proclaimed leadership as Iowa trims the same percentage from state budgets. He is now mandating that every department head also take a 10% pay cut or return the equivalent amount to state coffers at the end of the year “as a sign of their leadership.”

First, if department heads are mandated to take a cut, they are following, not leading. Second, the Culver-holier-than-thou act of keeping 90% of his pay while some 1,000 state workers lose a 100% of theirs shows the loose grasp the Governor has on the mantle of leadership. I bet the state workers who receive pink slips in the next few weeks will feel little consolation knowing the chief executive is feeling the pain of doing with 10% less as he rides home to Terrace Hill in a state owned SUV driven by a state trooper.

Iowa pays its governor too little – $130,000. The same can be said for many of the department heads. If they are doing their jobs, they earn every penny of their salaries. The state is in a money crunch and cuts are going to have to be made, but this is not a time for PR gimmicks. The Governor, department heads and legislators need to take decisive and immediate action to cut the budget now and get Iowa on sound financial footing.

Payroll deductions from less than 100 people are a drop in the bucket and insulting to those who are going to be out of work, those who are being forced to take the cut and to the people of Iowa. Charting a course out of this financial crisis is going to take leadership, but it may be easier if one understands what the term means first.

This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register blog entry.

No comments:

Post a Comment