Utahlefty
Active Member
- Messages
- 271
As you know, Byron and Donnie are leaving the WB (termed out) this year and the nominating committee recently met to review replacement applications.
The committee is allowed / required to submit the names of 3 candidates per position and the governor has sole discretion to pick (in this case) 2 names of the 6 submitted.
The governor chose Gary Nielsen and Bryce Thurgood from that list of 6.
There are a few new wrinkles in the process this year in an attempt to increase transparency and public input:
1) All WB & RAC members have to post on the DWR website a statement of potential conflicts of interest by August and
2) There is a 30 day public comment period on the above named 2 candidates prior to Senate confirmation in mid June. Here is that link:
https://governor.utah.gov/2021/05/14/gov-cox-appoints-boards-and-commissions-members-2/
A little background:
There were roughly 235 applications submitted online.
Of those 115 were deemed complete and were open for consideration.
Of those only about 35-40 consisted of more information than a name and an email address and these were logically where the majority of the discussion took place.
There are a few kinks in the regulation that affect getting the list down to the final 6:
1) These areas have to by law be represented on the WB:
2) There can only be two WB members from each region and this does have a way of sometimes eliminating otherwise qualified candidates (It does no good to list 5 of 6 candidates from the Central region as only one can be selected and the other selection has to be by default #6 , i.e., NOT one of the other 4 from the Central region)
There are a number of candidates that make a short list in repeated cycles but get tripped up by the vagaries of which regions have seats open.
And, in the end, the governor does have a fair bit of discretion amongst the 6 submitted.
The new public comment period should be interesting!
The committee is allowed / required to submit the names of 3 candidates per position and the governor has sole discretion to pick (in this case) 2 names of the 6 submitted.
The governor chose Gary Nielsen and Bryce Thurgood from that list of 6.
There are a few new wrinkles in the process this year in an attempt to increase transparency and public input:
1) All WB & RAC members have to post on the DWR website a statement of potential conflicts of interest by August and
2) There is a 30 day public comment period on the above named 2 candidates prior to Senate confirmation in mid June. Here is that link:
https://governor.utah.gov/2021/05/14/gov-cox-appoints-boards-and-commissions-members-2/
A little background:
There were roughly 235 applications submitted online.
Of those 115 were deemed complete and were open for consideration.
Of those only about 35-40 consisted of more information than a name and an email address and these were logically where the majority of the discussion took place.
There are a few kinks in the regulation that affect getting the list down to the final 6:
1) These areas have to by law be represented on the WB:
- Wildlife management or biology;
- Habitat management, including range or aquatic;
- Business, including knowledge of private land issues; (and)
- Economics, including knowledge of recreational wildlife uses.
2) There can only be two WB members from each region and this does have a way of sometimes eliminating otherwise qualified candidates (It does no good to list 5 of 6 candidates from the Central region as only one can be selected and the other selection has to be by default #6 , i.e., NOT one of the other 4 from the Central region)
There are a number of candidates that make a short list in repeated cycles but get tripped up by the vagaries of which regions have seats open.
And, in the end, the governor does have a fair bit of discretion amongst the 6 submitted.
The new public comment period should be interesting!