Some of Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s latest appointments to posts at Virginia’s prestigious public universities also have donated generously to his gubernatorial campaign — up to $130,000 in one case.
Of McAuliffe’s 65 appointees to university and college governing boards, about 17 percent had contributed a substantial sum to his campaign, and two more — former Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms — broke ranks with Republicans to support McAuliffe’s campaign.
That’s nothing new. Many of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell’s university appointees also were generous donors. Appointing donors to political positions — positions that aren’t subject to General Assembly approval — is business as usual.
Peter Quist, a research director with the Montana-based National Institute on Money in State Politics, said appointments should be scrutinized on a case-by-case basis. After all, donors can be highly qualified for their posts.
“The practice of appointing major contributors to politically appointed positions, whether or not that’s good or bad really depends on a case-by-case scenario of how qualified that person is for the position,” Quist told Watchdog.org.
It isn’t always easy to stay on top of scrutinizing the thousands of political appointments each term.
After the sudden firing and rehiring of University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan, Virginians began to pay a little more attention to who runs the state’s 15 four-year higher-ed institutions.
McAuliffe’s spokesman, Brian Coy, told the Daily Progress that donors weren’t a factor in the governor’s decision on UVA governing members.
“The governor’s selections for these and all appointments are based on one standard: Who is the best person for the job?” Coy told the Charlottesville newspaper in an email. “These leaders have the experience and vision to help lead Virginia’s higher education system forward to better prepare Virginia students to compete in a global economy.”
Here are the new college and university appointees who donated to McAuliffe’s campaign efforts, according to a Watchdog.org analysis of data provided by the Virginia Public Access Project.
University of Virginia
Barbara J. Fried, $130,000 to campaign
Frank Maxwell “Rusty” Conner III, $52,338 to campaign, $10,000 to inaugural committee
College of William and Mary
Christopher M. Little, $35,000 to campaign
Lisa Roday, $10,000 to campaign
George Mason University
Claire Dwoskin, $16,000 to campaign
Jon Peterson, $10,000 to campaign
James Madison University
Edward Rice, $65,000 to campaign, plus $160,00 to VA Democratic Party
Old Dominion University
Carlton Bennett, $22,556 to campaign
Virginia Commonwealth University
William Ginther, $4,500 to campaign and inaugural committee
Alexander B. McMurtie, Jr. $15,200 to campaign
Virginia Military Institute
Conrad M. Hall, $5,000 to gubernatorial campaign
State Board for Community Colleges
Michael Schewel, $5,300 to campaign
Henry D. Light, $8,500 to campaign
Kathryn Watson is an investigative reporter for Watchdog.org, and can be reached at [email protected], or on Twitter @kathrynw5.
