Staffers also say they want the office of the Public Intervenor re-established. Thompson abolished that position in 1996. More than one-third said it was political interference and the role of the governor. In some cases we are required to get businesses involved in decisions where the public is ignored. The biggest problem is to 'free George Meyer' by letting the Natural Resources Board appoint the Secretary and restoring the Public Intervenor's Office.
Retaliation is a major, major concern.
Staff who do nothing are considered good employees. Thus, after suffering the slings and arrows of management, and since staff is cannon fodder, I am now the perfect employee because I now do nothing-no decisions, write few memos or letters, and I haven't conducted an inspection in two years. DNR is morally bankrupt. In a somewhat contradictory move, Vilsack also wants control over the location of large hog-confinement operations to be returned to county officials. Iowa is the nation's leading pork-producing state, and faces the constant challenge of balancing farmers' incomes with neighbors' quality of life.