Monday when the news broke that the President of Iowans for Tax Relief (ITR), Ed Failor, Jr., resigned last Friday I thought it was significant news. It will be one of the top Iowa political stories of the year, if not the biggest since ITR has been a major player in Iowa Republican politics for decades. I didn’t think it was all that odd however since they just came off of a busy election season, Failor has been there for 16-years with the last two as the President. There could be many reasons for a transition like this. Right after an election would be a good time for the organization to handle the transition and he thought , he may have been getting several offers, or it could be for personal reasons. I thought that perhaps he was even being courted by a prospective presidential candidate.
Based on an email he sent, the transition theory seemed plausible…
…You may be asking “why?”.
Well, after 16 great years, I resigned as President of ITR on Friday.
ITR has great leadership, staff, and history. They are in very capable hands and will continue to be a powerhouse in Iowa policy and politics.
Anyway, I didn’t think it odd. People come in go in organizations such as this, and he had been there a long time.
With the news that not only did Failor resign, but their Vice President, Katie Koberg, and Development Director, Eric Branstad, resigned on Monday as well. Ok, that got my attention. Apparently the founder, David Stanley, is cleaning house, but why?
I’m sure things have been weird at ITR having to criticize Governor Branstad, after endorsing him during the primary. They’ve even run a radio ad thumping him. One theory is that the “Republicans-powers-that-be” got him canned for criticizing Branstad. That doesn’t seem plausible with Governor Branstad’s son leaving as well, but perhaps he’s leaving voluntarily. I would think there would be a collective embarrassment among an organization’s staff and board who endorses someone they have to criticize just four months into his administration.
It will be interesting to see what comes of this.
Update: A fourth resignation, Mary Earnhardt, their policy director. All four who resigned assumed their positions on the same day… November 18, 2008. Hmmmm….
