Here's Why KDFWR Commissioners Should Not Be Elected By the General Population

[ptbrauch]

Because then something like this could happen. I like that you have to be a license holder to vote for a commissioner.

Calif. wildlife official voted out after killing mountain lion in Idaho

By NBC News staff and wire reports
FRESNO, Calif. -- The president of the California Fish and Game Commission, who sparked the ire of animal rights groups when he hunted and killed a mountain lion in Idaho in an act prohibited in his home state, was unanimously voted out of his position on Wednesday.

All five members of the Commission, including ousted President Dan Richards, voted to appoint another president effective immediately although Richards will remain a member of the group until his term expires in January, a commission staff member said.

Controversy began when Richards killed a mountain lion in Idaho earlier this year in a legal hunt anda photo of him with the dead animal was posted on the Internet. Idaho Fish and Game officials said he legally purchased a hunting license.

"I was fully aware today would be my last day as the president," Richards said after a unanimous vote to replace him with member Jim Kellogg.


Read the rest here:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/09/13194891-calif-wildlife-official-voted-out-after-killing-mountain-lion-in-idaho?lite

 

[trust me]

He even voted to fire himself? Sounds like the vote was restricted to the Commission members, just like here in kentucky.

Sounds like there might be more at play here than just shooting a kitty cat.

 

[quackrstackr]

Kalifornia... go figure.

Ours are not elected by anyone but the governor anyway. The first vote is nothing more than a silly formality.

 

[ResidentCombo]

Kalifornia... go figure.

Ours are not elected by anyone but the governor anyway. The first vote is nothing more than a silly formality.

Not exactly, used to be, but now the legislature has final say.

 

[ribsplitter]

Kalifornia... go figure.

Ours are not elected by anyone but the governor anyway. The first vote is nothing more than a silly formality.

Our commision member seating is nothing but a joke just another play on politics and pretty much useless in management of our wildlife. The system might have worked well and been the way to go way back when but since then it has turned into a corrupt mess.

 

[slickhead slayer]

Not exactly, used to be, but now the legislature has final say.

Really?.........

 

[daking]

Before we get too far afield, let's consider how we got where we are at.

In the 1930's when Ding Darling was the head of the US Biological Survey (now the US Fish and Wildlife Service) he hatched the idea of states having an independent commission run their department (conservation department or KDFWR by any other name). At his and some forward thinking senators and congressmen's behest, all federal money going to the states for fish and wildlife is absolutely earmarked for those activities. Further, the feds set their system up so that if a state used any of the fees or revenues its F&W departments generated into their general fund, federal money would be forfeited.

As a result, 42 of the 50 states have adopted the independent commission system of running their F&W departments. Forty-one of those states select their commission members solely by the governor's appointment. Only Kentucky gives the licensed sportsmen and women any say in who will be their commission member. Each district selects up to five candidates by vote of the sportsmen and women and the governor must appoint from that set of five. The senate must ratify his choice at the next session or it's supposed to start all over again.

If there were a direct election of the commission member by the public, voting could not be limited to only license buyers because the purchase of a license to vote would be a poll tax which is unconstitutional. In a direct election, we'd have to let the likes of PeTA vote.

While the system doesn't suit everyone, it's far and away the most sportsman-friendly state in the union with regards to selecting the leadership for our fish and wildlife department. It's not perfect, but it's a doggone sight better than the rest.

 

[Gixxerjoe04]

Anyone else read the comments on the articles? Most of the comments made me wish i could punch people thru the computer.