November 19, 2014

Butch Cassidy said it. And now that the USPS Board of Governors (BoG) has chosen Megan Brennan to be the new PMG, we might ask that too. Indeed, Senator Tom Carper, the erstwhile Chairman of the Senate oversight committee, seemed to wonder about the process the BoG used in selecting Brennan:

“Megan Brennan has been appointed by the Postal Service Board of Governors to become the next Postmaster General. I admire Ms. Brennan’s service to the agency and appreciate her willingness to lead the vital institution. The key to almost any successful entity is strong and effective leadership. At a time when the future of the Postal Service is unclear, largely because of Congress’ inability to agree on a comprehensive reform bill, it’s important that the Board of Governors has the best person it can find to take the helm. I am eager to learn more about the Board’s process to find a new Postmaster General and hope that it conducted a robust and thorough search before appointing Ms. Brennan. More than ever, the Postal Service needs bold leadership that will enable the Postal Service to emerge from its current difficulties, pursue promising new ideas, foster innovation and growth, and instill confidence in postal employees and customers.”

Sen. Carper also took the opportunity to again express his deep concern that the BoG is down to only four members of the nine positions normally occupied:

“This also applies to the Board of Governors. Currently, the Board has five vacancies out of nine confirmable positions. If we don’t confirm the nominees pending before the Senate by December 8, the Board will no longer have enough members to achieve a quorum and won’t be able to conduct business, potentially leaving postal management to act without the guidance and oversight of a working Board. This would be unacceptable. It’s also avoidable. The Senate must debate and vote on these nominees in the coming days.”

Here are the four sitting Postal Service Governors who named Megan Brennan the next PMG:

Mickey D. Barnett
Chairman, USPS Board of Governors

Mickey D. Barnett, chairman of the Board of Governors, is an attorney and former New Mexico state senator. He was appointed a governor of the U.S. Postal Service by President George W. Bush on August 17, 2006. He serves as a member of the Audit and Finance Committee and the Compensation and Management Resources Committee.

Governor Barnett has a history of public service in addition to his career in the private sector. Currently, Governor Barnett is the managing partner with the Barnett Law Firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a general practice law firm focusing on litigation. He is a member of the Bar Association of the State of New Mexico; the U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit; the United States Supreme Court; and is a member of the Federalist Society. He also was a member of the Appellate Nominating Commission for the New Mexico Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals from 1995 to 2002.

James H. Bilbray
Vice Chairman, USPS Board of Governors

James H. Bilbray, vice chairman of the Board of Governors, is an attorney and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada. He was appointed a governor of the U.S. Postal Service by President George W. Bush on August 17, 2006, for a term that expired December 8, 2006. He was reappointed on December 15, 2006, by President Bush to an additional nine-year term that expires December 8, 2015. He currently serves as a member of the Audit and Finance Committee and the Compensation and Management Resources Committee.

Governor Bilbray has been a member of the State Bar of Nevada since 1965 and is currently an attorney with Kaempfer Crowell Renshaw Gronauer & Fiorentino in Las Vegas. In the 1960s, Bilbray was a deputy district attorney in Clark County, Nevada, and served as chief counsel for the Clark County Juvenile Department. He also served as an alternate Las Vegas municipal judge from 1978 to 1980. He also served as a member of the California-Nevada High Speed Train Commission from 2007–2009.

Louis J. Giuliano
Member, USPS Board of Governors

Louis J. Giuliano retired as Chairman, CEO, and President of ITT Corp in December 2004. He retired to focus on serving his faith priorities.

He was named a governor of the U.S. Postal Service by President George W. Bush in November 2004. He was confirmed by the Senate in June 2005 for the remainder of the term that expires in December 2014. He served as vice chairman of the board from February 2009 to January 2010 and as chairman of the board from January 2010 until December 2011. He currently serves as chairman of the Audit and Finance Committee and the Operations Subcommittee and is a member of the Compensation and Management Resources Committee.

Ellen C. Williams
Member, USPS Board of Governors

Ellen C. Williams, formerly with the Kentucky Public Service Commission, was appointed a governor of the U.S. Postal Service by President George W. Bush on August 17, 2006, for a term that expired December 8, 2007, and was reappointed on June 6, 2008, for an additional term that expires December 8, 2014. Governor Williams is chairman of the Compensation and Management Resources Committee and a member of the Audit and Finance Committee.

After more than 25 years in government and politics, Governor Williams launched her own business, Capital Network, a government affairs and lobbying firm. She previously served as vice chairman of the Kentucky Public Service Commission and as commissioner of the Governor’s Office for Local Development.

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Along with Chairman Mickey Barnett, four more people have been nominated by President Obama to serve on the BoG. All have been confirmed by Sen. Carper’s committee and are among the large list of Administration nominees waiting for full-Senate confirmation. They are: Hon. James C. Miller III, Stephen Crawford, David M. Bennett, and Victoria Reggie Kennedy. We provided bios of these nominees in our July 16, 2014 Alliance Report 14/13. If Mr. Barnett is not confirmed by December 8, the BoG will not have a legal quorum. Equally important, the law and common sense require that a highly qualified and robust board of nine citizens govern the USPS. We hope that the confirmations are among the accomplishments of the current lame-duck Congress.

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