Apparently the Governor’s Cabinet Secretary (which is a fancy title for the Governor’s liaison to all of his Agency Secretaries) Fred Aguair is joining the growing list of folks who are leaving the Schwarzenegger Administration.
Fred Aguiar is a pretty conservative Republican (back in the day, he seemed more moderate, but the entire ideological paradigm that defines conservatism has been shifted — also, Aguiar is certainly moderate in his temperment) — and his presence will be missed in the Governor’s Office. Many of us who sit on the outside of the Governor’s inner-circle fancied that Aguiar represented a senior and respected Republican who had his own relationship with Governor Schwarzenegger, not having to go through Susan Kennedy (the Democrat Party Executive Director turned Arnold Chief-of-Staff) to have time with the boss. Then again, that probably wasn’t really the case.
Anyways, the point is this — like all other policy makers, the Governor’s counsel from those closest to him will be in some manner reflected in the actions that he takes, and the things that he says. It is troublesome that Republicans like Aguiar, Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs Richard Costigan, Press Secretary Margita Thompson and others are leaving.
We will all be watching to see if these important roles in the administration are filled with those who are skeptical of a big role for government, or if they are filled with those who are comfortable ushering in more regulation, more spending, and more taxes.
There is a saying in public policy: "You are who you hire."
While the statement is more or less an exageration, there is some truth to it. Let’s hope that the Governor hires some strong conservatives to plug these holes on his ‘home team’ — !
In closing, we wish Fred Aguiar well in his future endeavors. He held on to the reigns of the bucking bronco for a long time, it’s understanding that he is ready to get off. All of these administration positions involve high stress, long hours, and relative low pay.