On the timing of Gardner's resignation

[Editor's note: On the discussion regarding Dan Gardner's resignation as labor commissioner, a question was asked regarding the timing of the resignation - coming just one day after filing day. Gardner's predecessor, Jack Roberts (a Republican), posted an insightful comment.]

It does make a difference, but I'm not sure it's to anyone's advantage one way or another.

If Gardner had announced Tuesday or earlier, candidates wishing to run to fill the vacancy would have had to file Tuesday. If more than two candidates had filed, they would have been on the May ballot, with the top two running off in November if no one got a majority of the vote. If only one or two candidates had filed, that candidate or both candidates would be on the ballot in November only.

By waiting until after Tuesday to resign, now candidates to fill the vacancy have until August 28th to file and all the candidates will be on the November ballot, with a simple plurality all that is needed to win.

Perhaps more significantly, waiting also gives the Governor time to pick Gardner's replacement, who presumably would run for the election this fall as the incumbent. If Gardner had announced, say, on Monday, no one would probably have known who the governor was likely to appoint and hence it would be a more "open" but also a more rushed process.

Since Gardner was considering running for the 5th Congressional District just a few weeks ago, I think its fair to say that this probably wasn't something that has been in the works for a long time and that he has just kept under wraps until the filing deadline passed. Although the timing looks a little contrived on the surface, I think Dan probably did the right thing by not announcing just before the primary filing deadline and thus setting off a hurried rush by prospective candidates to see who would run.

This way, while the Governor gets to set someone up with the advantage of incumbency, it also gives other interested parties an opportunity to check their potential support and deciding whether they really want to make the race (or even want the job) before deciding to file. All things considered, I think this is a better result than if Dan had resigned just before the filing deadline.

Now if it turns out that this was something that had been arranged weeks or months ago and simply kept quiet in order to manipulate the process, that would be a different story. But I am willing to give Dan the benefit of the doubt, and like others wish him the best.