Smith ouster is called ‘political’
Tuesday, January 9, 2007 4:44 PM EST
By Dean Bortz Editor
Madison — Several Wisconsin conservation veterans believe DNR leadership abilities took a step backward last month when DNR Deputy Secretary Bill Smith was removed as the agency’s second in command.
He is going to be replaced by the current DNR executive assistant Mary Schlaefer. She will be replaced by Randy Romanski, who is Gov. Jim Doyle’s deputy chief of staff and former executive assistant at the Department of Transportation.
Several conservation leaders did not want to be identified, but agreed that Smith’s experience and knowledge on resource issues and management will be sorely missed. They called Smith’s removal a bad move.
Former DNR secretary and current Wisconsin Wildlife Federation executive director George Meyer didn’t hide his displeasure with the decision.
“Not only is his loss of great concern, but now we have the three top people in the agency and the great majority of division administrators with four or less years of experience in the agency,” Meyer said. “While they are all fine people, this is a great loss to conservation in Wisconsin and illustrates in spades why we need to return to an agency managed by a designee of the Natural Resources Board and true professional natural resource management in this state.”
Retired Natural Resources Board member Herb Behnke, of Shawano, said DNR Secretary Scott Hassett and Doyle made a mistake in removing Smith.
“There’s no one there now who has any experience in resource management. People like Bill Smith, who have been in the field and know what’s going on, should rise to the top and be the decision makers, but that’s not happening now,” Behnke said.
“We’re not in good shape at all now, as far as resource management goes,” he said. “Bill understood the workings of the DNR, he earned the right to be there. He did a good job there in the last four years, managing the day-to-day operations of the DNR.
“Mary is a fine person, I know her. She’s a great lawyer, but she does not have any resource management background at all, Behnke said.
Lee Kernen, of Montello, is the DNR’s former fisheries chief and now a columnist for Wisconsin Outdoor News. Kernen worked with Smith when Smith was the Northwest Region director.
“Bill is a great guy and a good guy to work for. He’s the person who held the DNR together until Scott Hassett got his feet on the ground,” Kernen said.
One of the conservation leaders who wished to remain unnamed said Smith’s departure is a “huge loss.”
“It is obviously a political move. These people have no resource background - it was good to know that the second in command (Smith) had a good resource background,” one source said.
Another source added: “We have to be concerned about this. The question is, is DNR going to be a resource agency led by professional resource people? Their decisions affect everything we do, and some of these issues are incredibly complex. Who is going to be making those decisions? They may do a good job but, but should we not have some institutional history at the top?”
Behnke said Smith’s removal now brings Wisconsin conservation efforts full circle in the past 80 years.
“Eighty years ago, Aldo Leopold, Bill Aberg, and Haskell Noyes got the Legislature to separate politics from conservation decisions, but now we’re back to where politicians are making the decisions instead of career employees, and that’s not a good situation,” he said.
Doyle announced the changes in a press release late on Friday, Dec. 29, just before the long New Year’s weekend. Meyer pointed out that those types of news releases often are used by politicians who know their decisions are going to be unpopular with the public. In today’s electronic news world, that Friday announcement is long forgotten by Tuesday morning, and news outlets go on to newer, fresher stories.
“Ever wonder why these decisions are revealed the Friday before a holiday?” Meyer asked.
The news release points out that Romanski grew up fishing on the Wisconsin River, but critics of the move wonder how that translates into Romanski being able to make major natural resources management decisions.
Romanski has a master’s degree in public policy and administration from UW-Madison and worked as chief of staff for Sen. Alice Clausing. From June of 2005 through December he served as Doyle’s deputy chief of staff.
Schlaefer has no background in natural resources, but she knew Doyle when she worked in the attorney general’s office.
Smith’s future role within the DNR was not announced, but he will turn 57 this fall, making him eligible to retire from the agency.
Hassett did not return an e-mail from Wisconsin Outdoor News before press time for this issue.
“This is a real true loss to the agency and to sportsmen and women. This lack of experience at the top (of the DNR) is a true conservation travesty,” Meyer said.

I am very pleased and excited about the partnership that has been forged with Whitetails Unlimited to bring the reward program into reality this fall. The $400 reward for each positive deer removed during the hunting season recognizes the importance of cooperation between landowners and hunters by giving $200 to the hunter and $200 to landowner on whose land the positive deer was shot.