| Maysville Banker to Head Environmental & Public Protection Cabinet |
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Maysville Banker to Head Environmental & Public Protection Cabinet
Robert D. Vance, 67, from Maysville, Kentucky, will be the next Secretary of the Environmental & Public Protection Cabinet. With a background in banking, Vance justified his appointment by remaining reporters that banking was “one of the many businesses that the cabinet regulates.”
Governor Elect Beshear said of Vance’s appointment, “We all know it is a very complex and large cabinet right now and a close look is going to be taken at the cabinet.”
The cabinet was created in 1973 under Governor Wendell Ford’s reorganization of state government. At that time it was called the Cabinet for Natural Resources & Environmental Protection. Early in Governor Fletcher’s reign, the cabinet was merged with the Cabinet for Public Protection and Labor. Today’s cabinet structure is often viewed by outsiders as having lost its focus on the environment by sharing cabinet status with public protection agencies.
After Beshear introduced him to the press on Thursday, December 7, 2007, Vance tried to answer some of the reporters questions. Vance said he has “no clue” yet as to whether the cabinet is too big. Having no experience in environmental protection issues can be something positive.”
Vance continued, “I come in with a pretty clean slate. I don’t have any preconceived notions. I can be pretty objective about it.”
He added, “What I need to do is get my arms around it. I’m not that knowledgeable yet. I just have to learn it. I just have to look at the cabinet and decide the most efficient way to deliver services.”
Vance’s background and experience includes primarily working within the financial field. This includes working as an agriculture lender for Farm Credit Services, trust examiner for controller
of the currency; stock broker for Bache & Company; president and CEO of State National Bank of Maysville, chairman and CEO of Dawson Springs Bancorp; chairman and CEO of Community first Federal Financial Inc. in Maysville; chairman of Community First Bank of Kentucky in Warsaw.
Vance graduated from University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in business and a law degree. Vance also graduated from the School of Banking at Rutgers University and the Executive Banking Institute at the University of Louisville.
During the last part of the press conference, Vance was asked about mountain top removal with its controversial practice of removing coal and discarding mountain tops into valleys and streams. Vance answered that he had no opinions on the issue.
Beshear spoke of Vance as part of his team. He said, “I have known Robert for many years and he is a man of high moral and ethical fiber with extensive business and management expertise necessary to successfully run this large cabinet of state government.”
Outside of the Economic Development Cabinet, the Environmental & Public Protection is the most important cabinet of state government for its impact on the future of Western Kentucky.
Mega issues include:
(1) invasion of corporate hog farms operations in the Purchase;
(2) loss of quality of water in the river basins of the five rivers of West Kentucky;
(3) Peabody Coal plans to build $3 billion coal plant and the issue of carbon CO2 waste;
(4) farm runoff as possible hazard waste federal issue
These will be some of the areas for Vance and the Governor to be concern with as they confront the size and missions of the cabinet in their attempts to draft a budget for 2008-2009.
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