Time to step up, Gov. Holcomb

Eric Holcomb seems to enjoy the role of governor of Indiana.

He has proven adept at the ceremonial and collegial aspects of the job. He give a pretty good speech. And he’s capable of generating a degree of personal warmth that his predecessor often lacked. 

While Mike Pence could come across as priggish and artificial, Gov. Eric Holcomb is avuncular and comfortable. He’s that brother-in-law you like to chat with at family gatherings or the uncle that the kids gather around at Thanksgiving.

But now, his job becomes more difficult.

Two challenges lie on his immediate horizon, and Eric Holcomb’s ability to deal with them will determine whether he’ll go down as a good governor or just a nice guy.

The first challenge came with the resignation of Mary Beth Bonaventura as director of the Indiana Department of Child Services. 

Bonaventura, who has been involved in child welfare services for more than three decades, did not go quietly. 

Instead, her letter of resignation made it clear that she was quitting as a matter of conscience. The current course of action in the department, she said, would ensure that “children will die.”

The immediate cause of her decision was a political appointee — Eric Miller — put in place by the governor as chief of staff. Bonaventura didn’t pull any punches. 

“Using the position and authority given by Holcomb’s office, Bonaventura argued, Miller has engineered his own hires, bullied subordinates, created a hostile work environment, exposed the agency to lawsuits, overridden her decisions, been ‘brazenly insubordinate’ and made cost-cutting decisions without her knowledge,” The Indy Star reported.

So far, the governor has stood by his politically-connected friend Miller. Spin control operatives have done their best to dismiss Bonaventura’s complaints.

But this is about something more than spin, and how the governor gets his house in order will speak volumes.

And then there is the matter of a major change in high school graduation standards being pushed by the Indiana Board of Education.

The proposed standards, which still require approval from the Indiana General Assembly, seem dramatically out of synch with the realities of public education at the secondary level. 

They may sound good to political ideologues, but they’ll send graduation rates into the cellar and have damaging consequence for at-risk and special needs students.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick opposes the proposed new standards. She, like the governor, is a Republican elected official; unlike the governor, she has a long history as an educator.

At the moment, Eric Holcomb is backing the political appointees to the board of education rather than McCormick. And he’s backing Miller rather than Bonaventura.

Both positions disappoint.

Eric Holcomb seems to enjoy the role of governor. Now, it’s time now for him to do more than go through the motions. — J.R.