By Andrew Jenner First Published in WMRA on December 21, 2018
Just months after his term on the James Madison University Board of Visitors ended last summer, former Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling began a six-figure job as a senior fellow in residence at JMU. To State Sen. Mark Obenshain, that represents a clear conflict of interest. WMRA's Andrew Jenner reports.
Note: WMRA's operating license is held by JMU's board of visitors.
The first bill that Sen. Obenshain introduced for next year’s General Assembly session would ban such a rapid transition from a university’s board to its payroll. Obenshain, whose district includes Harrisonburg and the JMU campus, first learned of Bolling’s new job through a news release.
OBENSHAIN: I thought that, immediately, it was kind of a head-scratcher. I knew that he had been on the Board of Visitors. It was certainly a surprise to have someone rotating off of a college board and into a paid position with the university.
But when he later read in Harrisonburg’s Daily News-Record that Bolling began discussing a possible job with JMU President Jonathan Alger while still serving on the board of visitors:
