Karpowitz gets mixed reception

The appointment this week of Jim Karpowitz as new director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources was met with a lot of mixed feelings — some good, some not.

The main point of contention is his resume. His background is in big game, i.e. all those animals bigger than bicycles and smaller than a truck. His visits to the front offices have generally been short and mostly animal-related.

Now he has 400 employees, a Capitol building full of politicians, a state full of non-hunters, a budget with too little money and too many expenses, a file cabinet of angry landowners and responsibility for all the animals within the state's borders — fish and birds included.

He asserts, and rightly so, that big-game animals were his appointed job, and he's done well at given tasks.

Which, I've found, is true. I've no complaints. Over the years he's been professional, informed and cooperative.

The new position, however, will be nothing like he's faced in the past. He will be, immediately, on a vertical learning curve.

The argument is that Miles Moretti, the second of the two main candidates, had been schooled in the art of administration . . . regional supervisor, assistant director and acting director since last September. As one voting committee member said, "The two were head and shoulders above the rest."

Moretti was, indeed, a worthy candidate.

What went on behind closed doors, I have no knowledge. Obviously, Karpowitz gave more right answers. And I have no doubt that with the induction of a new administration at the top, there was an interest expressed in going in new directions.

Past directors have fallen victim to the same kind of a directive. For political appointees, the unwritten rule is: Enjoy four to five good years, at most, and then know some politicians will have you in their sights. You can't please all the politicians all of the time, and most of them never.

There has been a charge made, many times, that Don Peay, champion of the big game hunters, scoundrel to fishing groups and powerful political player, pulled the strings on this one. He was a member of the selection committee, as were many others of diversified backgrounds and interests. His interests, though, rest with big animals.