Wyoming’s Governor Matt Mead has selected Arizona State senator Rich Crandall to run the Wyoming Education Department. Mead made the announcement this afternoon.
Crandall, who co-owned two nutritional service companies while he served on the Arizona Legislature’s Education Committee, had expected to leave the Arizona Senate since before he ran for reelection leaving his constituents and the Republican Party in a lurch, according to sources.
Now, he will oversee a a budget of about $1 billion a year.
This past winter, Wyoming enacted a new law removing the statewide elected superintendent of public instruction as head of the Education Department.
Crandall, who does business with many Arizona school districts through his companies, had often been criticized for not recusing himself from votes in which he might have some personal benefit or other conflict. Crandall is best known for opposing nearly any and every school reform measure, including any that would increase school choice.
Last year, he lost much support after he threatened a fellow lawmaker who had offered an eyewitness account of Crandall’s young daughter allegedly tampering with one of his primary opponent’s campaign signs.
At the time, Crandall first announced he was in line for the Wyoming spot, many Republicans expressed relief that Crandall might be leaving the state, but regretted that he hadn’t left sooner. “Good riddance to bad rubbish,” said one Capitol insider. “Rich has betrayed us over and over again, and now it looks like he is running out of town after the ultimate betrayal.”
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