A bill introduced to the House of Representatives on Tuesday would create elections for the Board of Regents.

Although it was introduced with hopes of lessening the effect of politics on appointments, some say the effect could be the opposite of what is intended.

House File 475 would require regent elections to start in 2006 and be held every two years to elect three members at a time. Elected officials would represent their resident congressional districts and would serve terms of six years.

The current system allows the governor to make six-year appointments, confirmed by the Senate.

“One of the problems I see is that pretty much every local appointment we have, there seems to be somebody who claims it is a political favor,” said Rep. George Eichhorn, R-Stratford. “This bill clearly takes away from the appearance of a favor.”

Eichhorn, who wrote the bill, said because Iowans are now looking to higher education for economic development, people should have more of a voice in the process of appointing members to a board that oversees the state’s regent universities.

“I think the election process would wean out the people who are not as good as others, and we’d end up with the real cream of the crop and people we would want to have in there,” Eichhorn said.

Senate Education Committee co-chairman Sen. Michael Connolly, D-Dubuque, said he is not convinced the bill has enough support to pass.

“I think that’s dead on arrival,” said Connolly, who serves on the committee that approves regent appointments. “I don’t think that bill has legs.”

Davenport Regent Amir Arbisser said he is “unenthusiastic” about the idea of electing regents.

Arbisser said the passage of Eichhorn’s bill would heighten the role of politics within the board. He said he’s seen the effects of similar systems in other states where regents are constantly in the election cycle.

“Part of the time you’re out electioneering, part of the time you’re out doing chicken dinners to raise money,” Arbisser said.

“When you raise money, you feel at least some tug from those people who give money. Our system is a lot less subject to politics.”

Another area regents have stressed is sections of the Iowa Code dictating the amount of influence political parties can have. No more than five of the nine regents can be from one political party. The board is composed of two Republicans, three Democrats and one unaffiliated member.

If the proposed five appointments are confirmed, the Board would have five Democrats, three Republicans and one unaffiliated member.

University officials said they are unfamiliar with the bill and said that it is not the university’s position to comment on regent policy.

Three regents — former board president John Forsyth, David Neil and Sue Nieland — resigned in January because of conflicts of interest and the board’s governance policies.

The governor appointed Michael Gartner, principal owner of the Iowa Cubs, and Mid-America Group President Teresa Wahlert to replace Neil and Forsyth. He also appointed Ruth Harkin, wife of Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, to replace Nieland, and Tom Bedell, president of Pure Fishing, to replace Des Moines Regent Owen Newlin, whose term expires in April.

Des Moines Regent Rose Vasquez was reappointed to a full six-year term.

The Senate Education Committee gave approval of Harkin on Wednesday.

“I’m looking forward to meeting her,” Arbisser said. “I assume that she must be a very capable individual.”

Connolly said he is confident Harkin will be an asset to the board after talking with her Wednesday.