Rendell appoints new cabinet

With a little over a week remaining until his inauguration, Governor-Elect Ed Rendell announced three new appointments to his cabinet yesterday afternoon. Rendell designated Estelle Richman, Nora Dowd and Benjamin Ramos to lead the departments of Public Welfare, Aging, and State, respectively. Rendell commended Richman as "a true innovator... someone who will stop social problems before they occur." Richman is the current Philadelphia City Manager and served as commissioner of the Department of Public Health during Rendell's terms as mayor. She aims to "return hope to people and... ensure that the folks who receive these services have some voice." With 15.5 percent of its population consisting of elderly citizens, Pennsylvania is the second statistically "oldest" state in the union. The Rendell Plan for Older Pennsylvanians, which Dowd will implement, will acknowledge the important role the elderly have to play, focusing on community service initiatives and dispelling "the mental and emotional feeling of not being useful," which Rendell deemed one of the most serious troubles facing the elderly community. Dowd currently heads the Pennsylvania division of the AARP. "Next year I'll be eligible for membership," the 49-year-old Dowd said. "And I'm looking forward to it." Dowd also formerly served as the Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General in the Bureau of Consumer Protection where she specialized in fighting telemarketing schemes that target the elderly. During her term in office, Dowd aims to focus on developing PACE, the state prescription drug service, promoting long-term care programs and expanding access to relevant community service initiatives. Born in Puerto Rico, Ramos is the first Latino ever to serve in a state office at the cabinet level, and his appointment comes at a time when the Latino community is one of the fastest-growing in the state. "For Latinos, this is a history-making event," he said. "It's a great opportunity because we now have a voice." As Secretary of the Commonwealth, Ramos is determined to "make sure that the people of Pennsylvania have access to the information they're entitled to." He stressed his intentions to open the channels of communication between citizens and the state administration. "Government cannot be a closed entity," he said. Rendell clearly appreciates the resolve of his appointees to communicate effectively. By appointing them as a group, he set the precedent for future collaboration among the departments. "One of the things I have always believed is that government is too compartmentalized," Rendell said. And he is counting on Richman, Dowd and Ramos to help him with the integration of state services, a focal point of his administration. Families who depend heavily upon one of these state services are likely to subscribe to others as well, and clients are better served if the departments communicate extensively. This strategy will also reduce costs and avoid duplication, according to Rendell, helping to tame the beast of budget deficit. "These kinds of offices cannot work independently of one another," Richman affirmed. Rendell introduced his appointees in a collective ceremony at the Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel in Center City.