Poolman Is Second NAIC Leader To Resign
By Jim Connolly
NU Online News Service, Sept. 1, 2:29 p.m. EDT?The National Association of Insurance Commissioners Vice President Jim Poolman has resigned 15 days after NAIC President Ernst Csiszar quit his post with the regulators' group to join an insurance lobbying organization.[@@]
Mr. Poolman, citing family obligations, said he did not want the top spot and felt he should leave to allow a new team to take over. He said he will retain his post as North Dakota insurance commissioner and seek reelection on the Republican ticket in November.
The NAIC is due to fill the two positions during its meeting Sept. 11-14 in Anchorage, Alaska.
Mr. Poolman said that after Mr. Csiszar resigned to become president of the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, he had to decide quickly if he wanted the top spot. Mr. Csiszar also resigned as South Carolina insurance director to join PCI on Oct. 4.
Mr. Poolman said he wants to spend more time with his young family, which includes a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old and a 20-month-old. He said that last year he traveled 170 days both in and out of state. His decision to resign was reinforced, he said, when his son said to him, "Dad, can you tell the commissioners that you want to stay home?"
Mr. Poolman said he will remain active at the NAIC. He said that the federal road map draft for insurance regulation that was released Aug. 20 reaffirms the role of state regulators and the NAIC. The State Modernization and Regulatory Act is a working draft to develop federal tools for regulating insurance.
The regulator added that he decided to step down right away so that the NAIC could elect a new team that could begin work immediately.
The election for new officers will take place on Sept. 12. The decision will allow the NAIC to move forward quickly with an election of new officers, said Cathy Weatherford, executive vice president and NAIC chief executive officer.
Joel Ario, secretary-treasurer of the NAIC, continues to hold the third leadership post. Although any commissioner whose state is part of the NAIC would be eligible to run for any of the posts, Mr. Ario in his slot would typically step into the post of president, but he said for now he only wants to be vice president.
Mr. Ario, who is Oregon's insurance administrator, said his legislature, which meets every other year, has a session in 2005 and the department has an "ambitious agenda." He said that 2006 would be a better year for him to become president.
Filling the ranks will also depend on whether the posts are for three months until elections can be held in December or if they are 15 month posts, Mr. Ario added.
Whatever the leadership lineup, Mr. Ario said there is a "deep bench at the NAIC" and a "solid leadership team" will be put in place.
He declined to say who is considering a run for the post but said that there are commissioners who have volunteered to run and those who have been encouraged to run.
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