Letter: Gall voted down by bad politics

Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2001 | 8:51 a.m.

In an Aug. 10 editorial you chided President Bush for nominating Mary Sheila Gall to chair the Consumer Product Safety Commission and you went so far as to state that product safety is not a priority for the president. With all due respect, you have taken an intellectually dishonest approach to your commentary.

In your editorial there was nary a word that Gall was first nominated to the commission by former President Clinton and she was unanimously approved by the Senate. She was renominated for a second term by Clinton, again approved by the Senate and served the commission well. If she was such a poor performer, why did Clinton renominate her?

Further, you conveniently overlook the behind-the-scenes politicking by Sen. Hillary Clinton (and Sen. Barbara Boxer) who, it was widely reported by the Washington Post and New York Times, was dead set against Gall's serving as chairman instead of her philosophical soul mate, Ann Brown.

Political differences between Sen. Clinton and Gall were the root of her rejection. Gall does not feel, that in absence of evidence of a defective product, companies should be held liable for deliberate misuse of their products by the public. I don't find this position outrageous -- but it is a sacrilege to the senator who feels compelled to save the American people from themselves.

It is clear that Gall was voted down for purely political reasons, none of which had to do with her past service to the CPSC.

WILLIAM J. LIVOLSI JR.