Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission director announces resignation; commission to begin hiring process

Executive Director Mark Scoglin told the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission on Jan. 22 that he will leave the agency in mid-February and asked the commission to begin a search for a successor.

Scoglin said his last official day will be Feb. 14 (payroll records list Feb. 15 as the effective date) and that the commission will post the director position immediately. He said the chair will appoint an interim director on Scoglin’s departure day; that appointment must be ratified at the next commission meeting. "This will be my last meeting with the Ethics Commission. My last day will be, February 14 in office," Scoglin said.

The commission discussed practical steps for filling the vacancy. Scoglin recommended that the commission follow its historical practice of appointing a three-member screening subcommittee to conduct initial review of applications, then send finalists to the full commission for interviews. He offered to help staff and administer the process while still in the office. Scoglin also recommended Caitlin Bull Steward, the commission’s general counsel, as a possible interim director should she be willing and the chair choose to appoint her.

Commissioners raised several operational questions. They discussed whether an interim director who previously served as counsel could act as the complainant in pending enforcement matters; legal staff advised that, if counsel becomes interim director and therefore has a conflict, the investigator or another designated official would serve as the complainant for active cases. Commissioners also discussed whether to hold an executive session to address personnel and litigation implications before proceeding with hiring steps.

No formal multi-member appointment or final hiring decision was made on Jan. 22. The chair accepted Scoglin’s resignation for the record and commissioners asked staff to post the vacancy and identify volunteers for a hiring subcommittee by the end of the meeting. Scoglin said applications would be accepted immediately and that the interim appointment would be effective Feb. 16 (the business day after his last payroll date) if the commission follows the schedule he proposed.

The commission’s discussion also clarified administrative practice during the transition: if the director’s title changes before the full transfer of payroll, the commission will transfer complaint responsibility by motion to the interim director or investigator and re-execute necessary filings where law or procedure requires it. Commissioners asked staff to draft a timeline and candidate-screening process for the next meeting.

The item concluded with direction to staff to publish the vacancy and to return to the commission with recommended screening committee membership and timelines at an upcoming meeting.