Idaho Commissioner Bill Deal to Retire
November 14, 2014 by Jeff Jeffrey
BOISE, Idaho – Idaho Insurance Director Bill Deal has announced he will retire in December after eight years as the state’s top insurance regulator.
Deal was tapped to lead the state’s Insurance Department in 2007 by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, a Republican. Otter has not announced Deal’s successor at this time.
At the time, Deal was finishing up his eighth term in the Idaho Legislature. His time in the legislature included a stint as chairman of the House State Affairs Committee, with jurisdiction over statewide policy issues such as elections, abortion, and electric utility deregulation
His career includes more than 40 years as an insurance salesman and as the principal of Nampa, Idaho-based agency W.W. Deal Insurance. He is also a former president of the Idaho chapter of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America.
“My time with the Department of Insurance has been a rewarding one with challenges met and successes achieved,” Deal said in a statement. “I have had the pleasure of working with dedicated and professional people who have the best interests of the citizens of Idaho at heart and who work hard to provide superior customer service.”
Deal added he and his wife Joan have a “bucket list” of adventures that have been delayed during his years of state service, and they are eager to begin a new chapter together.
Efforts to reach Deal for comment were not immediately successful.
Deal’s retirement will add to turnover at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, following the midterm elections (Best’s News Service, Nov. 5, 2014).
Several states where the governor has the power to appoint insurance commissioners saw GOP challengers knock off Democratic incumbents.
Republican candidates won races for governor in Maryland, Arkansas and Illinois and held onto vulnerable seats in Florida and Wisconsin. The victories in Florida and Wisconsin could mean a return to office for commissioners Kevin McCarty and Ted Nickel, respectively.
Democrats picked up the governor’s office in Pennsylvania and narrowly avoided defeat in Connecticut and Colorado. Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas Leonardi and Colorado Insurance Commissioner Marguerite Salazar have not said whether they would be staying for another term.
Vermont’s race for governor was so close that it will require a vote by members of the state legislature in January to decide the outcome.
In Nebraska, Gov.-Elect Pete Ricketts, a Republican, has announced that he will retain Bruce Ramge as the director of Nebraska’s Department of Insurance.
Ramge was appointed to his current position by Gov. Dave Heineman in 2010. Heineman has already served two terms as governor and was thus barred from seeking re-election.