You heard it here first. According to an NPS press release John Latschar has decided to stay on after learning from the Department of the Interior that his ability to continue to work with the park as the president of the Gettysburg Foundation would be severely curtailed. This conflict of interest was mentioned by a number of people in the blogosphere, but it is encouraging to know that Latschar will be able to stay on indefinitely in his current position at Gettysburg. Latschar had this to say:
I had been looking forward to the challenges of moving to the private sector and working for the Gettysburg Foundation. However, I can’t complain about going back to the best job in the National Park Service as Superintendent of Gettysburg NMP and Eisenhower NHS. We’ll now redouble our efforts to make our wonderful partnership with the Gettysburg Foundation the best that the National Park Service has ever seen.
Latschar is responsible for some of the most significant changes to the Gettysburg landscape, including new view sheds as well as a state-of-the-art visitor center. The future does indeed look bright under Latschar’s stewardship.
Update: Looks like the crazies [check comments] are once again coming out of the wordwork to voice their displeasure. Art Bergeron has left a comment over at Eric Wittenberg’s blog indicating that Latschar may have asked for the ethics review. If true, it should stifle the crazies who have assumed the worst about Latschar’s character throughout this transition.
{ 0 comments… add one now }