RIP Janie Bowen

Janie Bowen, the Virginia Tax Commissioner, passed away unexpectedly Tuesday morning. I learned of her death in the afternoon, when Governor Bob McDonnell’s statement on her death came via email.

I met Bowen shortly after she was named Commissioner, as I was considering a gubernatorial appointment position with her agency. This was shortly after the incident with Virginia blogger Will Vehrs, who ended up being suspended for 10 days from his job with the Virginia Department of Business Assistance. As the result, one of Bowen’s requirements was that I give up blogging. Because I didn’t want to, and because I didn’t think the position was a good fit for my skill set, I declined. Bowen made quite an impression on me that day and reading through her resume, I’m not surprised why she did. She came across as confident and competent, something that, in the intervening years as I’ve read her opinions on various issues, she continued to demonstrate.

Virginia lost a dedicated public servant. My condolences to her family.