President George W. Bush’s cabinet will have a different look after his second inauguration.

DeKalb Mayor Greg Sparrow has had personal contact with the nominee for Secretary of Agriculture, Gov. Mike Johanns, and said Johanns’ previous experience will strengthen his abilities in the position.

Johanns is the former mayor of Lincoln, Neb., Sparrow said. Johanns’ former position should provide a strong local government perspective to the national office.

NIU President John Peters has also had personal contact with Johanns.

“My kid and his kid went to the same middle school,” he said.

Johanns was a good choice for Secretary of Agriculture because he is the sitting governor of Nebraska, an agricultural state, Peters said.

Peters also said cabinet changes between first and second term administrations were not uncommon.

“A lot of times people give up lucrative positions (in business), to take cabinet positions” he said.

Mikel Wyckoff, associate professor of political science agreed with Peters.

“Cabinet members don’t often stay around the whole first term even,” he said.

The Homeland Security Department also will have a new secretary.

Sparrow cited problems with the first term in the Department of Homeland Security.

Money did not always filter down to the local level, but overall, former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge has done a good job with the monumental task of getting the department off the ground, Sparrow said.

Ridge has resigned. The nominee for Ridge’s job is Michael Chertoff, former New Jersey U.S. Attorney.

Chertoff replaced one time nominee Bernard Kerik who stepped aside amidst scandal.

Democratic County Board member Stephen Slack’s outlook was not so hopeful.

“The one person who should be resigning has not, the Secretary of Defense,” Slack said.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has been the architect of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during the president’s first term.

Secretary of State Colin Powell has announced his decision to step down also.

Powell had been neutralized as a voice of dissent within the administration as early as Sept. 11, 2001, Slack said.

His resignation signaled his refusal to run a State Department under a policy that he did not believe in, Slack said.

Bush has nominated his National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to take over Powell’s position.

“She will make a fine secretary of state,” Sparrow said.

Other County Board members had a more positive take on the second term than Slack.

Republican County Board member Julia Fullerton said she thought the first term Cabinet did an excellent job.

“Hopefully [the second term Cabinet will] do as good a job as those who resigned,” Fullerton said. “We have to trust the president’s judgment.”