Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has announced several appointments, including an interim commissioner of the state agency that oversees property taxes.

Daniels announced Tuesday that Tim Rushenberg has resigned as commissioner of the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance. Rushenberg has decided to work in the private sector.

A statement issued by the governor’s office said that since Rushenberg was named commissioner in December of 2008, the DLGF made tremendous progress returning counties to on-time property tax billing. Budget orders for 83 of 92 counties have been signed so far this year, about six months ahead of the tax bill work a year ago.

Rushenberg was DLGF’s general counsel for 16 months before he was appointed as commissioner. Current DLGF general counsel Brian Bailey will be the interim commissioner until Daniels names a replacement.

Daniels also announced that he has reappointed David Lott Hardy as the chairman of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

Hardy was first appointed to fill a vacancy on the IURC in 2005 and was named to his first four-year term in 2006.

Daniels has also appointed Bill Zielke as the new chairman of the Lottery Commission. Zielke has been a member of the Lottery Commission since December. His term as chairman will expire January 1, 2011, and his term on the Commission will expire on July 1, 2013.

Zielke spent 30 years in the telecommunications industry, primarily with Contel of Indiana, Contel of Illinois, and as president of GTE North, and was vice president of Do It Best Corporation for 12 years.

He also has served as the chairman of the board of directors of the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the annual fundraising campaign and board of directors for the United Way, and chairman of the Indiana Telephone Association.

Posted 3/17/2010