SENN DROPS THE BALL

APPARENTLY, Deborah Senn has been focusing her attention more on her next job than her current one. As she has been running for U.S. Senate, her office has lost its accreditation from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

The insurance commissioner is supposed to see that each insurance company based in the state is examined for solvency. The state examines each company's books and affixes its seal of approval.

That signature is accepted by all other states, and their signatures by us, because each state is accredited under national standards. The association looks to see if a state has enough examiners, whether they do proper fiscal analysis and whether they have sensible rules. So far, 36 states have made it through the second round. The failures have been Tennessee, West Virginia and Washington.

In this state, the problem was too few examiners. That's because Senn did not keep up with the job market, and set a salary range - $30,996 to $48,300 - that is the lowest in the nation. When her department could not attract qualified applicants, she did nothing about it.

After being warned by the association last December, she woke up to the problem and asked the Legislature for another $318,000. Her budget, already $13 million, is 17th largest among states tracked by the association. Legislators refused to add to it. She could take the $318,000 from some other function.

Senn may blame legislators for her problems, but nurturing relationships with lawmakers is part of the job. Maintaining the department's core functions is her job. Setting its financial priorities - how many examiners, and how many public-relations people - is her job.

While problems festered in her office, Senn ran a high-profile crusade on behalf of Holocaust victims, most of whom are in Europe. She ran a populist campaign against health insurers even as the state's laws forced every carrier to lose money in the individual market. That market collapsed on her watch, which she blamed on insurers.

Now she is running for U.S. Senate. She is an energetic candidate with populist appeal. But in a Senate race, past experience matters. Loss of national accreditation for the state insurance office raises legitimate questions about Senn's performance in her current job, even as she campaigns for a new one.