Jim Clyne: The Quintessential Public Servant
by Mary Griffin

An Albany native, Deputy Superintendent James W. Clyne spent most of his professional life at the Insurance Department. He graduated from Amherst College in 1954, attended Albany Law School graduating in 1957, and then joined the Air Force Judge Advocate Officer Corp (JAG). In 1961, Jim returned to Albany, now married with three young children, and joined the Insurance Department’s Policy Bureau. He eventually became Chief of the Bureau and in 1976, became Deputy Superintendent, appointed by Governor Hugh Carey. He retired from the Department in 1994.

Jim was the quintessential public servant. Although he had many offers to leave government from various law firms and insurance companies, he stayed at the Department for over 30 years because he loved the job and he wanted to help others. Jim was a devout Catholic, he never, and I mean never, missed Mass on Sunday, but he didn’t wear his religion on his sleeve. He simply and quietly practiced it every day in the kind and considerate way he treated others. 

I was lucky enough to work closely with him for the nine years I was at the NYSID. I learned so much from him, especially about how NOT to be a regulator. He wielded his power quietly and fairly and was always humble about his accomplishments. One of his favorite quotes that he kept on his desk was “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” 

I used to watch in awe as he negotiated issues with the industry. Jim would just keep hammering home his point, in a firm but quiet way, and eventually the industry usually saw things Jim’s way, but he was also not afraid to admit when he was wrong or that a proposal he put forth might not be practical. It was a true give-and-take negotiation. Once in a great while he would raise his voice and say something like: “That’s a lot of malarkey.”  

Jim had many, many accomplishments during his tenure, some that still resonant today. He was truly ahead of his time in two of his signature accomplishments. One was requiring all health insurance policies to cover mental illness which he drafted in a regulation long before it became an established practice across the country. In addition, in 1992 he was the architect of community rating in New York, which required small groups and individuals to be charged the same rate irrespective of the health of the members of the group. That proposal also required the portability of health insurance, prohibited exclusions for pre-existing conditions, and set up a pool (now known as “exchanges”) for those who could not obtain insurance coverage from their employer. Sound familiar? All of this was 20 years before Obamacare!

If you are lucky enough to have a good boss, and especially one as unique as Jim, you know how they can shape your professional life and approach to issues for years to come.  He made me a better public servant by his example and I hope a better person too.

NOTE: Former Deputy Superintendent James Clyne died at the age of 85 on February 1, 2019. Donations in Jim’s memory can be made to the Regional Food Bank, 965 Albany Shanker Road, Latham, NY 12110. 

Presiding over a 1991 Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield hearing are Jim Clyne (center),
Health & Life Policy Bureau Chief Fred Bodner (left) and Superintendent Sal Curiale.