Jobs For Delaware Graduates = Jobs For Political Hacks
Does anybody here remember the inception of Jobs For Delaware Graduates?
I do. Pete duPont created this repository for some of his less-qualified lackeys back in 1978. It was basically modeled after other Federal jobs programs, but with the bar set so low that it could claim success even when said success was dubious at best, and would never have been accepted under federal requirements:
It was designed in 1978 by five working groups in Delaware, drawn from business, educational, workforce, labor union, and community leadership. The purpose of the organization was to address simultaneously with Delaware’s unemployment rate and the dropout rate (?).
Did I mention the bar being set low? When it comes to ‘at-risk’ youth, nothing turns their lives around more than being a burger flipper, or being shipped off to the military or, one of my favorites, being placed with yet another training program. In fact, joining the military practically defines the term ‘at-risk youth’. Although…I cannot confirm the rumor that, upon their body bags returning from overseas, they get a special gilt-edged certificate marking their successful completion of the program.
So, you’re saying to yourself, well, Steve, this is all well and good, but, so far your headline is false advertising.
Ladeez & Gentlemen, meet the new President of Jobs For Delaware Graduates…STATE SENATOR NICOLE POORE.
That’s right. So new, in fact, that her legislative bio has not been updated, if it ever will:
Occupation: Sr. Client Services Manager-Agile 1
Not any more. She’s now the President of JDG. Gee, must’ve missed that press release…
So, you’re saying to yourself, well, Steve, this is a private non-profit corporation (just the way crazy Uncle Pete wanted it to avoid those pesky auditors and federal requirements), what’s the conflict? Here’s a major conflict: Didja know that this ostensibly ‘private non-profit’ gets about $1.4 million annually from the Grant-In-Aid bill? Taxpayer money appropriated by the same General Assembly to which Sen. Poore belongs? And now she’s drawing a salary from them. From the same $1.4 million?
Just the latest example of a legislator enriching themselves at the public expense while trolling for public funds for an agency that doesn’t deserve them.
State Senator Nicole Poore. Delaware’s latest political hack.
UPDATED: This information from “Non-profit Information In A Snap” (Thank You!!) should be required reading:
Good post, but you are wrong about one thing. You CAN get financials on private, nonprofits. You can get the financial reports on any nonprofit registered with the IRS on Guidestar.org. Create an account at GuideStar for free, search the name and click on the links until you see 990 reports (the IRS requires nonprofits to make these public). Download the PDF of the 990 reports, read and BOOM .. you are informed! You get all the spending, including top salaries, board members, donations, etc. etc. The outgoing president, Susanna Lee (who is that??) made about $102,000 in salary and about $10,000 in “compensation from related organizations,” according to the 2013 financial statements. There were 85 employees, total, and they shared about $3.3 million in salary and benefits. (Only top employees are named. In this case, they only opted to name the president’s salary. Other nonprofits typically list the top five or so.)
SADLY, these reports lag a year, so we will have to hold our breath a year to find out to know Poore’s salary. Unless she has to disclose it on her ethics forms with the state. Anyone know?
So. Nicole Poore has been set up in a job that will likely yield her over $100,000 in compensation annually. All she has to do is keep the state money flowing to this close-to-worthless agency. The Delaware Way at what passes for work.
Tags: El Somnambulo, Jobs For Delaware Graduates, Sen. Nicole Poore, Steve Tanzer Delaware
She has reached political ‘hackdom’ in 2 years…Imagine where this can take her if she gets re-elected in two years!
She is a wonderful State Senator who does a lot for her community. She’ll do just great in this new position
Puh-leeze….
I predict Sen. Poore can withstand anything… After all, she is the champion of bulletproof whiteboards! Any flak directed her way that could potentially impugn her reelectability?
“Pish-Posh! My bulletproof whiteboard will take care of that!”
Wasn’t that Batfink
Funny thing about those “bulletproof” whiteboards — according to what I’ve read, they’ll stop bullets from handguns and shotguns. One problem with that: Every school shooter I’ve ever read about carried a rifle…
Interesting. For only 6 comments, this post is getting mad traffic. Some folks must really love or really hate Nicole Poore. What’s the back-story here?
Why elect Democrats if JDG is to be given eternal life with state subsidy?
Um…Austin? You DO realize that she in essence has secured a job with a nice salary based solely on her ability to shill for funds in the legislature, don’t you?
She would NOT have gotten such a job were she not in a position to shill for these funds. It’s unethical and a conflict-of-interest, IMHO.
The fact that several other state legislators do the same thing doesn’t make what she did right. After all, we’ve called the others out on these unsavory relationships. I don’t give a bleep how ‘wonderful’ she is. She is now officially a ‘wonderful’ hack.
I found JDG to be a joke when my special needs son was in high school. Do you know what Nicole will be paid in this position? Champion of bulletproof whiteboard but goes no voting on a gun/mental health bill that even the NRA did not oppose.
I’ll inquire. But, you know…it’s a private not-for-profit, so I don’t know if they have to release that information.
BTW, JDG’s ‘strength’ has always been public relations and ego-massaging. It’s a disgrace that this program has somehow been institutionalized for decades in many high schools.
Good post, but you are wrong about one thing. You CAN get financials on private, nonprofits. You can get the financial reports on any nonprofit registered with the IRS on Guidestar.org. Create an account at GuideStar for free, search the name and click on the links until you see 990 reports (the IRS requires nonprofits to make these public). Download the PDF of the 990 reports, read and BOOM .. you are informed! You get all the spending, including top salaries, board members, donations, etc. etc. The outgoing president, Susanna Lee (who is that??) made about $102,000 in salary and about $10,000 in “compensation from related organizations,” according to the 2013 financial statements. There were 85 employees, total, and they shared about $3.3 million in salary and benefits. (Only top employees are named. In this case, they only opted to name the president’s salary. Other nonprofits typically list the top five or so.)
SADLY, these reports lag a year, so we will have to hold our breath a year to find out to know Poore’s salary. Unless she has to disclose it on her ethics forms with the state. Anyone know?
It’s also worth noting that the outgoing president had a PhD.
Yeah, let’s not go all overboard about her being any sort of stand up progressive here. This is the woman who tweeted that our criminal justice system works just fine, thank you very much.
Does Nicole even have a college degree? I don’t see it on her bio.
According to her bio, she has degrees from Del-Tech and Wilmington College in…Criminal Justice.