Any Ruth Ann “Burrowing” Abuse Stories Out There?
Bush is burrowing (giving political appointees permanent agency jobs) a ton of losers that it will take decades to get rid of.
On the state level, I know of at least one state agency with a RAM appointee being converted to a senior civil service employee, but there must be more. So pour me a cup of your thoughts, where are the RAM hacks getting taken care of?
Was she successful at installing Lee Ann Walling over at DNREC as the Chief of Planning?
FYI, ‘planners’ at DNREC, and certain other state agencies, are bureaucrat-speak for *gifts* from the Governor’s office or powerful members of the legislature. DNREC is up to their asses in planners. In a former life I was in a position to observe the inner workings of quite a few state agencies.
As a Fed and a union official, we are carefully monitoring the burrowing. The thing is, these are career-conditional appointments, which means they can be terminated within 2 years without cause. Also, they can receive “directed reassignments” to obscure locations (Boyers, PA) – if they refuse the transfer, they can be terminated. We’re on top of this.
“Was she successful at installing Lee Ann Walling over at DNREC as the Chief of Planning? ”
YES! She is however, on probation for 1 year in that spot and it WAS a created position. Maybe Markell could un-create it????
Does the federal government not have these rules about a probationary period?
Any chance the newly “burrowed” are in the last hired first fired queue for cutbacks due to budgetary constraints?
No chance of that in the case of Leeann Walling, Cass. I am not sure how permanently she is settled although one person who was vying for that newly created job is still looking at it.
Ron Williams listed a few of the RAM plants recently. Is Michael Scuse one? A few have found homes in UD – JJ Davis and Del Tech – COS what’s his name.
Mark Brainard is COS name. It;s not suprising that he ended up at Del Tech, since he was the AA for the house democrats when Lonnie George was the minority leader, so it’s nice to see them back together again.
Career-conditional is a 2 year probationary period. While you get retirement credit for any time you were a Schedule C (political appointee) it doesn’t count if you receive a career appointment. We’re actually proposing legislation that would bar a Schedule C employee from being hired at the agency they currently work at for a period of 2 years, similar to the ban on lobbying your former agency.
Ron W. mentioned this in his column a couple weeks ago, without any names. I thought it was just a rumor then. Got any other names than Walling, Brainard and JJ Davis? (And the latter two don’t really count… they got jobs with the university systems.)
“Was she successful at installing Lee Ann Walling over at DNREC as the Chief of Planning? ”
Yes. Leanne Walling now has the VERY HIGHEST paying state merit position in the the Department of Natural Resources. Even worse, Secretary John Hughes and Deputy Secretary Dave Small are working to make another NEW high paying planner position the top higher priority for DNREC, despite the need to make 7% cuts this year and 15% next year.
This is because Walling is a “Chief” of planning, with no “indians”. Unlike people like Ralph Reeb of DelDot that oversee a very large staff as Chief of planning, Walling gets paid a high salary with no responsibility.
Someone needs to call “bullshit”, and require a top to bottom maintenance review of all positions in the DNREC Office of the Secretary that have risen in accordance with the Peter principle (Phil Cherry, Dave Small, Bob Zimmerman, etc.). I’ve been told that John Hughes used to call that office the “Turkey Pen”, but since going down their has has strutted obnoxiously as the “Top” turkey.
The next step expected in DNREC is to re-org all the divisions to put their planners under Walling, otherwise, if a maintenance review is conducted she would be significantly demoted.
If they try to do the right thing and hold her to the job skill requirements during probation by documenting her lack of skills and capabilities (which would be easy to do), the others in that office as well will circle the wagons to protect all their personal interests.
As we head for a deep recession or even a depression; and face the realistic possibility of a large state tax increase, serious reductions in critical public services, and layoffs of competent State employees – – – Don’t expect anyone in leadership positions in Delaware to do anything about the merit gift to Walling. Its not the Delaware Way.
However, Markell’s Blueprint has the State Planning Office moving into the Governor’s Office. The governor can always restructure any agency, and may move the central “planning” activities done by people like Walling under that office, to be dealt with by Dennis Rockford. Rockford could do an honest assessment to either make or break her, since that office will not be dominated by others that are suckling from the State taxpayer tit in DNREC’s front office.
Walling is costing tax payers about 160K per year for salary and benefits. Multiply by 10 years, and its $ 1.6 million of your money.
As we approach tax season, just thought you’d like to know where your money is going.
That was an incredibly accurate assessment of DNREC. It would appear that you are familiar with the system and all the top the players. If one were to carefully examine the employee roster over there, they would also find many ‘gifts’ to the department below the director level. Back in the day there was a significant exodus immediately after the election. Now, most have been transitioned through manipulation of the merit system .
Nemski,
Of the Gov. Appointed officials in DNREC, all but one (Division of Air and Waste Director) fall back into Merit protections because they came from a state position at one time or another and are protected under the Del. Code (29 Del. Code § 5903 (23). This code was passed quietly at the end of the Castle Administration (I think) to protect the cronies at that time.
The code states they fall back to the equivalent pay grade or less of their previous merit position, but lets watch what really happens. When Phil Cherry came back from his stint with Former Governor Carper, he was promoted.
Here are the DNREC ones to watch:
1) Robert Baldwin – Director of DNREC Division of Soil and Water. Resident of Maryland. Will likely try to have the state create a very expensive and unnecessary “restoration section” to be put at the head off in a merit job if he is not kept on board by the new administration. He will work closely with his good friends from Ag in the Conservation Districts and his best friend that he hired into an administrator position to make this happen for him.
2) Pat Emory, Director of DNREC/Division of Fish and Wildlife. He was an enforcement officer and then promoted into a manager position that John Hughes created when he was a Division Director (John did this at the instruction of Lt. Gov. Minner). Pat did not supervise any employee as manager or had a budget until after RuthAnn put him in charge of Fish and Wildlife. Pat grew up with Ruth Ann’s family, which was clearly the critical content for his resume for the positions. He will lean on Bobby Walls and some of the Sussex good ol boys to either keep his job or be given a parachute.
3) Chaz Salkins – Director of Parks and Recreation. He will probably find a way to stay because he has a large parks loving constituency, including those folks at Garrison lake who love him for spending all your tax dollars to buy and subsidize the bankrupt golf course for their benefit. Salkins is pension eligible, so could just decide to retire as well. He is unlikely to fall back into a merit position, he will jockey to stay, and if not successful, will take a pension.
4) Kathy Bunting – She is new to Division of Water Resources, and the jury is out on whether she will stay or go. She has been around for a while, but has very little management and supervision experience prior to be appointed by John Hughes/Gov. Minner to oversee the agency that is supposed to regulate and enforce water quality laws. She seems to be a place holder, and would not be a bad public investment if she fell back into her old state job. She appears to be OK, but still a bit too inexperienced for the position.
5) Dave Small, Deputy Secretary. Dave was put in this position by Nick DiPasquale to do spin control. Dave was a public relations person, not a manager or administrator – but fluff and puffery have been highly prized over competence in DNREC through a serious of recent Secretaries. Small epitomizes a “yes man” who will do whatever he is told, never take a risk to do the right thing, and always covers his ass. He may actually stay, as there will likely be plenty of support from Delaware polluters to keep him in place to help assure they can get their way. Some legislators also like this condition. If he does not stay in position, he will likely be a new “Chief of Public Relations or Director of Public Relations”.
Most of these folks will do anything to protect themselves and we should not be surprised if they shamelessly use any remaining influence they have for their personal benefit.
The push will be for all of these folks and others in DNREC, as well as throughout other state agencies, to stay in their “comfort zone”. They will go to great efforts to ensure they fall back to merit positions very close to where they came from, with a phantom title and new unnecessary level of bureaucracy at a higher cost to the taxpayers.
However, if the new Governor is smart, he will require they be placed into a different State Department. If they were good enough administrators to actually manage a division or department, than doing it in a new agency should be no problem. If they are worth keeping, they should know government well enough to be of use wherever they go.
In addition, State Government Department never work well together (largely because they work in isolation and ignorance of each others missions), so forcing these inter agency transfers would actually put some level of knowledge about the different departments into other departments. It may even lead to some understanding of each other and maybe even some cooperation between them.
A little forced cross training, and tension about a new and different assignment will make or break these people into either being true public servants or will lead them to leave state service.
Either would be a win for the tax payers.
Interesting breakdown. I remember Emory when he was an enforcement officer at A&W, and that he was minimally functional at that job. His move into management is a good example of the Peter Principle you mentioned earlier. Let’s just say he wasn’t terribly missed by the enforcement section. I didn’t know the history of how he landed the management job, but the Milford connection makes perfect sense. I thought he had faded into bureaucratic obscurity until he popped up as Director at F&W. Same with Cherry. I was surprised he didn’t land a director position after he returned, but I guess one director (Judy@DEDO) in the family is enough. I was also surprised that Salkin survived the Minner administration. I understand there wasn’t a whole lot of love there. If I recall, they have been grooming another Milford ‘gift’ for his position should he get bagged, or decide to retire. I’ve also been told Salkin is tight with Markell, so he may hang in for a while.
As always, I could be wrong, and frequently am.
Jeez, this is one of the most valuable post threads EVAH.
Hooo boy. Gotta love a chatty blog.
Miscreant
“I was also surprised that Salkin survived the Minner administration. I understand there wasn’t a whole lot of love there. If I recall, they have been grooming another Milford ‘gift’ for his position should he get bagged, or decide to retire. I’ve also been told Salkin is tight with Markell, so he may hang in for a while.”
I believe you are right about the grooming. I think it is the current deputy director of Parks, whom is Pat Emory’s cousin. Regardless, he would be a step up from Director Salkins, and from what I have heard is actually pretty competent.
“I think it is the current deputy director of Parks, whom is Pat Emory’s cousin. Regardless, he would be a step up from Director Salkins, and from what I have heard is actually pretty competent.”
Exactly. He is fairly competent, and would probably be the best in-house pick. Unlike most other state agencies, P&R is mostly self-sufficient and is supposed to run more like a business, so his background in banking may be a plus.
“Jeez, this is one of the most valuable post threads EVAH. Hooo boy. Gotta love a chatty blog.”
Hi, Sunshine! What’s the matter, are you bored? Did the batteries in your 12 inch rotating, vibrating dildo, with the interchangeable heads of Obama, Beau Biden, Clinton(s) die?
At a mere 16 responses, this thread has… say… about sixteen more responses than you got for your last 20 threads.
Classy, Mis.
Thanks, X. Nancy and I are old friends.
She understands me.
I understand that the Blogloydytes have long since moved on from this thread, and I am late to the party. I have enjoyed reading the breathless, know-it-all insights of people who don’t have a clue. Nevertheless, they manage to demonstrate this amazing blend of egotism and cowardice to weigh in anonymously on their colleagues or associates at DNREC. If they really were interested in positive change, they would show up in Real Life and participate, not heave dud grenades from the shadows. But they’re happier when they’re right and everyone else — I mean EVERYONE — is wrong. If only we would listen to them and make them our Leaders. Sigh.
Missy, nice to know you are a fan…
I don’t fish for comments with devised controversy etc. I don’t need an echo chamber either. This place has most comments created by its inhouse ‘team’ r hadn’t you noticed? I’m happy with my readership and at least I have a blog which is more than you can say for your little anony self.
Ms. Walling launches an interesting salvo above to the cowardly anonys like you, dahling.
I’m not anonymous, and perhaps you should show some respect say thank you to all of the taxpayers here on this site who will pay for the cushy merit job you just had created for you during a “hiring freeze.” A hiring freeze, I’ll remind you, that was brought on by your Governor’s complete ineptitude and colossal failure to govern.
Congratulations, by the way. When knowledgeable Delawareans think of the word “crony,” they now think of you.
Disagree though I may with their politics, the people who write for and visit this site and other blogs care more for the state of Delaware than you and your cronies ever have.
I look forward to using DTR to help the blogs and organizations like SNCCA thoroughly monitor DNREC for the foreseeable future.
“Blogloydytes”
Not bad.
Dave, I don’t know you. Never met you. Never talked to you. Never worked with you. I discern some rather alarming anger management issues, though. You have no clue about my experience, my talents, my work ethic, my education. You have no insight into how much I care for the people and issues of Delaware. So don’t pretend you do. I have noticed that your blind hatred of All Things Minner clouds your judgment. Not all political appointees are “cronies.” Some people can learn continuously, adapt, reinvent and improve themselves, and change and elevate their life priorities. Don’t expect you to care or get it though. Keep on hatin.’