Political Hire Costs Taxpayers Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars

Here’s an example of the danger of hiring the unqualified but politically connected.

Politics improperly influenced the decision to hire a top state lawyer after former Gov. Tony Earl helped a friend’s nephew get the job, a hearing examiner has concluded.

The tainted hiring cost taxpayers $346,000 in recent legal settlements paid to two qualified internal candidates passed over for the job as the state’s top unemployment insurance lawyer, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press under the state open records law.

The Department of Workforce Development eventually hired Daniel LaRocque, a lawyer with no experience in unemployment insurance or state government but close ties to Democratic politics.

In the process, DWD officials broke numerous hiring policies and state laws, Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission hearing examiner Lauri Millot concluded in a proposed decision last year.

1. Just look at what Michael Brown cost the people of New Orleans.

   Posted by scott on May 08, 2008 at 2156 hrs




2. It really shouldn’t surprise anyone.  Look at DMV, Look at WDVA, DNR.  Now someone run it by me again why there isn’t accountability, and so much money is squanderd.  Why couldn’t a reasonable decision be made to prevent two thousand people from being stranded on I 90 this winter.  Why is the largest nursinghome in the state being run by someone with no nursing home or administrative experiance?  Why is every Director in the WDVA a retired Guard Colonel?

   Posted by on May 08, 2008 at 2214 hrs




3. Now *this* is how you do a political hire.  Note how it makes the Dawn Sass story from a few days ago pale in comparison.  A former governor is directly involved.  The guy doesn’t even meet the qualifications of the job description.  Nobody checks references.

   Then again, let’s not pretend it’s partisan.  I wonder how many people from losing Congressional or gubernatorial campaigns the Bush administration sponged up out in DC at the request of failed GOP pols.

   Posted by Recess Supervisor on May 08, 2008 at 2224 hrs




4. Well, scott’s back trolling again and making idiotic comments with his BDS.

   Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 0001 hrs




5. Not to support the decision which was made in the DWD case, but at least the person hired was a lawyer, so he was “qualified” for the job.

   Contrast that with little Ricky Berg, who was quoted earlier here having a hissy fit after he lost his nothingburger political job to another state payroll-surfer with no particular qualifications other than being a Democrat (the party of the incumbent).

   You can’t blame one party or the other because EVERYONE DOES IT!  If you are the Governor, Attorney General, or State Treasurer, you fill the positions you control with the hacks who helped you (or your party) get into office.  What’s so hard to understand about this?

   What is humorous is when a hack like Ricky pretends he was wronged.  No, Rick, you haven’t been wronged—it was the TAXPAYERS who were wronged when you got the job in the first place!  If you think that his is an erroneous evaluation of your qualifications, prove me wrong by going out an get a REAL.  (And no, writing “cutsey” drivel for the Wisconsin State Journal doesn’t count!)

   Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 0547 hrs




6. OMG!

   This has got to stop NOW!

   I can’t believe that this is happening, but then again, we’re talkin’ about “Diamond Jim’s” administration.

   It’s OK if “Toxic Tommy” squirreled away more than a few in his administration of political hacks with less than stellar qualifications, I suppose.  But then again the Orwellian truth is, this sort of thing never happens with the Grand Opportunities (for political hacks) Party.

   Now let’s focus our concern for wasted taxpayers dollars on that war in Iraq.  Surely every penny is wisely spent.

   And ketchup is a vegetable.

   It’s 1984 all over again!

   Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 0751 hrs




7. Dan: this is a highly partisan political blog.  Perhaps you didn’t realize it.  The author(s) put forth a continuous stream of right-wing talking points and ideological rhetoric.  I’m not knocking it--it’s the authors’ choice.  But don’t accuse me of being unfairly partisan when I come along and point out the other side.  The blog invites it.

   In simplified version, if Owen sees fit to bemoan the incompetent political appointments of Democrats (who would have guessed!), then it’s fair game to point out that Republicans are at least equally guilty--and that one never sees outrage about it in these pages. 

   Some may call it hypocrisy.  Some partisanship.  But don’t cry foul when I hit back.

   Posted by scott on May 09, 2008 at 0807 hrs




8. Scott - I am confident that Owen will feature any similar examples of Republican corruption in Civil Service hiring.  I am also sure that there are plenty of examples of this. 

   Please provide some, and we will see if I am correct.

   Posted by Headless Blogger on May 09, 2008 at 0837 hrs




9. Oh, how about the lying incompetent fund-raising Michael Gableman?  McCallum appoints a hack outside the selection process and Owen lines up for Holy Pictures with him in some saloon.

   Right, wrong or indifferent; don’t be so coy as to pretend it doesn’t happen.  It makes you look as if you aren’t paying attention.

   Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 0857 hrs




10. Yeah we don’t want corruption or favoritism at any level of government, but Bush and company makes Doyle look like Jesus Christ. Iraq is nothing but a testament to cronyism and corruption, and that’s costing American families thousands every year.

    Hey Dan, since so you are so against trolling looks like we won’t be seeing you over at Folkbum.

    Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 1233 hrs




11. Just look at what Michael Brown cost the people of New Orleans.

    And I though that crap that MM was spouting about Japan and the A-Bomb was bad.  Congratulations, that is the most fucked up and deluded logic and reasoning I’ve ever read here on this blog.  Wow scott, you really swing for the fences.

    Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 1258 hrs




12. Jason, you must be new here if that’s the worst thing you’ve seen.

    Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 1334 hrs




13. Around the beginning of this year, or so.

    Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 1346 hrs




14. Actually, Jason, it was exactly on point. The opening line of the post:

    Here’s an example of the danger of hiring the unqualified but politically connected.

    Taking a man whose experience was running horse shows and giving him a job running a disaster relief agency simply because he was politically connected...well, we know how that turned out. So when you say that’s the most f***ed up and deluded logic and reasoning you’ve ever heard, I’m only left with one conclusion. In the immortal (paraphrased) words of Inigo Montoya: “I do not think those words mean what you think they mean.”

    Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 1435 hrs




15. Yeah… not quite sure what the anti- Scott thing is in this post.  It seems to me Scott, apc, and, of course, Inigo are right on.  Both sides get the ‘spoils of war’ to appoint a bunch of people regardless of qualifications.  Bush did no great job at it, but I have to admit this is one of my greatest concerns over Obama being elected. He has not shown great skills in judgement of character yet and his tendency to blame his own people instead of taking heat himself is a bad precedent for a President.  Democratic appointees in history take no back seat to Republican appointees, though.  Wouldn’t it be cool if Presidential candidates had to pick(or at least publicly announce who they would pick) running mates with no partisan or advisory help?  It would really show something concrete about them.

    Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 1541 hrs




16. One of the things that makes me feel really good about Obama are the people he surrounds himself with. 

    The uninformed irreconcilable cynics are going to read that sentence and immediately think of people Obama has associated with that will have absolutely no sway on his policies.  The truth is Obama has surrounded himself with policy experts that are going to put pragmatism first and ideology second.

    Below is a really good article that explores who has advised Obama and hopefully the type of people he will appoint.

    http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=4d40a39e-8f57 -4054-bd99-94bc9d19be1a

    The best quote of the article (slightly edited):  “Think of the contrast here as the difference between science-fiction writers and engineers.  Clinton advisers are the kinds of people who’d sketch out the idea for time travel in a moment of inspiration.  Obama advisers could rig up the DeLorean that would actually get you back to 1955”.

    Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 1624 hrs




17. While I agree both sides of the fence are horrible at this, scott’s shot at Bush and Brown is just silly and not very applicable in this situation.  He should be blaming the local authorities of New Orleans a lot more than anyone else.  Why?  Look at what they’re doing now, after the disaster… rebuilding… in the same below sea level hurricane zone.  Is scott saying that it’s Brown’s fault, or the Federal government’s fault, as well?

    While things could have been handled differently and may or may not have ended with better results in regards to Katrina - New Orleans - and Brown, I thought scott’s snipe here was childish and almost completely irrelevant to the topic brought up by Owen.  The linked story reported on the direct costs placed on tax payers because the leaders did not follow the hiring policies and laws. 

    Take it for what you will, but I would have called anyone out who said what scott did.

    Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 1703 hrs




18. Hey 3rd Way, don’t show this to scott… he’ll dismiss your link out of hand…

    Cutler, for example, has made his name with a series of detailed econometric studies suggesting that, contrary to the conventional wisdom on the left, Americans actually have quite a bit to show for the trillions they spend on health care.

    Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 1708 hrs




19. scott, you didn’t hit back, you just made a stupid comment.  Your hatred of Bush just blind sides you.  Brown screwed up somewhat in N.O. but certainly not as bad as the mayor and governor.
    What is even worse, the guy who hired this unqualified lawyer for the civil service position is still working for the state as is the director of DWD and they have not been reprimanded.  How pathetic

    Posted by on May 09, 2008 at 2041 hrs




20. Dan, thanks for the epitome of the Republican Mantra. “We are not as bad as the Democrats!” (Cheers, balloons going up, oompa music in the background).

    Jason, how does Scott’s comment not fit the headline or the meaning of the post, which most of us, I believe, think is about partisan hiring vs. qualified hiring or appointing?  And speaking of “not very applicable to the situation” where did comment 18 come from?  Oh, and are you saying we should abandon all below or near sea level hurricane zones?  Interesting theory… huh, not really.

    Posted by on May 12, 2008 at 0753 hrs




21. Sorry if I disrupted a perfectly good opportunity for bashing Democrats by pointing out that ill-considered political appointments are a completely bi-partisan feature of our government.

    Seriously, you guys make me laugh:  Michael Brown is completely and totally irrelevant to a discussion about this!  Totally different!  Different!  Totally!  Plus, Scott has BDS.  So that about wraps up our vehement but not very substantive rebuttal.

    Posted by scott on May 12, 2008 at 0858 hrs