Governor Ted Strickland faced his first ethical test yesterday, and failed.Helen Jones-Kelley, who authorized the Nixonian examination of Joe the Plumber’s personal information in government files, was finally placed on paid administrative leave yesterday. She’s under investigation by the Inspector General for her role in using government databases, to presumably look for dirt on the Everyman icon who put President-Elect Obama on the spot.
But that’s not what got her a paid vacation.
It seems she was performing fundraising and organizing for the Obama campaign on her state computer.
The governor has the emails. He gave them to the press. There’s no doubt. Why didn’t he fire her?
A cabinet officer is a political appointee. (This one makes $30,000 more than the Attorney General of the State.) She has no job protection. There’s no union contract to worry about. She serves at the pleasure of the Governor, and can be fired at will. As in, “Helen, clean out your desk. This trooper will see you to the door.”
Paid administrative leave is appropriate where civil service rules or collective bargaining agreements make it difficult to predict whether a termination will stand appeal. Here, those reasons do not apply.
Mayors and Governors and Presidents fire political appointees just because they say something out of line, or disrespect someone, or just don't inspire confidence anymore. Certainly, using government office and equipment for partisan political fundraising is a reason to show someone to the door. Make a statement about your Administration – and send a message to the 5,000 or so political appointees out there. Believe me, Governor, they’re watching.
Gov. Strickland had a chance to make a loud statement about the integrity of his Administration – and he did.
3 comments:
With Governor Strickland being in no small part responsible for the alarming unemployment rate in the state of Ohio (according to the U.S Labor Department Ohio is in the top ten in the country in unemployment).
Could it be that he is reluctant to add another name to this growing list?
Failure upon failure on a state wide level is very disconcerting!
-Chris Smith
With Governor Strickland being in no small part responsible for the alarming unemployment rate in the state of Ohio (according to the U.S Labor Department Ohio is in the top ten in the country in unemployment).
Could it be that he is reluctant to add another name to this growing list?
Failure upon failure on a state level is very disconcerting!
What frail creatures we humans are. It never ceases to amaze me how getting our hands on power leads to lack of accountability and obfuscation. And it just happens over and over again...no matter the office, no matter the party.
I hope the governor steps up and does the right thing here.
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