About two weeks ago I was informed that Scott Kernan would be kept on in his position as Undersecretary and that his punishment would be 5% for 3 months and loss of ability to drive a state car. I got it from one source, who got it second hand. I didn't do anything with it because it seemed too far-fetched.
Today it was announced that Kernan was intending to plead Guilty (which does not surprise me, I am told by those who know him that he is a reasonably stand-up guy) AND that he is being allowed to stay with the department. I don't know if that means he is being busted back to AW or is staying on as Undersecretary. The item wasn't exactly clear on that. He is loosing 6 weeks pay, equivalent to about 13% of his yearly salary. Or about what the R&F are losing on furloughs right now. The important thing is he WASN'T sacked. I am informed that the matrix says that if you get busted driving a state car while you are drunk, you are toast. I am informed that the last 9 people caught up in this situation were sacked. I am also informed that this little tap dance means that those others who were sacked now have a pretty decent get-back at the department.
Without regard to the merits of this individual case, or any other for that matter, the whole idea behind the matrix is that individual appointing powers could not be trusted to do the right thing so the right thing had to be force-fed to them. It looks, however, like we are back to the same-old same-old. If you are in the right car, you are protected. If you are not, you are roadkill. And that just ain't right.
Clicking on the title will link to a KOVR channel 13 story on this subject.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Scott Kernan Skates, Sort Of...
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3 comments:
Some folks are just treated a tad bit more equally than others. That is the problem with a matrix or without one. But if it says termination, then termination it should be, no matter who the perpetrator is and what they bring to the table.
Since most folks generally seem to like this 47 yr old fella (too young to retire), it would probably behoove us to throw out the matrix concept entirely and deal with individual circumstances by some sort of disciplinary panel that can think...instead of a matrix that some feel compelled to violate when it suits them.
This is total bullcrap. Any line staff would have been fired and everyone knows it. Driving a state car, drunk, and busted. This department will never get any better until it's management steps up to the plate and cleans house. The fact that he pled guilty doesn't matter, as it was inevitable.
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