User profile: honeybee

The Governor is taking a hit for our current fiscal woes. Unfortunately, some of our woes are his fault and his alone. He has spent his political capital supporting the good ol' boy system about which most of us who live in Nevada are keenly aware. For example, he has allowed some in "leadership" positions to remain there because of their political connections (see: Administrator of DCFS who did not complete high school but is married to the Governor's good friend, Perry Comeaux, and who's over $100K annual salary is being paid by all of the taxpaying citizenry...this, while children are dying and languishing in the foster care system and the state is facing a potentially multi-million dollar class action lawsuit as a result). I, for one, don't mind at all paying highly qualified and competent professionals entirely their worth...but asking state employees to take a hit when the Governor refuses to hire the best available for these positions is both an insult and wrong-headed. Hire the best there is out there, work on developing and implementing cost-effective, customer service centered, effacious programs, and I suspect we as taxpayers will support you, Governor Gibbons. Otherwise, you're on your own.

Why are none of you making a stink about the Governor's allowing a high school drop out to be the Administrator of the Division of Child and Family Services...with a salary of over $100K per year, kindly paid for by the taxpayers? It seems with children dying, the state facing a probable multi-million dollar class action lawsuit for all the child deaths DCFS failed to prevent, and us taxpayers not only having to pay a totally unqualified candidate for the DCFS Administrator's position (and also a "child welfare consultant" salary of over $50K for approximately 2 months of work to cover for the lack of qualifications in that Administrator) this tourism appointment would be considered small potatoes. The Governor and his cronies either need to do the right thing or they need to get out!

Why isn't anyone making a stink about him allowing a high school drop out to be the Administrator of the Division of Child and Family services and having taxpayers support her salary of over $100K per year? Then allowing that same Division Administrator to hire a child welfare consultant (to the tune of over $50,000 for approximately 2 months of work) to be the shadow administrator of DCFS to cover for her lack of qualifications or credentials? Budget crisis? It's a farce...and all while children are dying and the state is facing a class action lawsuit for those deaths. Gibbons and his cronies need to either do the right thing or they need to go.

Why is no one asking how government/executive branch staff can support cutting $2M from a needed service but seem to not be able to make state employees do their work and cut costs in order to keep the program going. We need to demand more of our state workforce...we need to hire the best available then hold them accountable to do their jobs...that's the real problem with the Department over which Mr. Willden has oversight...it's culture is all about go along to get along, cronism, and excuses. This is what we have witnessed in the child death class action lawsuite, the Hep C debacle, the inability of our early interveniton programs to meet federal standards, the Medicaid program being overspent and poorly managed, etc. etc. etc. As taxpayers, this should be inexcusable to all of us. Mr. Willden, we demand better from you and from those over whom you are responsible.