No Winged Chariot for Goldmark

This news is a little late but worth reading. I’m not the only one catching on to Peter Goldmark’s misleading statements, especially when it comes to the accuracy of the data he provides.

Under legislation in the 2009-11 state operating budget signed by Governor Christine Gregoire, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources must sell the agency’s King Air by June 30, 2010. In response to this, Peter Goldmark sent a letter to Governor Gregoire demanding a veto of the sale.

"This is the wrong direction for maintaining our emergency response infrastructure while climate change is causing increased frequency and severity of wildfires and major climatic events causing floods, landslides, and utility damage," claimed Goldmark.

Environmental Director for the Washington Policy Center and former Communications Director for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources does not concur. "Two problems. First, the plane in question isn't an air tanker. It is an executive aircraft that is not part of the ‘emergency-response infrastructure' in any real sense. Second, his claim about needing the plane to address an increasing number of ‘climate-change-related storms' is contradicted by scientists." (link)

Governor Gregoire refused to veto the sale of the plane, a huge win towards savings for the people of Washington state. Goldmark and his execs will have to drive to those townhall meetings and the Washington State Patrol will provide planes for rapid response to natural disasters. These aircraft are available to all state agencies.

"The State Patrol planes are used several times a year to reach natural disasters in rural areas like floods or wild fires, as well as for other uses. However, the Legislature passed, and I agree, that the state doesn't need three passenger planes on stand-by. That's why the Department of Natural Resources has been asked to sell its passenger plane.” –Governor Christine Gregoire (link)

The Born Identity

Today I'm taking a break from the silliness going on in state government to focus on the silliness at the federal level. Thanks to The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, we're finally getting to the bottom of the President Barack Obama birth certificate controversy.

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The Born Identity
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Layoffs On The Rise And So Is Management

In recent weeks, I have often thought of the saying, “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.” That’s how I view our current situation. We are going to have to do many things in the months ahead that we don’t want to–because we have no choice. It is vital that we continue to fulfill our responsibilities to the trusts and the citizens of our state during these tough times, and it is important that we think of better days ahead. I can’t think of any other organization that is better prepared to meet this challenge than the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. I believe that our character, our sense of mission, the teamwork that is second nature to us, and the dedication we share to conserving and protecting Washington’s natural resources will see us through. Let me know how I can help. –Lenny Young

They’re back… “We will not be able to achieve these expenditure reductions without a reduction-in-force (RIF)” still rings in my ears. The lack of data to show how Goldmark arrived at a savings figure of $600,000 leaves a sensation similar to acid reflux in my throat. Once again, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources has posted job recruitments for 11 management positions at a time when cuts are so necessary. Managers make far more than the average employee. Less employees should mean less managers yet, at the DNR, management is on the rise.

In response to my public disclosure request for information about the claims Goldmark made, this is the response I received from Peggy Murphy:

“You requested information about the 11 eliminated positions that you previously asked about. Those positions are still eliminated so there has not been any decrease in savings. The $600,000 savings was a low estimate of the cost savings due to the elimination of the positions. We do not have any records of data used in the estimation.”

I’m going to take a stab in the dark and do some managerial mathematics. If 11 positions are eliminated then yes indeed there is a savings. However, if 11 positions are then filled, it chips away at this savings. I too lack the data to support this but in my head it looked like this: 11-11 = 0

I’m slowly gathering data that shows a significantly more expensive executive management division at the Department of Natural Resources in lieu of the eliminated positions. This is in comparison to figures from when Doug Sutherland was commissioner. My previous request only included executive managers and their assistants, not the entire exec division which also includes Marilyn Buttler, Margaret Barrett, Tony Ifie, and Rodney Cawston.

At this point, the Chrome Documents exist for the sole purpose of holding Peter Goldmark to his campaign promises and the supposed principles which now guide the Department of Natural Resources. Lacking the data to support figures sent out in a press release is the polar opposite of sound science.