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* Gov. Pritzker was asked today why he hadn’t yet reappointed DCFS Director Marc Smith to a new term…
Q: Yesterday, your office announced a bunch of appointments to state agencies, reappointments. Obviously, last week,there was a lawsuit filed against DCFS, a class action lawsuit in Chicago. Do you intend on keeping Marc Smith the director of DCFS?
Pritzker: We haven’t made all of the announcements, as you know. We have I think 25 or 26 agencies that we need to announce the appointments or reappointments for and so he’ll be in a subsequent batch of those announcements.
Q: So you do intend to reappoint him?
Pritzker: Yes.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 11:17 am
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Follow up: Why?
There can be some issues changing leadership at an agency, but I think Director Smith might be one of those you do change horses midstream if the horse is drowning situations.
Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 11:22 am
I know the argument that replacing the head of the agency doesn’t solve much, but what’s the rationale here?
Comment by Lake Villa Township Dem PC Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 11:24 am
The positive: Consistency in a department that has known nothing but leadership chaos for years.
The negative: No clear pathway for change identified in the agency.
Will Sol Flores still be overseeing social service agencies?
Comment by NIU Grad Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 11:32 am
DCFS has been flailing for a good long time. And for a while it was an outright joke how many different Directors DCFS had. Smith certainly hasn’t fixed the problems at DCFS, but he didn’t cause them either, so I’m not sure why people are so certain firing him would be beneficial.
Comment by Perrid Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 11:41 am
Good. That agency needs consistency and steady leadership. And I don’t think many who cover DCFS take the time to understand the problems that any director will face running that agency - many of them exacerbated by the very people who claim to be fighting for the children the agency is working to serve.
Additionally - if not Marc then who? Between the advocates and public guardians who have made it their personal mission to sabotage anyone who takes the job - and the press who gleefully piles on, who are you going to get to run the agency? Who wants to take a position it’s virtually impossible to succeed in?
I think we should institute a new rule - you put a press release out criticizing Pritzker’s decision to keep Marc Smith around then you have to be willing to take the job if asked.
Comment by New Day 2023 Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 11:46 am
Why not - he hasn’t been held accountable for any of the failures of his agencies so far. Why give a care what anyone thinks of this disaster?
Comment by Free Market Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 11:47 am
Captain of the Titanic keeps his job.
Comment by King Louis XVI Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 12:12 pm
You cannot fix the problem you do not acknowledge.
JB and Marc must enjoy their DCFS dumpster fires?
Comment by Dr Phil-ish Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 12:26 pm
“”Who wants to take a position it’s virtually impossible to succeed in?”"
I used to say this about the Cook County President’s job before Toni P showed how it’s done.
Comment by walker Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 12:28 pm
Remember when Mayor Byrne moved into the housing project? It might light some fires to have JB temporarily relocate his office next to Smith’s. Couldn’t hurt at this point.
Comment by Give Us Barabbas Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 12:31 pm
If DCFS were properly funded there would be no need to scapegoat whomever the current Director is. If people really care about the welfare of children, tell your legislators to provide adequate funding.
Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 12:44 pm
Many quality employees do not stay and have not stayed for quite some time. It’s very difficult to work there and it is underfunded. If you do this over a long period of time, something good becomes the worse. Anyone remember when Craftsman Tools were not the worse?
Comment by Lurker Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 12:50 pm
The first step in replacing someone? Having someone WILLING (and able) to replace them.
Comment by JS Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 1:18 pm
There don’t seem to be any DCFS people commenting on CapFax these days. It would be interesting to hear what the environment is like within the agency.
And to those asking that Smith be replaced: what exactly should the next person do differently?
Comment by Friendly Bob Adams Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 1:20 pm
What’s the plan? Have the next Director create and deliver one within 90 days. Nobody wants the job? Take some of that personal, double salary money going to the Deputy Governors to hire the best person possible. Nobody on that team is fixing the problem…
Comment by Lincoln Lad Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 1:33 pm
JB’s management of state agencies like IDES, DCFS, IDOC, and the like has been abysmal from day one; yet he remains extremely popular. Seems like he is willing to ride this out. A purely political calculation.
Comment by Donnie Elgin Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 2:01 pm
Good. No one will be happy with whoever holds that job, but Pritzker is choosing stability over a revolving door.
Comment by Horseshoe voter Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 2:43 pm
==yet he remains extremely popular==
Which obviously bugs you as you make another drive by.
Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 3:15 pm
Maybe he should appoint Patrick Murphy. He seems to have all the answers. (Did I say that out loud??)
Comment by KeepItReal Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 3:45 pm
Not surprised.
The Director is good with vendors, good for the private Jackson Blvd. bunch, ignores court orders, does not push for more funding and fails at the most routine tasks. What is not to like? He is the perfect Pritzker Appointee.
Comment by Back to the Future Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 4:03 pm
Who would want the job?
Comment by Politix Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 4:09 pm
== ignores court orders==
Which the appellate court reversed because they were impossible to comply with.
Comment by Big Dipper Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 4:47 pm
New Day 2023 blaming advocates and public guardians for ’sabotage’ against DCFS is completely unreasonable; DCFS has been a mess for decades. Where’s the political will to fix it? It’s not in the Governor’s Mansion, no matter who is put in charge.
Comment by thisjustinagain Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 7:20 pm
DCFS needs a strong Deputy Director as an operations person- someone who can go in an evaluate the organizational structure and make changes.
The administration could make big headlines if they were to find a member of law enforcement with a background in investigations, who as a minor received services through DCFS. If they could find such person, he/she should be appointed to head the DCFS investigative unit or oversee investigative training for the frontline employees. It takes a special kind of person to be on the DCFS frontline and we need to make sure frontline workers have all the tools/resources to do their jobs, protect themselves and more importantly the ability to protect children who may be in harms way.
Comment by Change Agent Tuesday, Jan 24, 23 @ 10:17 pm