Free the CMS 2
Tuesday, Jun 5, 2007 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The AP sums it up…
Two fired Blagojevich administration employees filed a lawsuit Monday to get their jobs back.
The Illinois Civil Service Commission is already reviewing whether Dawn DeFraties and Michael Casey should be rehired, but the two claim in Sangamon County court that the commission missed its deadline for deciding the case. […]
The claim contends that according to state law, the commission lost jurisdiction over the matter by failing to make a decision within two months after the end of a hearing on the terminations. That date was June 2.
Instead, the commission is seeking more evidence in the case, and an administrative law judge has set another hearing for Friday.
* The SJ-R has more…
“If the finding and decision is not rendered within 60 days after receipt of the transcript of the proceedings, the employee shall be considered to be reinstated and shall receive full compensation for the period for which he was suspended,” the personnel code says.
The 60-day deadline passed on Saturday, Draper said in the suit filed Monday. […]
The case has dragged on for more than a year. The hearing before Dos Santos began Jan. 29 and lasted until March 23, when the state rested its case.
This entire case has been a sham from the get-go. DeFraties was deliberately made a scapegoat by the governor’s campaign last year. They used her as an “example” of the corruption that they supposedly unearthed while they were diligently presiding over an honest government.
Doug Finke was absolutely right when he referred to this case as “Kafkaesque.” Everything, from the initial allegations, to the neverending hearings, to the campaign scapegoating by an allegedly corrupt administration, to the blatant misuse of their case by a supposedly fair and impartial Inspector General on the state employee ethics exam, to the appointment of the governor’s babysitter to the Civil Service Commission has screamed Kafkaesque…
[Kafkaesque] can also describe an intentional distortion of reality by powerful but anonymous bureaucrats. “Lack of evidence is treated as a pesky inconvenience, to be circumvented by such Kafkaesque means as depositing unproven allegations into sealed files …” Another definition would be an existentialist state of ever-elusive freedom while existing under unmitigatable control.
It’s time to end this disgusting nightmare once and for all.
- What's in a name? - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 9:28 am:
Are you suggesting a coup? All we need is a leader.
- Anon - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 10:05 am:
Because of the delay, there was sufficient time for many of the co-conspirators to flee:
Rumman, Campbell, Hall, Wynn, Chapman and Banks.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 10:10 am:
What the administration has done to these two is criminal. The Governor should be held accountable for his administration’s behavior.
- state-contractor - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 10:11 am:
I wonder how uncomfortable these two will be when they have to take the ethics training after they are reinstated. It could be a little awkward with direct references to their firing in two of the presentation slides.
- Little Egypt - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 10:18 am:
I am thrilled that Dawn and Michael have such competent legal representation as Carl Draper. I knew this was coming. Everyone could predict that Draper would have to go to civil court to remedy this unjust situation. Unfortunately, the end is not anywhere near because when Draper gets a positive (yes positive) outcome from the civil court system, Blago and company will appeal the verdict. I don’t wonder at all how Dawn and Michael will do on their next ethics training. They will take their test using the accepted amount of time and pass with flying colors. They are not the ethical problem in this State. A fish rots from the head down and the head of this State is not looking so good these days. Go get him Carl and get him good.
- one of the 35 - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 11:30 am:
This is more of the same nonsense this administration started on January 13, 2003. What is the state’s latest total for legal expenses to push unfounded charges against employee scapegoats? I would try to FOI the number but I know the request would get stonewalled. That’s how this administration works. Ignore the law, run up huge legal bills, and then stonewall.
- Cassandra Jr. - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 12:04 pm:
Who cares what happens to these two? After all, they’re just two state employees that were overpaid while they were working and they are going to get lavish state pensions no matter what happens with their court case. I’d say a public flogging is in order.
- Under the influence - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 12:13 pm:
I’d say a public flogging is in order for Blago and his administration. But they’d be getting off way to easy.
Incarceration for a long period of time in more in order.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 12:33 pm:
Jeepers, C Jr. If those two were overpaid what do you think about all the CMS ‘portfolio managers’ and ’strategic sourcing managers’ and ‘procurement specialists’ that CMS hired at a minimum of $75k/yr and now make $100k+ even tho salaries were supposedly frozen? How about the salaries Emil’s family gets?
Everyday state workers pensions are pennies on the dollar compared to the seriously lavish pensions that legislators give themselves.
Everyday state workers salary increases are pennies on the dollar compared to the seriously lavish salary increases legislators give themselves.
But, hey. A man needs a raise, right Emil?
- Former State Employee - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 12:39 pm:
What was done to these two is unreal, in fact, how about surreal? I’m sure they are tired of living a nightmare, and I truely hope they have the will to continue the fight. Carl Draper is definitely a “good guy” in a white hat.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 12:41 pm:
I’m pretty certain that “Cassandra Jr’s” comment was tongue in cheek.
- Cassandra Jr. - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 12:50 pm:
Rich is right. Just having a little fun using the style of our beloved regular, Cassandra.
- ???? - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 1:36 pm:
“I wonder how uncomfortable these two will be when they have to take the ethics training after they are reinstated. It could be a little awkward with direct references to their firing in two of the presentation slides.”
Could be, but I guessing they will start the test wait 10 min. then complete the test without even noticing because that test is a bigger joke than this administration.
- i d - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 2:30 pm:
It’s all bull hockey.
- Papa Legba - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 4:17 pm:
Cassandra now has a new sheet of talking points and goes by the name of demgrrl on occasion.
- Columbo - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 7:05 pm:
If D & C were trying to fix the problem, then why did they continue to send the applications to the people grading them? If they knew it to be wrong, why continue the practice?
- cynically anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 8:13 pm:
Let’s not pretend that CMS was really in charge of all the hiring. Take a look at what went on at DHS in the early days of this glorious administration. The folks in charge there didn’t even know CMS existed when they started bringing friends and family on board. And just because open positions were for places downstate didn’t stop them from filling them with folks in Chicago and putting them in offices there. The mess that the administration has made with it’s handling of DeFraties and Casey is just the tip of the iceberg. The biggest difference between the way Republican administrations ran things and this Democratic one is running things is that at least the Republicans were competent and corrupt.
- Tessa - Tuesday, Jun 5, 07 @ 9:31 pm:
So give these two their jobs back already and quit wasting more money fighting a losing battle. The ethics standards that were broken and problems in the system are above the two of them. Fix the system where it’s broken and take care of the real problem.
Let’s give a round of applause for ethics in Illinois state government and the continued annual testing each and every state employee must endure to continue employment. What a joke and waste of state moneys. This year at the beginning it was noted you had to spend between 30-60 minutes to take the “test”, which ended up being you indicating that 1) yes you read it and 2) you were printing off your copy of the certificate. That makes you ethical for the year. They even made people come in on their vacations to take this thing so that it was completed in the agencies mandatory training time period.
State hiring is still just as bad as it has been since Blago took office. Hiring still has to go to the top to get approved. What sense does that make? Not in the department, in the gov’s office. That sure saves time and streamlines the whole process.
I’m sorry, I’m rambling. But this whole system is screwed up. I’ve decided it’s time to look elsewhere for work because I just can’t take it anymore.
- Once it's over - Wednesday, Jun 6, 07 @ 11:27 am:
I hope the AG goes after the gov to recoup the legal fees wasted defending him.