Week 1 – Assignment: Assess the Nomination and Confirmation Processes for Federal Agencies' Executive Leadership
Political Appointees Must Do Better Public servants aren't there to enrich themselves, they are there to serve the American people.
By Matt Mayer Contributor April 30, 2018, at 6:00 a.m.
A V I E W O F T H E W H I T E H O U S E I N W A S H I N G T O N , D . C . ( B R AN D O N S M IAL O W S K I/ AF P /G ET T Y IM AG E S )
AL L TO O OFTEN, pol i ti c al appoi ntees i n both Republ i c an and Dem oc rati c adm i ni s trati ons
get i n troubl e for us i ng taxpaye rs funds un wi s el y (i f not i m properl y) or abus i n g thei r pos i ti ons . In the l as t few m onths , the m edi a has c overed Hous i ng and U rban Devel opm ent Sec retary Ben Cars on's e xpens i ve furni tu re dec i s i on (not i m proper, but c erta i nl y un wi s e), Envi ronm ental Protec ti on Adm i ni s trati on Adm i ni s trator Sc ott Prui tt 's s oundproof p h o n e b o o t h (l i k e l y i m p r o p e r), a n d tra ve l a rra n g e m e n t s o f s e ve ra l Tru m p Ad m i ni s trati on offi c i al s (unwi s e). Thes e i rres pons i bl e dec i s i ons tarni s h hard -earned reputati ons and, m ore i m portantl y, underm i ne th e s ubs tanti ve pol i c y work of the adm i ni s trati on and pres i dent for whom the y wo rk .
[O P I N I O N : A Go vernm ent That Look s Li k e Trum p ]
From us i ng pri vate em ai l ac c ounts or s ervers to s hi el d thei r work (i m proper) t o l avi s h s pendi ng dec i s i ons s uc h as Obam a Adm i ni s trati on General Ser vi c es Adm i ni s trati on head Martha J ohns on s pendi ng over $800,000 i n Las Ve gas (i m proper), pol i ti c al appoi ntees regardl es s of party m us t s top doi ng thi ngs they tec hni c al l y c an, but s houl dn't do, and m os t defi ni tel y s houl d s top doi ng thi ngs that are i m proper and/or i l l egal . The y m u s t rem i nd them s el ves they are there to s erve the peopl e, not enri c h them s el ves or l i ve l i k e Fortune 500 CEOs .
I have fi rs t -hand e xperi en c e wi th thi s probl em .
COMMENTARY
W hen I s erved i n the Bus h adm i ni s trati on at the U.S. Departm ent of Hom el a nd Sec uri ty, I routi nel y s a w fel l o w pol i ti c al appoi ntees tak e advantage of ever y perqui s i te pos s i bl e and then s om e. I vi vi dl y rec al l travel i ng wi th s e veral ap poi ntees onc e who bec k one d m e to go wi th them at the ai rport. A pparentl y, the y woul d c on nec t wi th a Trans portati o n Sec uri ty Adm i ni s trati on pers on wh o woul d tak e them around the s ec uri ty s c reeni ng the publ i c had to endure. I refus ed to parta k e i n the prac ti c e s tati ng that i f m y fam i l y and f ri ends had to be s ubj ec ted to the i neffi c i ent and needl es s TSA s c ree ni ng, then I s houl d have t o do i t, too. I m ay have been m oti vated by ethi c s , but I was m ore m oti vated by the fear of bei ng i n a s tory i n The W as hi ngton Pos t.
W hen I di d have a per qui s i te, I tri ed to e xtend that advantage broadl y . For e xam pl e, a c ar and dri ver c am e wi th m y pos i ti on. Ins tead of l etti ng the c ar s i t i dl e when I di dn't need i t, I i ns ti tuted a s ys tem bas ed on s eni ori ty that m ade th e c ar avai l abl e to anyone i n the offi c e who needed to go to a m eeti ng outs i de our offi c e. I fi gured at l eas t we c oul d s ave ta xpa yer funds on ta xi s by l e veragi ng the s unk c os t of the c ar. Agai n, I di dn't i m pl em e nt thi s pol i c y bec aus e I was the m odel appoi ntee; I di d i t bec aus e i t s eem ed was teful and s tupi d not to do i t.
W hen publ i c offic i al s engage i n unwi s e or i m proper dec i s i ons , i t does n't j us t harm thos e i nvol ved and the p res i dent, i t further und erm i nes th e peopl e's bel i ef i n gover nm ent when that bel i ef i s al ready woef ul l y l o w. If we want to res tore Am eri c a's fai th i n go vernm ent, pol i ti c al appoi ntees need to s tart by dem ons trati ng they are there for the ri gh t reas on; nam el y, to s erve the p res i dent and the peopl e by p utti ng good pol i c y ac ti ons ahead of perqui s i tes and pam peri ng.
[ P H O T O S : TH E S TA TE O F CIVIL RIG H TS ]
It goes wi thout s ayi ng tha t the pay i s n't g reat to wo rk i n governm ent, es pec i al l y for non - c areer appoi ntees who l i k el y won 't get the reti rem e nt benefi ts of l i fel ong gov ernm ent em pl oym ent. Nonethel es s , the opportuni ty to do g r eat thi ngs to advanc e an agenda for Am eri c a needs to be paym ent enough. If s om eone c ons i deri ng an appoi ntm ent i s n't wi l l i ng to uphol d the hi ghes t s tandard or, at a m i ni m um , be wi l l i ng to have e ver y dec i s i on they m ak e bec om e a frontpage news s tor y, then the y s h oul d do them s el ves , the pres i dent and the publ i c a favor and dec l i ne to s erve.
Ever y pres i dent has enou gh pres s ure on hi m regardi ng dec i s i ons he has to m ak e and defend, appoi ntees s houldn't m ak e i t even harder by forc i ng hi m to defend t hei r dec i s i ons , too . It i s n't that hard to d o the ri ght thi ng, i s i t?
Matt Mayer, Contributor
Matt A. Ma yer i s the C EO of Opportuni t y Ohi o and f orm er s eni or offi c i al at the U.S. Departm ent of Hom el and Sec uri ty.
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