Why is Simonson still employed?

[pabawimo]

Today's world has a story about this waste of tax dollars. This guy is a hangover from Randi Miller and needs to go. The county seems to be afraid of dumping him and now are creating new jobs for him tht he ain't qualified for.

Show him the door. I am sure the county could hire a newscaster with ten times the experience in dealing with media for that money. How can the county not go through the normal hiring procedures and advertise this job?

[ifsandbuts]

Geez, this makes me even more glad we didn't pass the river vote to give the county more money to mishandle -- I don't think we can trust them to do anything ethically. How in the heck can ANYONE think it's a good idea to keep  Simonson, who has always been extremely partisan and extremely self-serving?
Let's see, he's been a "full-time" county employee while practicing law in Tulsa County before county judges? He's served as Randi Miller's divorce attorney and was paid with county tax dollars while she was a county commissioner, serving as her aide? How does the Republican-majority Commission justify hiring (and overpaying) a pure Republican political patronage guy (he was Chair of the Tulsa County Republican Party for years and has ran for jobs ranging from City Auditor to Mayor)? Every attorney in town wants this job, a high-paying government job with health benefits that allows you a free office and computer to file cases in the same building on the side. If there is one example of what is wrong with county government, it is the fact that this pure political hack still has a job and is paid nearly a hundred grand to do it!
I am hopeful that Karen Keith will actually try to look out for taxpayers, but Perry and Smaligo sure haven't shown any evidence of that so far. I'm not at all convinced that they actually care about public opinion at all, but on the off-chance they do, I'd encourage anyone who is sick of this nonsense to e-mail the county commissioners and encourage them to make Simonson go find an actual "job" -- you know, one where they expect you to "work."
Here are their email addresses:

jsmaligo@tulsacounty.org
kkeith@tulsacounty.org
fperry@tulsacounty.org

[RecycleMichael]

It is very interesting that the Tulsa World chose to run this story in the Sunday paper. Here is a link...

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090111_16_A11_Freony125163

I thought this was an interesting quote from the story..."Commissioners failed to reach an agreement on Simonson's new responsibilities last week after meeting in executive session."

They went into executive session to discuss an employee's new responsibilities...yet they couldn't agree on what he would do...

I somehow don't feel I am hearing the whole story here...

[Double A]

Perhaps Simonson knows where some skeletons are down in the County closets? Maybe keeping him on the payroll keeps the skeletons locked in those closets?

[shadows]

The salary and benefits and conflict of interest, costing the working poor in excess of a hundred grand, is only a supplement payment to have an insider in a private practice in the district courts.   The going into a closed meeting to decide what job classification one could be put under in order to continue to receive the hundred grand plus, places a dark cloud over the open meeting intent and the spirit of the statute.

Under the cloak of apathy of the voting public, incidents as this continue to gain strength as they are hidden from the public.  The one to blame is only the image in the mirror one can see.          

[Wilbur]

I'm going to stick up for the government employee here, which is exactly what Simonson is.  Just because the elected person he worked for no longer is there, doesn't mean you fire the employees below that person.

[shadows]

Hey there you go.  There are several, such a the secretary of state that has been left out of a job.   Over 50% of the estimated  workers depend  directly or  indirectly on government to pay their salaries.  We hide socialism under the banner of a democratic republic.  Why don't we come out in the open and set a minimum wage and a maximum wage thus eliminating all perks, double dipping and bonuses.

We are the most un-united states on this globe with each state making its own rules while the nation makes another set of rules.    

[waterboy]

quote:Originally posted by shadows

Hey there you go.  There are several, such a the secretary of state that has been left out of a job.   Over 50% of the estimated  workers depend  directly or  indirectly on government to pay their salaries.  We hide socialism under the banner of a democratic republic.  Why don't we come out in the open and set a minimum wage and a maximum wage thus eliminating all perks, double dipping and bonuses.

We are the most un-united states on this globe with each state making its own rules while the nation makes another set of rules.    

I think there is much truth to your statements, especially the hidden socialism reality. I am curious where you get the 50% figure, but Government employment in Oklahoma is substantial and much of it duplicative or just plain useless. Sometimes I hanker for one of them gubmnt' jobs! One might suspect that Simonson is a party hack that is being taken care of for his dedication and loyalty.

[Wilbur]

quote:Originally posted by shadows

Hey there you go.  There are several, such a the secretary of state that has been left out of a job.   Over 50% of the estimated  workers depend  directly or  indirectly on government to pay their salaries.  We hide socialism under the banner of a democratic republic.  Why don't we come out in the open and set a minimum wage and a maximum wage thus eliminating all perks, double dipping and bonuses.

We are the most un-united states on this globe with each state making its own rules while the nation makes another set of rules.    

There is a big difference between layoffs and firing employees simply because their elected boss lost re-election.  If you want to lay off employees, that is fine.

But to treat government employees more differently then the private sector is wrong.  (I say more wrong since government employees check their privacy, 1st amendment rights, ......, at the door.)  Why can't I have a second job?  Government employees routinely make less then the private sector, and many in the private sector have part time jobs to help make ends meet.  So why can't I?

And bonuses.  Really?  The absolute vast majority of government employees have never received any type of bonus.  Not to mention no 401k (actually, 457b) benefits, ....

And perks?  What perks?

[MDepr2007]

quote:Originally posted by Wilbur

I'm going to stick up for the government employee here, which is exactly what Simonson is.  Just because the elected person he worked for no longer is there, doesn't mean you fire the employees below that person.

A new Mayor does it all the time.

[shadows]

aWilbur quoted:
And bonuses. Really? The absolute vast majority of government employees have never received any type of bonus. Not to mention no 401k (actually, 457b) benefits, ....

And perks? What perks?
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In the archives is an article that described "Government Jobs" are paying better than private industry.  There has been posts concerning the perk of a free car to drive and gasoline outside the city.  Remember when the city council wanted to be designated as permanent employees to get thousands of dollars in Health Insurance for their families free.  In the most recent paper an article sets out bonuses given by elected officials to their employees.  There was the printing of the salaries of city employees, paid by the working poor, which caused more clattering than Santa's reindeers on the roof tops

What Roosevelt did to bring the great depression to a sooner end was later trashed by "Remove the controls " because supply and demand will equalize everything.  Today it is easy to see the truism in the policy when our 50 year old decaying home are accessed many time what it cost to build them and the foreign investors are buying the utilities with the bogus money issued as national debts.  Fee's are more on the water bill than the cost of water.  And someone did not read the fine print on the ballot to build a jail, nor the circumventing of a trust in issuing revenue bonds to establish an airline

As we throw trillions of dollars it sustains indirectly, through grants and loan guarantees along with out unaccountable gifts the work force which if accounted for would exceed 50% of the salaries of the working poor.

In the barter of exchange to pay off our obligation each of your family must come up with tangible merchandise totaling more than $29,700,000.00 dollars or declare new money which would lower our credit on the world markets.   Lets divvy up so the world will not think us as cheapies.

"Would a rose by any other name smell like a rose"