“Hiring Freeze” Meltdown
There’s been a “hiring freeze” since May 2008, the budget is tight, government employees are being asked to forfeit eight paid holidays, and the Virgin Islands is borrowing like there’s no tomorrow.
So we’re at a loss to explain how at least 63 Government employees and nearly $3.74 million in salary expense were added to the payroll between May, 2008, when Governor John P. deJongh, Jr., put the first hiring freeze in place, and August, 2009.
Now, we are reasonable people here at CIF, and understand that some hiring is necessary to keep things going. But as you will see as we release documents related to these transactions, some just don’t seem to fit in an environment of fiscal belt-tightening.
We are perplexed by the “Agent/Driver” who is making $70k a year; the “Executive Assistant” who is making a cool $80k; layers of litigators and quite a few “Specialists” who are bringing down between $40k and $65k a year. And then there are the new “Security Guards” (see story below). And these are just the ones we know about…
There was a time when we could rely on certain mainstream media to publish the salaries of all government employees. We’re not expecting that to happen anytime soon. And perhaps there are good reasons for some of the information we’ve seen while reviewing these documents – we’d welcome any explanation that the Administration would like to provide.
The chart attached below is a summary of new expense by department. We will release the detail behind these totals over the next few days. To give a complete picture of the expense, we’ve estimated the cost of benefits at 20% of salary – a conservative estimate considering today’s costs.
Perhaps we should be grateful that the Governor has issued a “much more stringent General Fund hiring freeze” between now and the end of this fiscal year. Who knows how much more they’d need to borrow if he didn’t?
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I can tell you as a fact that it is alot more than 63 people that has been hired since the freeze. The part that hurts the most, is that it is alot on unqualified people being put in “fabricated” positions. Coordinator of this, special assistant to that…pure crap. Then there are legit positions with qualified applicants but they cant get hired. I just hope these new employees know that when DeJongh goes they go with him.
Correction to #5, Lynn Millin Maduro is not the Commissioner of DPNR, she is the Commissioner of Property and Procurement.
Correction…thank you.
Stunned we are…but not me. The propaganda machine is all over the airwaves. I did some research and it appears this whole “Mafoliegate” is taking a serious turn. This research starts with Governors through out the states who were convicted for lessor things. Now, if its true the Governor signed a couple of the contracts to do work on his house then I think he has become insane with power. And perhaps really stupid simply putting it. I supported this tyrant last election and sadly regret I got my entire family to support him. We sent my good friend home years ago..Schneider and this guy is ten times more arrogant and sure disrespectful than Governor Schneider. Governor degone must go…Or just maybe the Feds might take him.
While we are on the subject of DeJongh supporters getting “fabricated” positions with “juicy” salaries, all during a “hiring freeze, let’s not leave out all the Attorney General’s family and political friends. How in the world did “Mrs. AG Frazer” become a “secretary” in the office of the Chief of Police, St Thomas district at a salary of $65k per anum? I guess it’s the same as the former Commissioner McCall’s 90k plus for doing absolutely nothing at the AG’s office! Someone needs to investigate the AG’s “family and friends appointment program” before the governor makes all these “temporary appointments” permanent!
I understand that this is just the tip of the iceberg. We haven’t begun to look at the semi-autonomus agencies yet for the political hires and the salaries they are receiving, to include the hospitals. I am told we will need to be sitting down for that report. I would like to see a breakdown comparison department by department the total numbers of employees (I don’t need the names) when he first took office and now, including those who have retired. I think this comparison would be very telling! Whatever happened to his plans for WMA? I thought they were going to be disbanded, restructured or something. They still publishing employment ads in the newspaper. This department is heavily funded, but aside from the occassional electronic and appliance pickup that they do in the comunity, they have yet to implement a comprehensive recycling plan for aluminum, glass, plastics and paper! Again, same people all reading from the same script and NO new progressive ideas are coming to the table. If our tax dollars are paying for these people, we want the most bang for our buck. Give the most qualified the job!
when our sons getting killand them 2 that going on Jimmy show and saying that the country running good it’s because that is what they want . they want our children to kill and be killed so it could have more space for them. but the could go on they kill the wrong people child yet that what. some of LIVE BY THE BIBLE a eye for a eye and a life for a life and in a war you kill the blood line . Some of we come from the original fire burn. and some of we live by the (if we can not be safe no body going be safe ya) so let them keep it up when you wake up the lion pride we a doing nothing but hunting, and we do not eat our own kind .
when our sons getting kill and them 2 that going on Jimmy show and saying that the country running good it’s because that is what they want . they want our children to kill and be killed so it could have more space for them. but the could go on they an’t kill the wrong people child yet that what. some of LIVE BY THE BIBLE a eye for a eye and a life for a life and in a war you kill the blood line . Some of we come from the original fire burn. and some of we live by the (if we can not be safe no body going be safe ya) so let them keep it up when you wake up the lion pride we a doing nothing but hunting, and we do not eat our own kind .