Patrick asks holdovers to reapply
GOP appointees to hear by June 1
Governor Deval Patrick, in his latest effort to reshape his administration, has informed all commissioners and agency leaders appointed by his Republican predecessors that they must reapply for their jobs and will be notified by June 1 if they can remain in their positions.
The letter, sent to about 50 GOP holdovers late last week, addresses one of the central concerns of key state Democrats, who have argued that the new governor has not acted decisively enough to put his imprint on an executive branch ruled by Republicans for the last 16 years.
"The governor has asked each secretariat to build a team that shares this administration's priorities and visions," said Patrick spokesman Kyle Sullivan. "The letter is part of a process that is ongoing since the administration took office and that we expect to be concluded by the end of the month."
An administration source said that Patrick would probably reappoint a handful of the commissioners and department heads, but that most will be asked to leave.
Among those notified was Harry Spence, commissioner of the Department of Social Services, who has faced criticism for the death of children in DSS care, including 4-year-old Rebecca Riley, and for the case of Haleigh Poutre, who was beaten into a coma in 2005. The agency was accused of trying to prematurely remove the 11-year-old from life support.
Since suffering a series of embarrassing gaffes in his first two months in office, Patrick has made several personnel announce ments, aimed at surrounding himself with a more seasoned inner circle and getting his administration on a new track. Just three months into his tenure, he replaced his chief of staff, a political novice, with Doug Rubin, who helped devise Patrick's come-from-behind victory last year.
Soon after taking over, Rubin gathered about 15 long-time Democrats to help Patrick promote his agenda and navigate the labyrinth of internal politics on Beacon Hill. The strategists agreed that the admin istration must quickly focus on removing the vestiges of 16 years of Republican rule and replace those managers with Patrick loyalists, according to several people who attended.
"The meeting reinforced the importance of making sure that when he runs for reelection, he can be held accountable for people who did or did not do their jobs," said Michael Goldman, a political and media consultant who is a member of this informal group of advisers.
"There is a huge, fundamental difference between the policies of his Republican predecessors and the vision that Deval Patrick articulated in this campaign. Therefore it is imperative that the people who work in his administration share his values," he said .
Shortly after Patrick was sworn in, his administration began to prepare for a purge, writing letters asking commissioners and department heads to reapply for their jobs. But those letters were never sent, according to a State House source. The current shake-up was engineered by Rubin, who oversaw a similar staff reorganization several years ago when he worked for State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill.
Several holdovers from the Romney administration have already been shown the door, includ ing Conservation and Recreation Commissioner Stephen Burrington, Department of Correction Commissioner Kathleen M. Dennehy, and Department of Mental Retardation commissioner Gerald J. Morrissey Jr. , whose departure sparked protests from some legislators.
Others who received the letters, which were sent by individual Cabinet secretaries last week, include David B.
The most speculation, how ever, has surrounded Spence's fate. Yesterday, Patrick told the Associated Press that he thinks the DSS commissioner is "terrific."
"He's brought a lot to the table, but every single Cabinet secretary is responsible for composing his or her team, obviously with my ultimate approval, and I trust them to do that," Patrick said.
Philip W. Johnston, former Democratic Party chairman, praised Patrick for reassessing managers and making some changes.
"It's a breath of fresh air," said Johnston. "It's important they under stand they need to reapply and there's a new administration in office, and it's a good thing to put people on notice."
"It's important for the incoming governor to have his own people running agencies. It's been 16 years since the Democrats were last in office. It's not a partisan or ideological issue. It's more an administrative issue, a loyalty issue, loyalty to a policy agenda."
Johnston said he believes that state government salaries are so low that the administration will have difficulty attracting the best talent.
"I think there are a lot of people who would have been interested in working in state government after 16 years," said Johnston, who called for a special commission to look at state salaries. "The surprise has been that there have not been a lot of people coming forward. One of the reasons is the low salaries."
