Patrick fires longtime rehabilitation chief
Bartels praised for aiding disabled
Governor Deval Patrick, who has been replacing agency heads throughout state government, has fired Elmer Bartels, the Democrat who has led the state's Rehabilitation Commission since the first Dukakis administration.
Bartels, 68, is believed to be the state's longest-serving commissioner. He is paralyzed from the neck down, the result of a 1960 hockey accident when he was a Colby College student. His wife of 46 years, Mary, also a longtime advocate for the disabled, died a month ago.
"His termination was a shock, especially coming upon the recent death of his wife," said one employee of the commission, who didn't want to be named because she is not allowed to speak to the media. "The timing is absolutely horrible. What's killing everyone is he was appointed by a Democrat twice. Everyone is walking around looking at the ground."
Also, the head of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind recently resigned, officials said.
Their successors have not yet been announced.
"I'm very disappointed," said disability rights advocate Fred Fay. "I'm watching very closely to see what [Patrick] does. I fear he won't be hiring people with disabilities to run these agencies, which would be like having a white man run the department of Indian affairs or the NAACP."
Bartels has done "an outstanding job," Fay said. "He's brought in a lot of new programs and shown a lot of ingenuity."
Last month, Patrick informed about 50 agency leaders and commissioners appointed by past governors that they would have to reapply for their job and would learn by today whether they would be allowed to stay on. One round of changes was announced last week, including the replacement of Department of Social Services commissioner Harry Spence. Department of Mental Health Commissioner Elizabeth Childs has also submitted her resignation, effective July 31. More announcements could be made today.
Christine Griffin, a disability rights advocate who now serves on the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington, said Bartels "understood first hand" how important it is for people with disabilities to work.
"He exemplifies that," she said. "He got up every day and went to work. He knew the value of being a productive member of society, and he tried to change society's views about the abilities of people with disabilities by having them work beside others in the workplace. Massachusetts will miss him."
But others said privately it was time for new leadership at the 800-employee agency.
"Elmer's a nice man, and we're sorry his wife died," said another advocate for the disabled. "But he's been here a very long time. Put aside the question of the governor having his own leadership team. It's time. He was very forward- thinking for his time, but his time was several decades ago."
Bartels, who was first appointed in 1977, said he had hoped to remain on the job, but it "wasn't in the cards."
"I've had a great run, 30 plus years," he said. "It's been a wonderful opportunity to work for people with disabilities. I enjoyed every minute. There was never a dull day."
Bartels said he was especially proud of helping about 4,000 people with disabilities find jobs each year.
"Multiply that by 30 years; it's about 120,000 people who went to work during my tenure, folks who became taxpayers," he said. "They're earning money, doing much better than being at home or sitting on a cash benefit."
"There is nothing more important to an individual than their work," he went on. "Living on an SSI [Social Security] check is not a bed of roses."
In an e-mail to employees, Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby praised Bartels for helping "position the MRC as one of the leading rehabilitation and employment agencies in the country."
"He led the development of a diverse array of vocational and support services that have assisted people with disabilities in living productive lives at work and at home in their communities," she wrote. "I wish him all the best in the future and thank him for his many years of service on behalf of the people of Massachusetts." 