Gov. Bill Walker, violating his own hiring freeze, has picked a director for the Division of Agriculture. The position has been vacant since he cropped Franci Havemeister out of his administration last fall.
Arthur Keyes was hired only a month after Walker announced a sweeping hiring and travel freeze.
"Travel and hiring considered essential to protect the life, health and safety of Alaskans will be among the only exceptions," according to the governor's press release of Jan. 5.
“As we work toward plugging the $3.5 billion hole in our budget, it is critical that state employees continue to take every step possible to ensure we are being good stewards of our resources. As we worked on our fiscal plan, the comment my team and I heard most from Alaskans is that we must continue to rein in spending." - Gov. Walker in January
Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott added in January: “We cannot continue with business as usual. Increasingly, we will have to do less with less. Some departments and agencies have already implemented furloughs as part of ongoing efforts to reduce state spending.”
Havemeister was making $127,000 a year, plus benefits, as the Agriculture Division's director, a salary that will likely be met or exceeded by Keyes.
"Instead of allowing this division director position to go fallow for a year, Gov. Walker has violated his own hiring freeze. Carrots, while valuable and nutritious, do not fall into the category of protecting life, health, and the safety of Alaskans," said Suzanne Downing, Alaska Republican Party communication director. "This is a failure to lead by example."
In his State of the State both in 2015 and 2016, Walker emphasized carrots as one of the possible exports Alaska should develop, which may explain his decision to fill the position. He has been working with grocery chains to develop an export market for carrots.
On Monday during his State of the Judiciary speech, Chief Justice Craig Stowers told the Legislature about the results from the court system's $3.4 million budget cut in the 2016 budget, and what he expects for 2017. Cuts have led to 9,000 hours of voluntary leave without pay by court system employees and courts closing during certain week days. Starting in July, Stower expects the courts to be closed on Fridays.
http://www.alaskagop.org/what_hiring_freeze_the_sequel
