Tuesday, May 08, 2007
When is cleaning house not political?
Less than a month in office, Brown County Executive Tom Hinz has already fired a member of former BC Exec Carol Kelso's administration. He says it's not political, but people are smart enough to read between the lines.
Brown County Executive Tom Hinz has fired Human Resources Director Mike Kwaterski. Kwaterski says it’s political. Hinz says it’s not.
“It had to be political and not based on results,” said Kwaterski, 43, whose last day on the job is Friday. “I think it had to do with my relationship with (former executive) Carol Kelso.”
Hinz, who was elected last month, declined to give specific reasons for his decision.“I’m not going to go into a list of reasons,” he said. “It’s a position that serves at the discretion of the county executive and we’ll handle it internally.”
Kwaterski’s salary is $91,000. He was named human resources director by Kelso in December 2005 after serving three months on an interim basis. He was hired earlier that year as an employment relations manager for the county.
Kwaterski said he contacted Hinz after the election to offer his services and prepared a report for him that hadn’t been delivered when Hinz called Kwaterski into his office Thursday and told him he wanted to go in a different direction, Kwaterski said today.
“I’m disappointed that the ex-sheriff didn’t give me my day in court,” Kwaterski said.
One of Kwaterski’s duties has been negotiating union contracts, and he said that might have been a factor in his dismissal.
“The unions have threatened to cost me my job,” Kwaterski said.
Hinz refuted it.
“I don’t base my decisions on things like that,” Hinz said. “I base them on what’s best for the county and county government.”
Mike Williquette, business representative for the Teamsters union, said unions were not a factor.
“I think it’s sad,” Williquette said of Kwaterski’s comment.
“All of a sudden the unions have influence with the county executive? When did that happen? Every county executive has gotten rid of the human resources director.”
Former executive Tom Cuene fired Jerry Lang in 1992, five years after being elected for the first time. Newly elected executive Nancy Nusbaum fired director Wayne Pankratz in 1995.
It is political. Tom Hinz was a friend to unions and liberals alike. Why would you keep someone around who isn't going to play nice with the unions? I guess we can expect more of this very soon. It's bad enough the tax-and-spend liberals took control of the county board in April 2006. Now we will have a human resources director that will work to give fat contracts to union workers.
Labels: Brown County
