No. I didn’t accuse anyone of any official misconduct, the Mayor’s office did. Apparently, the Mayor thinks I should apologize to Larry Nelson. Apparently they think that I’m accusing Larry Nelson of “official misconduct”. Wow. That’s a pretty cool tactic, put inflammatory words in someone else’s mouth and personalize it.
Here’s what I think about this situation. It’s oddly similar to the whole Clerk/Treasurer situation we had a few months ago. The City of Madison advertised for a Clerk/Treasurer. Apparently no one was qualified, so they came up with a candidate and tried to hire a Clerk. The Council had to approve the position and instead, we sent it back to re-advertise the position. It didn’t seem fair to advertise for one position and then hire a person qualified for a different position. Sound familiar?
Seems as though it’s the Mayor’s office that has a history of creating jobs that are hard to fill based on the job descriptions that they create. Apparently, according to the Isthmus, Larry was looking for someone with a different set of skills than what was advertised. And apparently, the HR department qualified people for interviews without regard for the advertised skills and knowledge. And apparently, the Mayor’s office, for the second time, thinks this is ok.
Well, I don’t. This doesn’t pass the “smell test” any more than the Clerk/Treasurer situation. Now I’m wondering, is this a common City practice? Is this a pattern that is emerging? And does the Mayor really condone this practice?
