Political jobs not immune to state budget cuts

As lay-offs mount with the latest budget cuts, tension among state workers is growing. Unlike in the private sector, the paranoia gripping state agencies has a political twist.

Political appointees make up a fraction of the total work force, but their numbers swelled under Gov. Tim

Kaine. He has been forced to eliminate 1,100 state jobs this year, with 1,000 more cuts expected at the Virginia Department of Transportation. And Kaine's hand-picked people haven't been granted immunity from the austerity measures.

Former Gov. Mark Warner whittled down the patronage jobs, keeping the number below 210, compared to an average of 230 during the term of Gov. Jim Gilmore.

But Kaine packed in new hires, starting his term with 236 so-called "at-will" positions, including 10 extra positions in his office, five under the secretary of commerce and trade and several at the secretary of the commonwealth, which vets political appointments.

The 16 percent increase over Warner's appointees compares to a 4.9 percent growth rate for the total state work force between 2004 and 2007.

Now Kaine is being forced to winnow his patronage pool back down. This year's layoffs have dropped the number to 230.

"At-will" posts include Cabinet secretaries, agency heads, deputies and confidential assistants who can be dismissed or reassigned at the governor's discretion without regard to civil service rules.

The rules governing patronage have changed over the years, stirring up controversy with each revision. Historically, governors hired and fired only agency heads, but Gov. Charles Robb found that arrangement too restricting, especially after receiving unwanted public criticism from a prison warden who was ensconced in the merit system.

Robb persuaded the legislature to give him broad, vaguely defined powers to make appointments. Gov. George Allen pushed the limits on that authority when he tried to fire 500 non-political employees. Even a few startled legislative staffers received requests for their resignations.

Allen's shenanigans motivated lawmakers to adopt limits on gubernatorial patronage. The rules, formally implemented under Gilmore, allow a governor to name a chief, a deputy and a confidential assistant for each agency. Kaine is entitled to 52 extra hires under that formula, but no governor has ever maxed out his appointments.

Gilmore tapped many campaign staffers for government posts. Kaine followed Warner's cue in relying more heavily on government veterans.

The shift of career employees to political appointments contributed to the latest revision in the rules. In 2006, appointees were made eligible for severance benefits. Previously, a handful of top staffers negotiated six-figure exit packages that generated scandals, while the majority of appointees could be booted without offering any safety net. By adding all appointees to the Workforce Transition Act, everyone is entitled to the standard package, which starts at four weeks of severance pay.

Career workers and appointees are on a more equal footing now, and that means neither group can be assured of a safe footing when the pink slips are passed out.

Christina Nuckols is an editorial writer for The Virginian-Pilot.

E-mail her at christina.nuckols@pilotonline.com.