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Senators question Blevins appointment

February 24, 2017

The following letter was sent to Dr. Kara Odom Walker, secretary of the Department of Health & Social Services, with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication.

This correspondence addresses a matter of concern involving ethics and the hiring process for a position of great significance within the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. As you are aware, the Department of Health and Social Services recently appointed former Delaware Senate president pro tem Patricia Blevins to the position of executive director of the Office of Animal Welfare. The OAW is tasked with overseeing enforcement of standards for animal shelters, responding to reports of animal cruelty, addressing potentially dangerous dogs, directing a spay and neuter program for low- income Delawareans, and coordinating Delaware's response to rabies exposure cases, among other areas involving public health and safety. The executive director is, in effect, the chief of an important law enforcement agency with far-reaching authority.

Pursuant to a recent article, the DHSS engaged in an aggressive search and identified at least 70 applications who could have been suitable to serve in the executive director's position. The timeframe for submission of applications to serve as executive director ended Oct. 26, 2016, prior to the November election. According to the article, former senator Blevins was apparently approached sometime in December by an official from DHSS to determine if she would be interested in the executive director position. The former senator was subsequently selected for the position.

This chain of events is deeply disturbing for multiple reasons. Of note is the fact that Mrs. Blevins spearheaded the legislation that brought the OAW and position that she now holds into existence.
First, although the position was not subject to the state's requirements for hiring under the merit rules, it is clear that an effort was made to mirror the merit hiring process prior to that process seemingly being abandoned. One of the reasons for having such a process in place is to ensure that individuals most suited for a position are selected based solely upon their qualifications and suitability for the position, as opposed to any special relationship that they may have with the hiring authority.

In other words, the merit hiring process prevents what is described as pre-selection from occurring, whereby an individual with a special relationship is selected rather than selecting/hiring individuals based solely upon their relevant qualifications. Given the abandonment of a process that appears to have been based primarily upon the merit of applicants, per the hiring description put out for this position by DHSS, there are multiple questions raised by DHSS' conduct in appointing Blevins:

Was the DHSS official who approached Blevins fairly described as a friend and political ally? What was the nature of their relationship?

Were any of the 70 applicants interviewed? If so, who conducted the interviews?

When did Blevins apply for the position, or was she selected without actually submitting an application?

Was Blevins interviewed? If so, who conducted the interview?

Was the former senator "pre-selected" over other applicants, such that the hiring process put into place was abandoned?

Did any of the 70 applicants have experience in law enforcement, or any type of medical experience in coordinating efforts to identify and respond to the broad health concerns for animals and the public that OAW is tasked with addressing?

Given the timing of events, and in particular the fact that the application period was closed prior to Blevins being approached about being appointed, there are deep concerns about the manner in which this process was conducted. Please provide answers to the questions posed above at your earliest convenience, so that we may be assured that the spirit of the process used to identify the 70 applicants was not abandoned to the detriment of the public and the individuals who took time to apply for this position. Our concern, as always, is that the highest standards be maintained in the ethical conduct of public officers and in decisions that are made which will affect the health and safety of all Delawareans.

Sen. Gary Simpson
Minority Leader
18th Senatorial District
Sen. Gregory F. Lavelle
Minority Whip
4th Senatorial District

 

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