Accountability?
Accountability, lol!
Who actually bears the final responsibility for this failing agency?
Governors Witmer assuming the title of chief executive would seem to indicate that the final responsibility for the management of EGLE operations would rest with her office.
“People are tired of government that doesn’t work for us and tired of fixing their cars when the state should just be fixing the roads,” was stated by Whitmer.
Apparently in the beginning of Governor Whitmer’s administration the obvious failures of the previous entity in fulfilling its duties as exhibited by the Flint water crisis needed to be put in the past, a new Sherriff was in town! A decision was made to reform and rename this turkey of an agency to EGLE (The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy), unfortunately most of the entrenched top management was not replaced. On Jan 1 2019 Liesl Eichler Clark was appointed as Director of EGLE, Liesl Eichler Clark appears very talented and has held many enviable key policy positions. Most people are 100% on board with girl power, is it her responsibility to turn this turkey into an EGLE? She appears to primarily rely on Senior Chief Deputy Director Aaron B Keatley for all day-to-day operations. From public data bases it appears Aaron Keatley moved to Michigan in 2016 from a similar position in Kentucky and started employment at EGLE in the salary range of just over $61,000.00 in 2016 and that Mr. Keatley was Senior Chief Deputy Director in 2018 with a $81,000 salary increased to $165,000 in 2019 according to https://www.mackinac.org/salaries?report=state&search=any&sort=wage2020-desc&filter=Aaron%20Keatley&count=50
We did receive a response from Director Keatley’s office in response to a message expressing our permit application concerns to directors Clarks office inquiring about our 8 month permit review delay and the lack of accountability and transparency in our process. His response included; We are confident our team will fairly and faithfully apply the law in the permit review process and any related proceedings”. We don’t believe our request for clarity or accountability was unreasonable, Director Keatley’s answer can mean only two things, one being that denying any request for accountability by EGLE staff is standard procedure and not his concern and the other being that he has no idea of what his permit division offices or managers are actually doing processing permits. So as the operating director is Director Keatley accepting any responsibility on EGLE’s behalf for not realizing Lake Michigan’s 5’ rise would drastically increase the need for permits which delays increased erosion property losses by billions of dollars? Is Director Keatley going to be the one accepting responsibility for directing EGLE staff to write tickets over the next 20 years attempting to force homeowners to clean up the thousands of tons of broken concrete or other debris dumped over the dunes and onto the beach without a permit as EGLE could not provide to save their property? Or is Director Keatley going to recommend a taxpayer funded clean up for all the unpermitted beach desecration that desperate property owners completed to save their property? No, Director Keatley is not going to own it, Director Keatley is going to say “I was not aware that our team was not addressing these issues”, very similar to the Edenville Dam disaster and milk his $3,173.00 a week job out until he hopefully gets embarrassed enough to resign and stay home and watch the river with his big fat $401K. While the lakeshore property owners and Michigan’s once beautiful beaches and dunes take the financial and environmental hit.
In most for profit business’s customer feedback is very important with sales being a huge indicator and often additional feed back tools like survey monkeys are used to provide management input on customers perceptions of how employees are doing to sort out staff with unacceptable attributes. Egle has hundreds of very talented employees who would do an awesome job with some competent leadership and standard accountability and customer service measurements in place. It currently appears that the primary requirement for a lifelong job at EGLE with awesome insurance and a great retirement plan is to suck up to the next management level and cover both you’re butts while the public you work for and are supposed to serve being an inconvenient detail that you will get around to when ever you get time. And don’t worry about answering e mails or returning phone calls in a timely manner, its just a water quality test, or inspecting a dam to raise the water levels to save the mussels, or somebody’s property being washed away or a house falling in the lake, its not like you’re going to lose your job, lol! And learn phrases like “we are directing all our resources towards this issues we just became aware of” and “we are would like to be able to better address theses issues but we just don’t have the funding” or the “legal authority” or the “mandate” or the other public relations BS as shown below in the mission statement. Lots of “talk the talk” with quite limited ”walk the walk” which nobody steps up to the plate to own on any level. Although EGLE repeatedly does one thing over and over perfectly without fail with full transparency and accountability, that would be payroll!!
Come on already, the most Honorable Gretchen Whitmer, this road appears obvious;
FIX DAMM EGLE
EGLE Mission Statement
MISSION
To protect Michigan’s environment and public health by managing air, water, land, and energy
resources.
VISION
A Michigan that respects people, treasures natural resources, and fosters thriving
communities throughout our two peninsulas.
VALUES
EGLE makes reasoned decisions. Within the bounds of state and federal laws and informed by science, EGLE delivers solutions that reflect our mission and equitably serve the interests of Michigan residents.
EGLE serves the public. EGLE is accountable and responsive to all Michigan residents. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of government ethics and vigilantly steward public funds.
EGLE communicates. EGLE proactively collaborates and engages the public to make informed decisions. We tell our story, so people understand what we do, why we do it, and how our work benefits their lives.
EGLE leads. EGLE takes a strategic approach that accounts for the impacts of today’s actions on future generations.
EGLE invests in our team. Recognizing that knowledge and dedication drive success, EGLE provides a positive workplace with effective leadership and professional development opportunities. https://www.michigan.gov/egle/0,9429,7-135-3306_70582-276848–,00.html