You can add sex scandals to the growing list of allegations being made against South Carolina’s incompetent Employment Security Commission, employees at the agency tell FITS.
Specifically, we’re told by multiple ESC employees that several upper level directors at the agency have been hired and promoted (or fired and demoted, in one case) based on whether or not they provided sexual favors.
At this point, we’re not naming names – although the accusations center around a high-level administrator at the agency. What we can say at this point is that our efforts to get to the bottom of this situation have been met by a brick wall at the embattled bureaucracy – even when we graciously volunteered to let people talk to us off the record.
The ESC is already in a world of hurt over its recent catastrophic financial mismanagement and ongoing failure to successfully match South Carolina workers with available jobs. These scandals have created a political firestorm in the state capital, where state lawmakers who are ultimately responsible for the agency (and who appointed three incompetent ex-lawmakers to run it) continue to face a major public relations embarrassment.
Most recently, FITS uncovered a taxpayer-funded push by agency officials – including the agency’s new interim director, Samuel Foster – aimed at “encouraging” employees to join what many feel is a public sector union.
Frankly, that strikes us as the last thing Foster should be focused on considering the agency has filled less than half of its job openings since he took over – the continuation of a sad trend at the agency, especially when one considers the Palmetto State’s 12.3% unemployment rate.
As part of that investigation, we were informed by our sources that the agency is about to be hit by a major “reverse discrimination” lawsuit after an employee was allegedly fired for refusing to fraudulently certify certain individuals for unemployment benefits.
Shortly thereafter, details of the alleged “sex-for-hire” scheme began to surface.
The ESC is currently under investigation by the state’s Legislative Audit Council, although the scope of that inquiry is unknown.
By Zack December 23, 2009 at 2:09 pm
I certainly did not see anyone I’d want to have a quick roll in the hay with when I wandered through their offices last week. The good stuff must be hidden in departments not available for viewing by the public.
By Former ESC Employee December 23, 2009 at 3:11 pm
This is all absolutely true. I worked there for man years and I saw it first hand.
By Soft Sigh From Hell December 23, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Perhaps they misunderstood what sort of “jobs” the agency deals with.
By Mab December 23, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Those would be the “back office” employees, Zack. Just like at banks…
By Slip December 23, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Another will scam nothing more.
By Chaser Will December 23, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Former nine-year employee of ESC. I can also vouch for what has been reported on this agency for the last several months. It’s a shame, because there were some good people there when I was, mainly on the UI side, not the ES side where much of the arrogance and corruption was.
By BIN News Editorial Staff December 23, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Slip’s right. Sounds like another sic(k) willie scam.
Anonymous sources who have nothing to back up their allegations.
And isn’t it amazing several anonymous posts popped up claiming to verify this cr@p.
Only on sic(k) willie’s little porn blog do you find anonymous posts trying to verify what sic(k) willie claims he heard from anonymous sources.
Could these be the same sources who turned sic(k) willie on to the Midlands’ elected official he once claimed has a Strom problem.
This is about credibility, sic(k) willie.
The way to deal with sic(k) willie’s credibility is with a toilet plunger.
By SCESCemployee December 24, 2009 at 12:55 pm
With the economic and job situation as it is, and the need to take care of dependents, it would be foolish to not remain anonymous. More importantly, where there is smoke, there is usually fire. If the ESC leadership was professional, why all the anonymous negative comments? There is in fact a “sex for promotion” environment within ESC. Generally, the UI side of the house is fairly competent, especially with the leadership under Mr. Larson. But the ES side and the commissioners are a joke. Check out the salaries of these fools. It is easy to do on the State paper’s website. Finally with Halley gone, do we want “business as usual”? Do we?
By Wake-up Call February 27, 2010 at 3:16 pm
In many of the offices the ES and UI side of the house are one in the same. All staff on the local levels in many offices do both, ES & UI work. This was not happening on the local levels but in higher management. Sexual favors got you promoted or NOT. I know exactly who the high level administrator they are talking about is. He is scum and had affairs with numerous women and he is still there-he was actually promoted to his current position after a short time-out period for his actions. He wasn’t the only one though-it went all the way to the top. The commissioners knew full well what was going on and allowed it to continue to happen actually rewarding them eventually. If you didn’t cooperate, you were left to hang out and dry. No support, no promotions, no anything. You were bascially invisible until they could find a way to force you out. He even had a child with one of his victims after an affair with a woman who worked in one of the local offices under the WIA program. That agency is literally screwed up!!!!! Circling the drain. It all comes out in the wash…..you know who you are and you will be exposed!!!! Time has a way of taking care of most things…………..You’ll get what you deserve in the end…just wait and see. It’s already happening, just take a look around you. You know who you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round. The SCESC soon to be no more!!!!!