By FITSNews || S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford has tapped a retired Air Force General to lead the newly-created S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW), the agency which arose earlier this year from the ashes of the woefully-mismanaged, scandal-plagued S.C. Employment Security Commission (ESC).
Brigadier General John L. Finan, the former top financial officer of the Air Force, will lead the new Cabinet agency until March 2011, assuming he is confirmed by the S.C. Senate. Finan, 67, has also held top financial posts with the University of South Carolina and Rowan University in New Jersey.
“In light of the problems we’ve seen at the state’s Employment Security Commission over the last year and a half, we decided at the outset that the reformed agency’s first Director should bring three things to the job – extensive experience in government finances, a deep appreciation for the principle of accountability, and an ability to lead government agencies with the integrity taxpayers expect and deserve,” Gov. Sanford said in a statement.
Until recent legislation made its responsibilities part of a new Cabinet agency, the ESC was run by three legislatively-appointed commissioners – all of whom were former lawmakers.
In addition to its awful record of placing unemployed South Carolinians in available jobs, the ESC has been rocked in recent years by numerous scandals – including discrimination suits, sex-for-hire allegations and union shakedowns.
Frankly, we’re more than a little bit skeptical about this new agency. Sure, we’re all for the enhanced accountability that goes with a Cabinet-level post, but it remains to be seen whether this latest “reform” will do anything to correct the fundamental problems that plagued the ESC.
South Carolina has a bad habit of reshuffling deck chairs (and creating new agencies) and acting like it did something important to solve a problem, so needless to say we’ll be keeping a close eye on this situation.
Most importantly, though, until our state takes concrete steps to improve its underlying competitive position, it really doesn’t matter who’s in charge of handing out jobless benefits … we’ll still have far too many people who need them.
By Caution April 20, 2010 at 3:19 pm
I believe we are all a bit skeptical of this new agency. Although Finan has quite a bit of experience, isn’t he a bit old to be taking on the task of getting the ESC’s house in order?
By Stumpy April 20, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Accountability from a cabinet-level post, you’ve got to be s@#$%%%^ me. Have you looked at the accountability of his other cabinet agencies? He rails against the TERI program but his cabinet agencies are full of TERI and post-TERI employees.
By beentook2 April 20, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Many years ago when I first tried to get a job it was near impossible to get an interview unless you were an addict, a recovering addict, a just about to be a recovering addict or thinking about becoming a recovering addict.
The next “in thing” was to have a masters degree.
This was followed by the Law Degree Invasion.
A fresh wind blew in from the fields and if you had balls there was no room in the inn. Only females were promoted to supervisory positions.
Within years followed the appointment of every minority available.
Fortunately retirement was right around the corner but not before the Colonel/Sergeant invasion. Do believe that State Government hired every Colonel and Sergeant who retired from Fort Jackson.
By the time the General learns where the ESC bathrooms are he will be eating pablum.
Just a word to those still employed at ESC. Along with General you will get at least one Major,two Colonels and two Sergeant Majors. Characters like Finn not only don’t know how to find a toilet, they don’t flush.
By crackahasscrackah April 20, 2010 at 4:27 pm
This article was not what I was expecting when I read the first two words of its headline . . .
By Groundball April 20, 2010 at 6:05 pm
How many retirements is this guy getting already? Sanford continues to allow retirees and TERI retirees (retreads) to serve in his cabinet. When Finan gets to work and finds out how screwed up this agency is, he may not think the job is as “cushy” as Sanford promised.
No wonder this administration has been mired in failure for 7 1/2 years.
By Ynotfirst April 20, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Why choose a military man to lead a civilian agency?
Sanfraud has lost the rest of his mind.
We do not need military people leading the general public around…. let’s see, we have Joe (you lie) Wilson, Lindsey ( gay ) Graham, isn’t Sanfraud Air Guard too?
Is Sanfraud trying to create a police state? After all he is totally sold out on this ” New World Order”. Remember the banks rule the world…. and Sanfraud worked for Goldman Sachs , his former wife Lazard.
Is anybody listening yet?
By Whipkey April 20, 2010 at 10:59 pm
Sanford wants accountability and he chooses Finan? Hell, this guy was fired from USC because he thought he had a million more dollars in an account than was actually there. This is embarrassing. Sanford needs to go away fast.
By DM April 20, 2010 at 11:42 pm
Just curious…
Is it possible for Sanford to do anything right in any of your opinions?? Geez…lighten up already.
By Cancerman April 21, 2010 at 12:12 am
Sanfraud keeps putting losers in his cabinet agencies, this is just one of many. Look at SLED a judge running SLED, Keel from SLED running DPS firing everyone there at will when is it going to be enough and the Troopers and SLED agents moral at it lowest ever ,cant wait till we get a new govenor!!!
By LOS April 21, 2010 at 8:17 am
Good ole boys ride again!
By Wake-up Call April 21, 2010 at 8:32 am
Can you all just give the guy a break already and most especially, give Finan a chance. He hasn’t even begun and you guys already have him set to fail. He has to be better than who is in leadership of that agency now and who has been in the past. Now lets just hope Finan cleans house of those corrupt upper management people working under him (Marshall & Price to name a few). Halley and the Commissioners were the ones untimately responsible for the goings on in the agency but they had help from those two in screwing it up. There is corruption throughout the upper management of that agency and they all need to go. Wipe the slate clean of those hypocrites and start anew, fresh blood would be appreciated by the online staff. Oh, and in Finan’s defense, the current upper-management of that agency leads as a dictatorship, only barking out orders and not even talking to the online staff in the local offices to see what is really going on-they don’t even care. They just LOVE their titles and their heads have become way to big. They sit on their thrones and play God with other peoples lives. Finan, get them out FAST if you want to succeed!!!!!!!!!! Guarantee, the online staff in the local offices will applaud you!!!!!!!!!!!
By Reality April 21, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Who cares?..When I saw the picture I thought this piece was about Sanford being voted one of the worst governor’s in the world..again.http://www.wtoc.com/global/story.asp?s=12348323 …but I guess that’s not really news anymore either.
By Barbara R. Isgett April 21, 2010 at 9:17 pm
I am a retiree from SCESC and it was the most inept management from the time B.F Godfrey was pushed out by Robert E. “Jack” David that could have
existed. Some saint R.E. “Jack” David was!! Murderer – shot his wife in the back of the head – never prosecuted either to my knowledge!! Honesty
and fairness never existed in his vocabulary. Then on to more of the Camden Brigade as they were called by the workers that tried to help people and did the work. Our State Senators and Reps are to blame for type
people running ESC so remember their names at the polls. Anyone in an
elective office should be voted out at next election!!!That is the best
way to get some honesty in government. Pay attention and scratch names or
write-in!!
By Barbara R. Isgett April 21, 2010 at 9:27 pm
I am a retiree from SCESC and it was the most inept management from the time B.F Godfrey was pushed out by Robert E. “Jack” David that could have
existed. Some saint R.E. “Jack” David was!! Murderer – shot his wife in the back of the head – never prosecuted either to my knowledge!! Honesty
and fairness never existed in his vocabulary. Then on to more of the Camden Brigade as they were called by the workers that tried to help people and did the work. Our State Senators and Reps are to blame for the type
people running ESC so remember their names at the polls. Anyone in an
elective office should be voted out at next election!! That is the only
way to get some honesty in government. Pay attention and scratch names or
write-in!!