It was a tough first week on the job for Catherine Templeton, the new director of the S.C. Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation (LLR).
Appointed back in December by S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley, Templeton was grilled during her Senate confirmation last week. First, it was revealed that she planned to work in her Columbia office just three days a week while commuting from Charleston, S.C. On top of that, Templeton was forced to admit that she has no statutory authority whatsoever to block the growth of labor unions in South Carolina – including the new Boeing aircraft manufacturing facility in North Charleston.
Templeton’s success as an anti-union attorney was something that Haley emphasized in announcing her nomination last month. In fact, we cited her experience battling unions as a positive in our coverage of that announcement.
Obviously “part-time” directors are nothing new in South Carolina. Several of former S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford’s cabinet choices didn’t work in the office five days a week – and while we don’t like the practice, we’re more interested in results than we are in the number of hours someone spends behind a desk.
On that front, we’re told we shouldn’t worry about Templeton’s logistical challenges …
Sources supportive of the new director tell FITS that she will be an aggressive advocate for the limited government reforms that are so near and dear to our hearts. In fact, they say she has already started cutting staff at her agency – eliminating a special projects team as part of an early RIF (reduction in force).
“She worked in Columbia until late Friday and is already reducing (payroll),” our source said. “Damn good for (her) first day.”
Our source added that disgruntled employees at the agency have been leaking negative information about Templeton in an effort to compromise her effectiveness.
Haley has yet to release Templeton’s salary but her predecessor made $116,797 a year. Haley also told the Associated Press that she wasn’t aware of the questions Templeton faced during her confirmation hearing but added that “I’m not going to be talking to her about a time clock.”
With the state facing a potential $1 billion shortfall, Haley has taken tremendous criticism over the salary increases she has handed out to members of her senior staff – as well as the new positions she has created in the governor’s office. According to the latest results of a FITS poll posted last Friday, 82 percent of our readers (841 votes) say that Haley’s staff salaries were “excessive.” Only 14 percent (142 votes) described the salaries as “appropriate.” Another 4 percent (38 votes) were not sure.
WEB EXTRAS
THE AGENCY …
S.C. Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation
THE ANNOUNCEMENT …
Haley appoints Catherine Templeton to lead LLR
THE COVERAGE …
S.C. Senate confirms two of Haley’s Cabinet choices (AP)
***
By A. Friend January 17, 2011 at 11:24 am
100,000 here, a 100,000 there.
By Lynn Bailey January 17, 2011 at 11:25 am
LLR is a total mess. Former Gov. Sanford failed to make timely appointments to key professional boards, disciplinary actions lag, investigations lag, revisions and updating of critical regulations and practice acts lag. A part-time director isn’t going to fix this agency to improve efficiency and professional or consumer protections.
By hf January 17, 2011 at 11:29 am
I work at LLR and heard nothing of the new director being in the building last week. I am not disgruntled and have no preconceived notions about her, but news travels fast around here. She was here on Thursday the 6th for a few hours, and everyone knew where she was at all times. We’re all quite curious about her, as you might imagine.
By Crooner January 17, 2011 at 11:34 am
As one who grew up in Columbia and now resides in the Lowcountry, I can attest to the sacrifice Templeton is making by spending three days a week in Cola town.
By Dimitri January 17, 2011 at 11:55 am
…she will be an aggressive advocate for the limited government reforms that are so near and dear to our hearts. In fact, they say she has already started cutting staff at her agency – eliminating a special projects team as part of an early RIF (reduction in force).
That’s good. Now please post a picture of her in a bikini.
By Soft Sigh from Hell January 17, 2011 at 12:06 pm
There are not a few appointed boards at LLR that could be replaced almost in their entirety by their existing secretary because nearly all these particular “subagencies” do is examine routine paperwork and collect license fees. Many members are long past their expiration dates because Sanford would not name their replacements. Haley should name replacements and “task” them with working with the new director to see how the individual boards could be improved and if possible reduced. In at least one case the board administrative assistant takes it upon herself to act as and in cases contravene the appointed board. In another case a licensed “professional” was being investigated for unethical behavior and then was appointed by the governor (before Sanford) to the very board, REPLACING the member investigating him. He has recently been investigated for dishonesty by a state agency regarded falsified documents. LLR needs some looking at.
By Gillon January 17, 2011 at 12:21 pm
“Cutting staff”? The definition of this term so far in the Haley Administration seems to be: “cut the little people’s jobs so you can pay the big people more, and don’t even require all of them to come to work everyday.”
This is really great for worker morale, not to mention the unemployment rate.
By Lewis January 17, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Chad Prosser did the part-time director thing at PRT. Part time went to quarter time to no time. PRT went further down the toilet.
By R. Kramden January 17, 2011 at 2:01 pm
Damn, what happened to the Haley honeymoon?
By From my cold dead hands January 17, 2011 at 2:29 pm
Hf is probably the llr leak. I work here too. She was here working all day Friday.
By dwb619 January 17, 2011 at 2:43 pm
South Carolina-low wages-bottom of education-high unemployment- and her specialty is UNION BUSTING. No big problem, it’s not to much further to the bottom.
By bqueen January 17, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Haley appointing Catherine because “she will prevent unions from coming to SC” was a poor poor choice of words on Haley’s part, completely demonstrating her ignorance of the existing law. I think Catherine was somewhat embarrased by this pronouncement which is why she ignored that comment in her own remarks during the announcement.
By James January 17, 2011 at 3:22 pm
I actually find it amazing that Hailey would site Ms. Timpleton’s history as a union fighter as a qualification for her job. The DLLR is not charged with fighting unions. Unionization is between the employer and his employees. The state is not supposed to be on either side.
I’ve really have never understood the mindless animosity toward unions in SC. Especially from people who have never been in one. All unions are is a group of people banding together to sell services at a higher price than if they tried to sell their services alone. Business would go crazy if the Governor announce she had hired someone who had a history of fighting business mergers to create more competitive companies. Why shouldn’t employees be able to band together and sell their services as a group?
Also, not being unionized did not protect the textile industry from being outsourced out of existence. For all its faults, at least the Automobile industry still exists.
By commonman January 17, 2011 at 3:40 pm
These agencies already have no credibility and now you have commuting directors. Imagine the state will pay for a vehicle and operating expenses to allow her to commute. Wonder what other agencies have commuting directors? This is a sweetheart deal. Where does one apply?
By conservative1 January 17, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Wow…gets to work three days in Columbia and charge travel expenses (to and from Charleston) to the taxpayers. Wonder what her salary with be, not to mention benefits?
By Just sayin'... January 17, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Maybe Gov. Haley’s idea of “full time” was formed when she was “working” for Lex County Hospital. Or Wilbur Smith…
Mrs. Templeton can always follow in Nikki’s footsteps by making long. late night cell phone calls to Mr. Folks.
Working…at 2am.
Lord what fools the voters be…
By NEWCASTLE January 17, 2011 at 4:16 pm
With any state agency you need a CPA with connections, to figure out what is going on. Many licensing programs, by law, are fully supported by fees. If you cut staff you may have short term savings on paper (fees collected 2 yrs in advance). The question is, can the fee money legally be spent on another program(and how long before audit would find out). If the staff cut can go to retirement, there may be a net(though small) cash outflow for the state. Of course, with enough cuts LLR can more modest surroundings.
By Stinkbait January 17, 2011 at 5:00 pm
Uh, Dimitri. I don’t think working 3 days a week & being paid for 5 is the limited government reform we had in mind last November. And who do you think will catch it in the shorts for her frequent $3+ per gallon commutes – in a state car?
By cancerman January 17, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Tea Party people you have been bamboozled back to the 1800′s by the likes of Trickie Nikki. Hey Will Folks you lying fucker wheres are your so called evidence that you fucked Haley???? We are still waiting con-artist.
By Old Bike Dude January 17, 2011 at 5:55 pm
“lying fucker” , pretty accurate. In all future correspondence please replace (sic) with (lf).
By Scooter January 17, 2011 at 6:56 pm
Well, there will be more people in the unemployment lines. And more. And more as long as Haley gets her way. The problem is that the folks who know what the heck to do, and how to get things done are the ones who get canned. Bring in new ones later for less pay, but they know nothing and it takes time for them to learn and to get things done. The problem with that is services are no longer available to the people of SC. Ha! Now there are more people without jobs and without services. What a screwed up state.
By Shanky January 17, 2011 at 8:36 pm
Nothing ever changes nor will it.
By Over Yonder January 17, 2011 at 9:11 pm
LLR is huge, and it won’t run itself. I find it hard to believe that there was no qualified candidate available to take this job and be here 5 days a week. AG Condon only showed up with his secretary 2-3 days a week for 8 years, and the office was basically run by two top attorneys. The taxpayers funded a car, a fully equipped Charleston office which went largely unused, and a SLED agent/driver from time to time. Total waste of money.
By Dimitri January 17, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Stinkbat — I said that tongue-in-cheek. Just want to know who is inspecting our elevators and how she looks in a bikini. In this age of transparency we guys have a right to that, especially as our government is overtaken by the women.
By How about a "no time" director? January 17, 2011 at 11:56 pm
The LLR is one of the serrated mouth pieces of the bloodsucking state. I can find very few state level gov’t organizations that do as much harm as the LLR.
They actually cause unemployment and help create entry barriers for even the most basic of professions.
Want a hair cut? Better not have a “unlicensed” person do it….cause they could really cause harm to you. How about having your nails done? Same thing…
What if you simply want to announce for a local wrestling event or boxing match? You need a license for that too….
The whole idea of this agency is disgusting a best….stopping people from working before they’ve even started. That’s not to mention the harassing they do to what manufacturing is left in the state.
Personally I’m not worried one bit about elevator inspection or any other nonsense. It’s more of the same “gov’t will protect you” BS that all the wimps in life love to dish out to those that resist intruding government.
As far as I’m concerned she’s doing a great job so far. Cut & Slash the Beast…scale it back…maybe she’ll even be so bold to eliminate it entirely. If she can do it 3 days/week even better. Good for her.
I can promise you that if the LLR was extinct in SC that you’d immediately get a multitude of companies looking to manufacture here.
By dwb619 January 18, 2011 at 4:03 am
Nimrata,
Better send Catherine on down to Georgetown. The steel mills starting back up. They are bringing several hundred UNION workers back!
By Soft Sigh from Hell January 18, 2011 at 8:13 am
The legislature created but LLR facilitates and protects a return to the medieval guild system in some occupations, where you have to work for years for one of the few persons working in that field in order to get licensed. Thus the field is barred from “outsiders.” Sure, I don’t want our bridges designed by inexperienced engineers, but home-well drillers? soil classifiers? Try to get a septic tank permitted on a clayey soil. You not only have to get an engineer to design a shallow distribution system (that any landscape irrigation company could design as well, or better from far greater experience), you also have to hire one of the small number of “soil classifiers” to tell you your soil is clayey, something DHEC has already told you in denying your permit for a routine system. Most civil engineers, geologists, agronomists, or just plain farmers could do this, but the “soil classifiers” got their guild established and protected.
LLR needs some close looking at. Some boards and licenses probably should be eliminated. The director of course can only recommend these changes.
By Lewis January 18, 2011 at 8:37 am
LLR and DSS are products of the SC public school system…..
By south mauldin January 18, 2011 at 9:39 am
Columbia had a 3 day a week police chief named Crisp. He commuted from Greenville every day and hated it here. I don’t blame him as I hate it here as well. But he shouldnt have taken the job and neither should she. Do you really think she’ll be working Monday and Friday from home? Bullshit. Haley should have hired a Columbia individual for the job. And why do we have to pay for travel and, God forbid, lodging? Smaller government my ass.
By commonman January 18, 2011 at 11:36 am
Gotta love these verbal fiscal conservatives. Eliminate all political party labels to run on and politicians actually have to tell the people what they stand for. Government by sound bite is going to destroy us. RINOs and DINOs all need to be called out.
By Prevert January 18, 2011 at 2:57 pm
She’s kinda hot, I’d do her
By CindyC January 18, 2011 at 3:11 pm
Soft Sigh from Hell, I’m glad you are back to a somewhat normal state after posting that sharty post over on “One Sick Puppy.” So far that post has the People’s Choice Award for the crappiest post of 2011. Hey, don’t worry it’s only January.
By getitright January 18, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Her travel and lodging when necessary is on her own dime. Will, you really need to get some posters who are more intelligent than these. The girl never said she was only working three days. Our director, when she is doing her job, has to be all over the state. We dont need any more bureaucrats who just sit behind their desks.