Blame the Press Secretary
2014-02-08 - by
It’s a sure sign a politician is in trouble: He gets a new press secretary, communications director or whatever you call it. So Governor McCrory shipped Kim Genardo to Commerce and replaced her with Josh Ellis.
I know nothing about the inner workings of this Governor’s Office, nor about the performance of his communications office. I knew Kim and Josh as reporters, and both are capable professionals.
I’ve seen this movie. For eight years (1976-1984), I was Governor Hunt’s press secretary. Every Monday morning, he met with his Cabinet and staff. Every meeting, every Cabinet secretary reported on the wondrous work being done in their departments. The conclusion was always self-evident and unanimous: “We’re not getting our story out.” Guess who was to blame.
The more likely problem here is substance, not spin. Performance, not PR.
Witness the coincidental announcement that DHHS gave a $3 million sole-source contract to a Washington consulting firm to fix the administration’s Medicaid problems.
Note that the N&O asked for public records regarding the contract eight weeks ago. “After repeated requests, Gov. Pat McCrory’s office released two documents Thursday evening; the Department of Health and Human Services released some of its records Friday evening, after issuing a news release about the Alvarez & Marsal contract.”
Ah, “Friday evening,” the classic dumping time for bad news.
No wonder DHHS and McCrory didn’t want anybody to know: The contract pays “$473 an hour for each of three principals of the firm, $394 an hour for each of three consultants, $242 an hour each for two analysts and $84 an hour for an intern.”
DHHS may have to hire a couple more 24-year-olds at $85,000 per year to supervise all its no-bid, personal services, sweetheart contracts.
Get to work, Josh. Your in-box is full.
Posted in General, North Carolina - Republicans
Blame the Press Secretary
2014-02-08/
It’s a sure sign a politician is in trouble: He gets a new press secretary, communications director or whatever you call it. So Governor McCrory shipped Kim Genardo to Commerce and replaced her with Josh Ellis.
I know nothing about the inner workings of this Governor’s Office, nor about the performance of his communications office. I knew Kim and Josh as reporters, and both are capable professionals.
I’ve seen this movie. For eight years (1976-1984), I was Governor Hunt’s press secretary. Every Monday morning, he met with his Cabinet and staff. Every meeting, every Cabinet secretary reported on the wondrous work being done in their departments. The conclusion was always self-evident and unanimous: “We’re not getting our story out.” Guess who was to blame.
The more likely problem here is substance, not spin. Performance, not PR.
Witness the coincidental announcement that DHHS gave a $3 million sole-source contract to a Washington consulting firm to fix the administration’s Medicaid problems.
Note that the N&O asked for public records regarding the contract eight weeks ago. “After repeated requests, Gov. Pat McCrory’s office released two documents Thursday evening; the Department of Health and Human Services released some of its records Friday evening, after issuing a news release about the Alvarez & Marsal contract.”
Ah, “Friday evening,” the classic dumping time for bad news.
No wonder DHHS and McCrory didn’t want anybody to know: The contract pays “$473 an hour for each of three principals of the firm, $394 an hour for each of three consultants, $242 an hour each for two analysts and $84 an hour for an intern.”
DHHS may have to hire a couple more 24-year-olds at $85,000 per year to supervise all its no-bid, personal services, sweetheart contracts.
Get to work, Josh. Your in-box is full.
Posted in General, North Carolina - Republicans