Post by dpiscator on Jul 15, 2009 21:00:42 GMT -4
State fishing panel ousts executive director
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
By Deborah Weisberg, Special to the Post-Gazette
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission board yesterday reassigned executive director Doug Austen to another position within the agency in the wake of growing dissatisfaction with his job performance.
The surprise announcement was made at yesterday's quarterly board meeting in Harrisburg.
"We told him we wanted him to resign, and he wanted six months to find another job," said fish commission board member Tom Shetterley of Charleroi. "So we reassigned him to the position of handling federal programming -- finding federal aid -- for the commission. He'll be allowed to stay on at his current salary and retain the title of executive director until he finds another job or we see if this works out."
Austen, 49, joined the agency in 2004, as a former administrator with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Allowing him to stay on with different duties "makes everybody happy," said Shetterly, who indicated it also would enable Austen to retain his pension and benefits.
Shetterley said Gov. Ed Rendell "wasn't happy about what we planned to do yesterday, but it got to the point where if [Austen] didn't accept the deal, he'd be out totally."
"He wasn't doing the job," Shetterley said. "We wanted him to do physical things, to put fish in the streams, to take positive steps against Marcellus shale drilling ... to prevent pollution from the drilling ... those kinds of things, but he wouldn't listen to us. He'd ignore us. It's like he was way over there and we were way over here."
Shetterley said that someone from within the agency, possibly law enforcement chief Tom Kemerzel or legislative liaison Gary Moore, could serve as a "point person," handling the duties Austen had until yesterday. A selection has not been made yet.
Austen did not return calls seeking comment.
Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/09196/983953-358.stm#ixzz0LNa1GFJp
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
By Deborah Weisberg, Special to the Post-Gazette
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission board yesterday reassigned executive director Doug Austen to another position within the agency in the wake of growing dissatisfaction with his job performance.
The surprise announcement was made at yesterday's quarterly board meeting in Harrisburg.
"We told him we wanted him to resign, and he wanted six months to find another job," said fish commission board member Tom Shetterley of Charleroi. "So we reassigned him to the position of handling federal programming -- finding federal aid -- for the commission. He'll be allowed to stay on at his current salary and retain the title of executive director until he finds another job or we see if this works out."
Austen, 49, joined the agency in 2004, as a former administrator with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Allowing him to stay on with different duties "makes everybody happy," said Shetterly, who indicated it also would enable Austen to retain his pension and benefits.
Shetterley said Gov. Ed Rendell "wasn't happy about what we planned to do yesterday, but it got to the point where if [Austen] didn't accept the deal, he'd be out totally."
"He wasn't doing the job," Shetterley said. "We wanted him to do physical things, to put fish in the streams, to take positive steps against Marcellus shale drilling ... to prevent pollution from the drilling ... those kinds of things, but he wouldn't listen to us. He'd ignore us. It's like he was way over there and we were way over here."
Shetterley said that someone from within the agency, possibly law enforcement chief Tom Kemerzel or legislative liaison Gary Moore, could serve as a "point person," handling the duties Austen had until yesterday. A selection has not been made yet.
Austen did not return calls seeking comment.
Read more: www.post-gazette.com/pg/09196/983953-358.stm#ixzz0LNa1GFJp