Can we straighten out the media drive by on Nancy Wagner?
Mar 14th, 2008 by DavidAnderson
Several years ago, I was visiting family and attending a conference in D. C. and while we were sitting at a light we heard gunfire and saw everyone running. We were sitting at a light which had a no turn on red sign. I said let’s go. My friend who was driving said but the sign says no turn on red. I said the red blood on the sidewalk says turn! We sped away and we called the situation in from relative safety. I never forgot the terror of a drive by shooting. Recently someone I know had his picture put up as a suspect for the Wild Quail robbery even though the state police release said he was a person of interest only. It turned out that he was a victim of bad timing. The suspects happen to pass by him when he was coming out of the restroom at Wal Mart. His job was threatened. His life was shaken. He was a media drive by victim.
It appears my friend Nancy Wagner may also be victim of a WNJ drive by. I was away when the news broke. The allegations went to the core of trust in Government. I called Rep. Wagner when I returned and got her side. I also researched to make sure she wasn’t in denial.
Fact: her husband is a state employee. Myth: he got the job because of her; she was not even in office when he was hired.
Fact: He got promoted after she won. Myth: He was unqualified for the position; the fact is like many state employees he took whatever he could to get in and moved around to where he was more qualified.
Fact: epilogue language in the state budget carved out a special position for him at a higher salary. Myth: Nancy Wagner had anything to do with it. The Fact is that she was not even on the Joint Finance Committee when the language first appeared and abstained every time it was renewed.
Myth: Bud Wagner is unqualified and getting special favors because of his wife’s influence. Fact: Bud Wagner used to own his own video firm and Republicans and Democrats alike praise the work he is doing in bringing video records to the court system. Justice Myron Steele-a Democrat praised the work done. It is saving the state money by doing it in house. His statement was left out by the WNJ and only Republican statements in his favor were published.
Fact: Nancy Wagner is targeted in a Democrat seat and this smells like a political hit. Myth: her situation is unique. The fact is dozens of the legislators and/or have relatives who are on the state payroll. This is in a state where there are only 62 legislators.
Fact: The state budget process is not open enough. The process breeds cynicism because it is not open. No one knows what is in the budget except members of the committee. Myth: The process is okay; we just have a few bad apples. The fact is the process is broken. It needs fundamental reform. If I were Nancy Wagner, I would be cosponsoring all 5 bills for ethics and the budget reform bills. The fact that it could have been done should be enough to spur reform.
I know some people will not care about the facts because the story is so juicy as laid out by the WNJ. It is easier to believe the gossip than the truth. I will quote a letter by Majority Leader Cathcart, who used to co-chair the JFC, to Republicans for Government Responsibility and Openness.
Your letter incorrectly states that epilogue language was included in the state’s operating budget to ‘in effect guarantee a state employment position for a close relative of a member of the House.’ This is false,” Cathcart wrote.
“In reality, the epilogue language simply allows the position to be loaned to the Corrections Department from the Public Defender’s Office. There is no new position being created and no guarantee of employment for a House member’s relative as a result of this language.”
This shouldn’t be coming from you and it shouldn’t be coming 10 days later. That’s the biggest problem with all of this. There was no effort to clear her name, and now the report is taken as gospel.
You know, I agree with you. That is why I waited until a party leader was willing to put his name out there. Believe me, I had discussions with Rep. Wagner that she should do damage control. I believe that if you leave something that damaging out there. It will become insurmountable. She thinks that if we ignore it. It will go away. I got her permission to quote her because I think she is finally getting that this is different from other allegations. This one ressonates.
Dave, she has quotes from Democrats in nonpartisan judicial positions. She has quotes from Larry Sullivan. She has timelines and abstentions which prove her case. The people in the district love her and want to her to say it is not true. They are saying Nancy say it ain’t so. Her silence = political death unless someone breaks it. Someone has to have the courage to tell the truth.
Good spin Dave, good spin.
Yes, the truth is the best spin. Sometimes it is not as fun as the alternative, but it has its own beauty and elegance.
I’ve followed the Kent County legislators more than you citified New Castle crowd or the “Deliverance” Sussex clan.
In my opinion, Nancy is one of the best, hardest working legislators we have in Kent. Her husband may have a state job, but that has nothing to do with the work Nancy has put in season after season in the legislature. In terms of “showing up” to do her job, she blows away almost any other legislator I can think of.
Sure, she may be the best of the legis, she can afford to work hard at it since she is so good at getting the public to pay her twice for her troubles.
Ms. Willing, she does her full time job and her part time job. She does not get paid twice for her troubles. The voters of this district have decided that issue over and over. This is different and needed to be addressed.
I agree with Disbelief. Sometimes I have gone to legislative hall as a citizen and I usually can save her for last because she will still be there working when everyone else is having a cocktail after session.
Thank you all for your insight.
Mr. Anderson, she is now positioned as you say, forgive any misunderstanding from my comment. Right now though, as you must know, she is smack in the middle of a lawsuit that says odds are that indeed, she will be found guilty of collecting double pay for her time. Odds are.
It is all RELATIVE.
No relative, no job.
I will let the court speak for itself. That is a separate issue. I have not commented on it after it was filed in the correct court. I know that the practice of using prep time was okayed for her and others for other pursuits as long as they did the actual work. In other words it was a job based thing not a clock based thing. She followed the public procedures of the district. It was not like she snuck away from the job. It may have been incorrect, but it may not have been legally. We shall see.
Since the GA gets something like 40k now, I don’t think it would have been too much to miss a few hours a week, and clock out. I think this case could go either way. If she loses, she pays back a few thousand dollars. That is a fair penalty.
Personally, I think that entire practice was lousy. I think many voters didn’t like the perception nor the special job creation at DSU and that contributed to her receiving only 54% of the vote instead of her normal 60% plus. Currently, for her at least, it is no longer an issue.
What most voters looked at (remember this is a 45% minority district and significantly Democrat in registration.) is her overall record. She has been one of the most effective legislators for education, kids going to college, fighting for foster children, standing for military families, statewide initiative and referendum, and she keeps a pulse on the desires of the district. She keeps track of our needs and fights for us at leg hall. That is why she wins. We are not stupid in the 31st. Disbelief is right.