Today The Hill reported that Rep. Sestak’s staffers keep jumping ship.
According to the article: Thirteen staffers have quit this year, say former aides citing public records.
Apparently the staff is expected to work as though they were in the military.
Aides are expected to work seven days a week, including holidays, often 14 hours each day, going for months without a day off. These are very long hours even by Capitol Hill standards
....
Sestak does not attribute staff resignations to problems of his own making.
... [however]....
The environment was so difficult for some aides that they quit without having found a new job.
Five former staffers who spoke to The Hill on the condition that they not be quoted cited excessive work hours and Sestak’s temper as reasons for their departure.
Sestak's district director, William Walsh [he was "Bill" during the campaign] said: "I don’t accept the premise that something is wrong systemically. We’re trying to create an environment that requires the same level of effort and effectiveness as" in the Navy.
However, the staffers are civilians, not military, and certainly not stuck on a ship in the ocean or subject to court martial. They can walk away (and have).
To be fair, Sestak is tireless and does work harder than everyone else, but that's his choice. If he also chooses to burn out his staff, he'll have to work even harder replacing and training them.
This one made me laugh at the irony:
"He's a very demanding guy, but he is pretty up front with his expectations," Clarence Tong, Sestak’s new communications director, said.
New! What happened to the previous communications director?
The reason I mention this is that during the 2006 campaign, Sestak's management style and "poor command climate" was frequently brought up by Weldon's supporters. Their contention was it made Sestak unfit for Congress. My reply was basically: Who cares if he is a bad boss? It would matter only to his staff, and they can walk away if they don't like it. In a free, competitive market, the problem would be self correcting.
My other point was that once elected, Sestak became OUR employee. He's already got a few dressing downs of his own from voters upset over his Iraq vote and his reasons against impeachment.
As regards the 2007 Delco County Races, the Democratic candidates can always use more volunteers (and they won't make you work 14-hour days). Even a few hours a week would be greatly and genuinely appreciated.
10 comments:
I am wondering, did Sestak ever move to Delaware County, like he said he would? And I don't mean just get a cheap address for a maildrop here, I mean really move here.
The Constitution does require it, you know.
Pat-
I'm suprised that you didn't already know this, but Joe bought a house in Edgemont at the beginning of the year and has his voter registration there as well.
I saw the real estate entry in some newspaper. It wasn't cheap and certainly out of my price range.
The funny thing was that after he bought the place, he was asked where it was and gave the wrong town. I think he told people he livedin Newtown Square even though his house was in Edgemont. Too funny.
I suspect Pat is right though and that it really is just a maildrop (albeit an expensive one) and that his family is really living in DC.
Delco-
Nice try, but you got it wrong.
Even though his registration is for Edgemont Precinct #1, his mailing ADDRESS is in Newtown Square, PA.
Newtown Square is the City name in his Voter Registration record and thus on his voter registration card.
A US Postal Zip-Code lookup FAILS if Edgemont is entered and WORKS if Newtown Square is entered.
Google Maps converts Edgemont to Newtown Square for his address.
Delco, maybe you should change your handle, since you don't seem to know much about Delco.
Buying a house is one thing, and living here is another.
Pat-
Getting your facts straight is an important thing, too.
During the campaign, I had to correct your false claims about Sestak's voting record. Fortunately, I had access to a fresh copy of the voter file directly from the County Board of Elections.
This time you insinuate that he didn't move into the district (or got a cheap address). Again, the facts reveal that he not only bought a real house, but an expensive one at that (well, at least out of my price range).
And when I point this out, you now switch to claiming that it is an expensive mail-drop and that Joe doesn't really live there.
Congress is in session Monday to Friday unlike Tuesday-Thursday under the Republicans. Joe spends a lot of time in the district meeting with people during the weekends. Where do you think he sleeps?
If this is the best criticism you can come up with against Joe, you might as not even bother running a candidate for 2008. I criticize him more effectively than that.
If you want to waste your time going after Joe, at least stick to his votes and policies. Voters are wising up to the crude GOP insinuations.
Pat Biswanger said...
"Buying a house is one thing, and living here is another."
Sort of reminds me of Rick Santorum..
The Delco Times had a follow-up piece on the Hill article. (I didn't grab the link, and Delco Times no longer has search feature.)
They quoted one named former staffer, and mostly current staffers about how it's not that bad (Joe will give you time off if you have health problem) and they don't work every Sunday.
They interviewed an unnamed staffer that had something good to say as well, but I'm not sure why they didn't use the name.
The article did not address the staffers that left without another job to go to.
When the Hill article came out, I emailed a few copies to some local political friends, including at least one former campaign staffer.
The responses I got were:
I just can't believe it took this long....
and the briefly sarcastic:
shocking.
For those of you wondering why I knock Joe, I clarification:
Joe is 100 times better than Weldon as a Congressman. Despite my strong disagreement with a few votes, he represents me more than Weldon ever did.
That said, Joe needs to deprogram some of that 31-years in the military (he mentions it every 30-seconds) and realize that he is in a civilian/political job. His staffers/supporters are not trapped on a boat in the middle of the ocean. They can (have and will) walk away unless he treats them properly.
If Joe can learn from the criticism, he could be a really great Congressman instead of merely a good Congressman.
David,
Postal address and the town you live in are two separate things.
I know people who have Media postal address but live in Broomall. They don't say "I live in Media." They said "I live in Broomall" because that's where they live!
People who live in a town say the town they live in, not their postal address!
Nice try at spinning that one, but that's not the way anyone talks about where they live.
Delco-
Even if you get mail delivered in Media, there is still a postal address zip code/city assigned to your house. The City-Field of Joe's County Voter record lists Newtown Square. He lives in Newtown Square.
I have always used Haverford and Havertown interchangeably, though I use Havertown 95% of the time. The Haverford "Township" residents I've met in Ardmore and Bryn Mawr don't say "Haverford" either when asked where they live.
Since you mentioned "Broomall", it happens to be in Marple township.
Would you expect a resident to say he lives in Marple or in Broomall?
Delco, you guys may as well not even run a candidate if you can't even understand the City field of a voter file.
Sad and pathetic.
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