City Administrator Jason Stilwell’s Hiring of Sharon Friedrichsen & Susan Paul: A Case of Cronyism?

ABSTRACT: Quotations regarding cronyism and City Administrator Jason Stilwell’s past employment relationship with Sharon Friedrichsen and Susan Paul, as reported in The Carmel Pine Cone, are presented.  EMPLOYMENT HISTORIES: STILWELL, FRIEDRICHSEN & PAUL, relevant information reported in The Carmel Pine Cone and COMMENTS are featured.

“The practice of favoritism based on relationships and connections - rather than someone who demonstrates top credentials and well-suited experience – ultimately results in vastly inferior government service to the public.”

Source: Daniel Garza (March 12, 2012). "Government Cronyism is Back."

Cronyism is partiality to long-standing friends, especially by appointing them to positions of authority, regardless of their qualifications. Hence, cronyism is contrary in practice and principle to meritocracy.

“Stilwell worked with both women when he was an administrator for the County of Santa Barbara, and hired them a few months ago to fill the new positions at city hall.”

Source: City's contract review raises questions

By MARY SCHLEY, The Carmel Pine Cone, April 26, 2013

EMPLOYMENT HISTORIES: STILWELL, FRIEDRICHSEN & PAUL

Jason Stilwell, City Administrator, City of Carmel-by-the-Sea

Assistant County Executive Officer (CEO)/Director of Budget, County of Santa Barbara

Interim Director, Parks Department

Project Manager, County Executive’s Office

(County employee 2003 – 2011)

EDUCATION

University of Colorado at Denver. Graduate School of Public Affairs. Doctor of Philosophy. 2000.

Studies emphasize municipal management and law including municipal home rule.

San Jose State University. Master of Public Administration. 1993.

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Bachelor of Arts (Political Science), 1991.

Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, California. Associate in Arts. 1989.

Sharon Friedrichsen, Public Services Director, City of Carmel-by-the-Sea

Sharon Friedrichsen – Employment History
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

DATE---------- JOB CLASS----------DEPARTMENT
11/22/2004-----Admin Analyst III-------County Administrator
11/21/2005-----Admin Analyst IV-------County Administrator
04/24/2006-----PM County Exec Office I--General County Programs
04/09/2007-----Enterprise Ldr – Gen--County Administrator
03/21/2011---- Asst Dept Ldr – Exec---Housing & Community Development

Employment History prior to Santa Barbara County:
DATE Jun 2000 – Nov 2004
TITLE Associate Performance Auditor/Analyst
EMPLOYER City and County of San Francisco, Controller’s Office

DATE Aug 1999 – May 2000
TITLE Labor Market Consultant
EMPLOYER Connections, Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling

DATE May 1999 – Jul 1999
TITLE Consultant to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
EMPLOYER Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse, NY

 

Public Services Director, City of Carmel-by-the-Sea

Oversees Public Works; Forest, Parks & Beach; Facility Maintenance

Responsible for coordinating the functions of the public works, facilities maintenance and forest, parks and beach departments; managing the franchise agreement with Waste Management Inc.; preparing reports and analysis for Stilwell and presenting them to the council; completing special projects “relating to the public services functions of the city;” providing assistance, guidance and administrative oversight of the three departments; and managing special projects as needed.

Friedrichsen, whose contract took effect Sept. 1 and will be up for renewal in March 2013, is being paid $88,200 per year: $75 per hour and $3,600 per month for expenses. Her firm is based in Ventura.

“The role is being filled with a contractor on a temporary basis at this point to help integrate the functions and help define the job so it can eventually be filled on a permanent basis,” Stilwell said. “The goal is to provide better administration of the functions and better management coordination.”

Source: New jobs being filled at city hall

By MARY SCHLEY, The Carmel Pine Cone, October 26, 2012

COMMENT

·        Sharon Friedrichsen does not appear to have the requisite experience in public works and forest, parks and beach and facility maintenance to warrant city employment as the City’s Public Services Director, according to her employment history.  Ergo, City Administrator Jason Stilwell should have considered qualified individuals and hired a qualified and experienced individual for the position.

Susan Paul, Administrative Services Director, City of Carmel-by-the-Sea

Susan Paul – Employment History
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
Department: Human Resources

DATE------------JOB CLASS
10/11/2004------Human Resources Director
10/09/2006-----Asst CEO/HR Director
02/26/2007-----Dept/Corp Ldr – Exec
Date of Separation: 10/1/2010

Employment History prior to Santa Barbara County:
DATE TITLE EMPLOYER

DATE 1997 – Oct 2004
TITLE Chief of Employee Relations
EMPLOYER County of Orange, CA

DATE 1995 – 1997
TITLE Labor Relations Administrator
EMPLOYER City of Salem, OR

DATE 1987 – 1995
TITLE City Manager Employee Relations Team
EMPLOYER City of Torrance, CA

DATE 1982 – 1987
TITLE Supervisor, Central Services
EMPLOYER City of Torrance, CA

 

Susan Paul, Administrative Services Director

Oversees Human Resources, Finance, Information Technology, Risk Management and Labor Relations. 

Assistant County Executive Officer/Human Resources Director (2008 – 2010)

Director, Human Resources, County of Santa Barbara (2005 – 2008)

Chief of Employee Relations, Orange County

Stilwell said he couldn’t discuss what happened with the jobs of former librarian Linda Macdonald or assistant city clerk Molly Laughlin, because he is “not at liberty to discuss individual employees’ private personnel matters.”

However, Macdonald told The Pine Cone she was distraught over the firing, which occurred March 12 when she was called into library director Janet Cubbage’s office and met the new administrative services director, Susan Paul, for the first time.

“I remember shaking her hand and saying, ‘Welcome, I’m so glad you’re here. We haven’t had an HR person in a long time,’” Macdonald said, after which she was asked to sit down and was then told, “‘We’re terminating your at-will employment with us.’” At first, Macdonald didn’t understand what she was hearing and said, “You mean, you’re firing me?”

“‘No, no, we’re letting you go,’” Macdonald quoted Paul as saying.

Source: City fires librarian, assistant clerk disappears

- No explanations offered
By MARY SCHLEY, The Carmel Pine Cone, March 29, 2013

“We hired a recruiter. We had six finalists, and it came down to the one who knew California labor law, knows CalPERS, and is someone with 20 years’ experience in California cities and counties — and who has wanted to be here since she first visited in 1985.”

Source:: New jobs being filled at city hall

By MARY SCHLEY, The Carmel Pine Cone, October 26, 2012

COMMENTS

• As Assistant County Executive Officer/Human Resources Director, County of Santa Barbara, Susan Paul failed to support the County’s core ACE Values: Accountability, Customer-focus, and Efficiency.  Furthermore, Paul’s unethical and illegal conduct involving County employee Heidi Garcia resulted in a WRONGFUL TERMINATION/DISCRIMINATION/RETALIATION lawsuit against the County and a plaintiff's verdict for $431,000.00 including $236,000 in lost earnings, $45,000 in future lost earnings and $150,000 for emotional distress. 

• City Administrator Jason Stilwell’s knowledge of the aforementioned facts should have led him to disqualify Susan Paul from consideration for the position of Administrative Services Director, City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, in favor of hiring a qualified, ethical individual without a record of illegal conduct.