Riley fabricates plum job for Twinkle

From AL.com:

Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh has been hired as a special assistant to the state finance director, an $80,000-a-year post that was taken on the same day Gov. Bob Riley ordered a hiring freeze in state government, the Montgomery Advertiser reported today.

Up until now I’ve oft praised Riley for running a clean, above board administration, but this hire just stinks.  Twinkle is a loyal to the core Republican who is being rewarded for her steadfast loyalty with a phony job – a phony job that pays $80k per year plus benefits in while the state is in the midst of 12.5% proration.

Riley defended the timing of the hire by saying that job offers extended before the hiring freeze should be honored.  Fair enough.  But Riley said the hiring process started three or four weeks ago (ironically just after she conceded defeat to Lucy Baxley in the PSC prez race).  Surely the realization that the upcoming budget year would be lean didn’t occur to him in just the last three weeks.  And certainly he didn’t come up with the hiring freeze idea the day before he announced it.  He hired Twinkle for a made up job (a “special assistant for corporate affairs”) knowing full well that he was going to have to announce spending cuts and probably a hiring freeze.  A politician of Riley’s considerable experience should know better than that.  My four year old daughter could have told him that move would go over like a lead balloon.

Alabama Democrats smartly pounced on the story.  I don’t blame them one bit.  Highlighting rampant Democrat patronage in the two year college system has served Alabama Republicans well and is certainly one element of their starry eyed plan to gain seats in the legislature in 2010.  Participating in their own Illinois-style political patronage will do little to further their cause.

Riley’s spokesman defended the hire saying that, “[Riley] thinks she’s more than qualified to help the finance department.”  Maybe.  I don’t know what Twinkle’s education or experience is other than carrying the GOP banner.  Let’s just say that Jay Jacobs has an easier job defending the Chizik hire than Riley does defending Twinkle’s job.

I bet we’ll see a couple of more ripples from this story.  If it weren’t timed during the Christmas season when interest in news ebbs I would guess Democrats could push the issue enough to get her removed.  In any event, if I was a laid off teacher, state trooper, or other state employee I’d be pretty upset about this.

Update (12/19/08): A Huntsville Times editorial in today’s paper titled “Pals in the pipeline” tackles this story.

Here’s some questions I’d like to see reporters ask Riley:

• Was this job announced through a public notice?
• Were any other candidates considered or interviewed?
• It appears that Finance Director Main has adequately done his job until now.  Explain the timing for creating this position.
• This job description basically seems to involve someone attending meetings.  Is $80k per year plus benefits really the lowest amount the state was able to ask for a qualified person to perform this job?