This Could Get AWKWARD…

Filed in Delaware, Featured by on December 5, 2018

…in the best possible sense.  No one deserves this more than Park City Kathy, soon to be the Delaware State Auditor.

Here’s the delicious story. Absentee Auditor Tom Wagner fires Kathleen Davies back in 2017, apparently b/c she was getting too ‘uppity’. By which he meant actually functioning as an auditor and performing audits.

Davies files an appeal of her dismissal. She also enters the Democratic Primary for State Auditor against the profoundly unqualified Kathy McGuiness.  She gets about 35% of the vote. McGuiness wins with 42%. Spoiler Dennis Williams siphons off the rest, an asshole to the very end of his misbegotten political ‘career’.

All’s well that ends well, however. As the News-Journal story points out:

The chief lieutenant who was fired by state Auditor Tom Wagner last year reportedly will be returning to her former job in the coming days.

Her new boss will be the woman who beat her in September’s three-way Democratic primary.

Kathleen Davies won an appeal of her termination in a closed hearing held last week, according to multiple sources. The ruling has not yet been made public but is expected to be released early next year.

Park City Cathy, who has been appointed by Wagner as ‘deputy auditor’ until she takes over in January, appeared less than thrilled about the development:

“I’m not privy to that information,” she said when asked about Davies’ pending reinstatement.

However, McGuiness could scheme to remove Davies from her position:

“There is only so much I can do from the outside,” (McGuiness) said. “This puts the taxpayers first and helps with the transition.”

That transition also potentially could eliminate Davies’ job.

“I’ve been working diligently since day one to take a look at reorganizing and restructuring the office,” she said. “That process is not about any one individual. It’s about what is working, what doesn’t and what needs to change.” 

Nothing says effective reorganization more than being hauled back into legal proceedings for illegally firing the same person twice.

This is my kind of Delaware Way story.  BTW, I love the idea of Davies making sure that McGuiness performs the duties of her office properly.  Someone needs to watch over the fox guarding the henhouse. 2019 just got a little more interesting.

 

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  1. puck says:

    In the online story, the first thing you see after the headline is an August video report with the caption:

    A report says Kathleen Davies violated financial standards and appears to have created a “hostile workplace environment…”

    … which is hardly the lede of this story. I guess the placement of the vid is not Scott Goss’s fault, but I’m sure he was delighted.

    But the following is on Goss (or the lack of a sorely needed editor):

    On Nov. 30, the board sided with Davies and ordered the auditor’s office to restore her employment, multiple sources confirmed. The board’s decision has not yet been posted on the board’s website.

    … and Goss never identifies which board it is. Let’s hope there is a better follow-up article when the final report is made public.

  2. You’re right. Pointing out Goss’ screw-ups is as easy as Dick Cheney shooting wounded birds.

    • Alby says:

      Speaking of Cheney, have you seen the trailer for this new biopic? First off, Christian Bale seems to have his banal menace nailed, and second it gives the impression that this is an unsympathetic look at America’s Sith Lord.

  3. Jason330 says:

    There is still a chance that Park City turns out to be a capable manager and decent human being. I put that chance at about 2%

  4. Jerry says:

    Thanks for the article and support all. My wife appreciates that. Now we will see what happens. Either McGuiness destroys her political career and goes after my wife or realizes how much experience and ability she has to make the office relevant as per her campaign speeches. My wife can be a huge asset to the state but that will remain to be seen. I wonder what people are whispering in McGuiness’s ear? Will she listen or take her own approach? If only people knew that the News Journal does shotty reporting and didn’t believe what they read, who knows who would be the State Auditor now. Time will tell and the mystery goes on.

    • Rufus Y. Kneedog says:

      The mystery that will go on is who leaked the Grant Thornton report to the News Journal. I cant imagine that was legal.

      If Kathleen Davies works a day in that office I’ll be shocked.