Local UA 716 Plumbers/Pipefitters Endorse Richardson

Clearly, lead pipes DO create brain damage.

Maybe they forsee lots of work tearing out old plumbing from the vacant buildings left behind due to Richardson's economic development efforts.

A political hack is as a political hack does.

Gee....do you suppose that's one of the unions he represented in his law practice?

Good question, Mel. Maybe one of the resident AMG consigiliere would have the answer.

I haven't practiced with John since 1995. However, I am not aware that he ever represented the pipefitters.

Richardson was the worst manager I have ever worked for, and I trust Maine voters will recognize the fact that he's not a good fit for the Blaine House.

Mark - if you can elaborate without getting sued for libel, it would be interesting to read exactly why you think Richardson was the worst manager you ever had.

Please consult a consiglieri before proceeding, however....

OK Naran, here are a few facts/reasons for why I feel that way:
1. Mr. Richardson should be asked to explain his family and/or friendly relationship with a man named Jimmy Cook. In addition, taxpayers deserve to know why then-Commissioner Richardson appointed/shuffled Jimmy Cook through various good paying jobs within his Department (DECD). Since Jimmy Cook has had strong union ties for years, as illustrated in a simple Google search (i.e., http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPX7izY0FVg, http://gallery.pictopia.com/bangordn/gallery/57747/photo/6073574/?o=2, http://citizenstrade.org/maine-photos-sherrodbrown.php), I believe taxpayers deserve to know more about these intertwined relationships.
2. Since Richardson also hired Patricia Eltman to run the state’s Office of Tourism, of which I worked for almost six years, Maine taxpayers deserve to know why he hired someone with little/no past tourism management experience… especially since tourism is a rather important part of our economy.
3. Despite numerous discussions about the fraudulent accounting practices being used at the state employee’s union/PAC (MSEA-SEIU Local 1989), then-Commissioner Richardson did nothing to help the 1,000+ state workers victimized by that process. Although I asked for his help several times with this major problem, he and others within the Baldacci Administration chose to do nothing against their past political allies/supporters at SEIU Local 1989.

While there are other examples for my viewpoint of past Commissioner Richardson, I must now leave for work…

By way of background -- seems the prior guy had some warts despite a tourism background.

http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/3565050.html

The paper suggests it was the Gov. behind the appointment, not Richardson. I havent done any digging beyond this.

As to the MSEA bashing (which may even be warranted), I wasn't aware that John Richardson also headed the Dept. of Labor. The Ec. development guy interfaces with PRIVATE concerns, to try to push for more $$ in state. If there had been a big PRIVATE "right to work" issue before the legislature, that'd be within his authority to deal with.

Note: this is NOT an endorsement. Moreover, I've disclosed John is a personal friend.

PS: Re Jimmy Cook, I've seen the links -- seems he is VERY pro prganized labor, or at least WAS. I have seen management steal the best and brightest labor side guys and gals for years. If Cook was guilty of misconduct - give us the details. If you believe he is simply an empty suit getting unwarranted $$, I'll grant you, that'd be tougher to show.

Otherwise, the message your post conveys is simply that you dislike Richardson because he has been pro organized labor. It is accurate that he has made a career out of representing organized labor - at least prior to working for the state. The rest doesn't necessarily follow. After all, Reagan was a member of the Screen Actors Guild. He busted the Air Traffic Controllers for illegally striking.

thejohnchapman - While I respect your personal opinion and friendship with John Richardson, I hope you will do some additional digging for the actual facts.
With respect to the hiring of Pat Eltman, if he wasn't involved why has she repeatedly mentioned it and referred to him as "my boss" at numerous public events?

As for your second comment, "I wasn't aware that John Richardson also headed the Dept. of Labor," I never said he was. However, when a manager/boss has people under him/her whom are being victimized in a job-related issue, he/she has a personal and ethical responsibility to help those people. In the case mentioned, he did nothing to help us!

As for the hiring of Jimmy Cook, and since you're personal friends with Richardson, why don't you explain to AMG how the two are related.

Reminder bump for thejohnchapman, although he might not want to answer those questions.

1) With respect to the hiring of Pat Eltman, if he wasn't involved why has she repeatedly mentioned it and referred to him as "my boss" at numerous public events?

Mentioned "it"? You mean that Richardson was her boss? I am a complete outsider on this issue, and you are the one lodging the complaint. As I see the facts currently marshalled, you imply it was not Baldacci's decision because she referred to Richardson as "my boss". If there are more facts, I'd like to hear them. I don't know them. I did not work under richardson, and you say you did. Let the facts out. If the article that suggests that Baldacci was behid the hiring is WRONG, then give us the RIGHT facts. If you got some memo or other document revealing some scandal, Scott can and likely will post it here.

2) As for your second comment, "I wasn't aware that John Richardson also headed the Dept. of Labor," I never said he was. However, when a manager/boss has people under him/her whom are being victimized in a job-related issue, he/she has a personal and ethical responsibility to help those people. In the case mentioned, he did nothing to help us!

"he/she has a personal and ethical responsibility to help those people."

B*****it!!! Pure and simple. Are you saying that RICHARDSON had 1000 state workers in HIS department? Or are you complaining that Richardson would NOT assist your PERSONAL pogrom against SEIU? I see that this page has like eight "specialists":

http://www.econdevmaine.com/about/Specialist.aspx

And assuming TWO support staff for each "specialist" (Again, I do NOT have the actual numbers), that makes the the TOTAL dept. size well under 30.

Let me venture this opinion: If Richardson had decided to go to war with SEIU instead of doing his day job, he would, truly, have been an idiot. If you spent your WORK time warring with SEIU instead of promoting ec. development in Maine (as futile as that might be), it is no wonder you did not do well there.

If you believe the SEIU has been stealing from you, that's a DA or AG matter. If you believe that they have been screwing up the job of representing you, that is a MLRB matter. You complain to THESE guys:

http://www.maine.gov/mlrb/

Richardson, however, was MANAGEMENT. Whaddaya think happens when MANAGEMENT tries to get a validly elected UNION hamstrung ? I think it might well have been a vallid basis for a PPC had Richardson done what you suggest. It very likely violates section 979-C

§979-C. Prohibited acts of the public employer, state employees and state employee organizations
1. Public employer prohibitions. The public employer, its representatives and agents are prohibited from:
A. Interfering with, restraining or coercing employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in section 979-B; [1973, c. 774, (NEW).]

C. Dominating or interfering with the formation, existence or administration of any employee organization; [1973, c. 774, (NEW).]

So, I have shown at least three OTHER entities whose day job it would have been to root around MSEA's underwear drawer. It was their PRIMARY job. One of those would have been, first and foremost, Steve Rowe. Didja' approach the AGs office? What did they say? How about the Kennebec County DA? What did HE say? If they said Nothing, why go after Richardson? Why not the head of IFW, DHS, or even the Chairman of the board of Registration in Medicine?

3) As for the hiring of Jimmy Cook, and since you're personal friends with Richardson, why don't you explain to AMG how the two are related.

Because I have NO FRIKKIN IDEA if, or how, they ARE related !!!! That's my point. I don't think there IS ANY RELATIONSHIP, based on what you've posted. If you think hiring this guy Cook is bad, other than because he also had union jobs _ TELL US WHY!!! YOU are the one saying, in essence, "hiring Cook was VERY VERY BAD".

From what you've posted, I do not see it. If there's more, y'oughta let us know what that is.

By the way, I do NOT dispute that SEIU was at times at odds with their members. THAT is why the new unit was formed for AG investigators, Wardens and Fire Marshalls -- the MSLEA. They stole that unit from SEIU. Richardson's old firm does that representation work. That does NOT sound like a sweetheart deal to me.

tjc has good points about innuendo v facts. In the words of Sherlock Holmes, "How dangerous it always is to reason from insufficient data." I would rather see the web used as a place to ask honest questions (help), to post legit inquiries about people in government than to post allegations/hints and leave it at that.

The State of Maine 115th Legislature's 1991 Senate and House Registers lists Patricia Eltman as a Special Assistant to the House Speaker John Martin. That's about the time I first met Pat. She was a Democrat partisan, but we always got along well when we'd see each other throughout the State House.

The 1993 Senate and House Registers (116th Legislature) list Pat as House Speaker Martin's chief of staff. In 1995 (117th Legislature) the same source lists Pat again as Speaker Martin's Special Assistant. Then in 1997 (118th Legislature) Pat returns as Speaker Martin's chief of staff. In the 1999 Senate/House Register Steve Rowe is House Speaker and Pat Eltman is gone.

skf

I used to run a trade organization in the tourism industry. From what I have heard, Pat gets high marks from the industry for her job performance. As the head of a state agency, it is more important to understand the political process at the State House -- nobody knows that better than Pat. You can learn the tourism industry, which is not rocket science. The last Director of Tourism was politically tone deaf and that was very damaging to the office and the industry.

Since Richardson also hired Patricia Eltman to run the state’s Office of Tourism, of which I worked for almost six years, Maine taxpayers deserve to know why he hired someone with little/no past tourism management experience… especially since tourism is a rather important part of our economy.

Finally, one of the last pieces of the puzzle. This woman got the job that you thought should have been yours. You need to let it go Mark. Let it go.

Robert:

Thank you. Your comment explains a great deal.
As I see it, John Richardson still needs to show us that he did a GOOD job to score points, not just that someone else was responsible for a bad result.

PS to Scott:

I don't even see the allegations as all that impressive.

Nice try Robert, but I was not qualified and very uninterested in that position. As for Pat understanding the political games in Augusta, she certainly does that well for the growing list of players within the democrat-socialist party of Maine. Call me old fashioned, but I still believe Public Servants are hired to serve the public and not their friends and puppet masters within the democrat-socialist political machine. Since SEIU has been a major campaign partner with that party on both a local and national level, it's no surprise the Baldacci Administration has purposely avoided the fraudulent accounting practices at SEIU Local 1989. Despite numerous conversations with both Eltman and Richardson, they did absolutely nothing to help get the truth exposed.

As for Richardson handing a good state job within his department to a relative, just because it happens all the time doesn't make it right. Maine taxpayers have been getting screwed for years because of poor management actions/decisions by our State's Far Left leadership. If a private camera was planted within Richardson’s DECD, Maine taxpayers would have been sickened by the amount of wasteful activities that were tolerated by the so-called management team.

It's time for the cowards in state government to step aside and let some true leaders start solving the growing fiscal crisis in Augusta. It's time for the wasteful political games to be stopped!

Mark, when did John Richardson take the job and when did you leave? It seems that you know a great deal about his management but I wonder if you worked for him less time than you did not?

Mid-Coast Mainer, “In 2007, John was named Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development.” Source: http://www.johnrichardsonformaine.com/bio. Although I don’t remember exactly when Richardson joined DECD, it was early 2007 as illustrated at http://www.polarbearandco.com/mainedem/jrdecd.html. As for my departure, I was forced to resign in September 2007. Needless to say, although I did not work for even one full year under Richardson’s leadership, I do not agree with the wasteful and poor management tactics used by the Far Left management within the Baldacci Administration.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize their purely political games... if only I had a nickel for every time Pat said something like “We need to make the Commissioner look good.” WRONG! It’s not the job of the Office of Tourism to make Richardson look good, although many have speculated that is exactly why Pat was hired as Tourism Director despite little/no tourism management experience – to get Richardson ready for a push toward the Blaine House... and I believe that is probably true in light of her actions.

As for my departure, I was forced to resign in September 2007.

Gee Mark, you led everyone on AMG to believe you were quitting because your moral standards were to high. You left out the fact that you were forced to resign, if I remember correctly.

IMO, you are a disgruntled employee who refused to work within the system to better the work environment. You seem to place yourself at a much higher level than your coworkers. I could be wrong, but I have seen it many times before.

A little self evaluation wouldn't hurt. I do it all the time.

Mark, your credibility on this matter is non-existent. It is the job of all employees to make the organization do (look) good. There is nothing wrong with that.

As for Richardson handing a good state job within his department to a relative

Mark -- to which appointee was JR related? You haven't exactly made that clear. Was it BOTH Jimmy and Pat? What is the relationship?

While I respect both of your personal opinions, I do not agree with the wasteful and poor management actions used by numerous members the Baldacci Administration - which IMO include both Richardson and Eltman.

thejohnchapman, sorry about that confusion. One of my past co-workers told me that we had to hire Jimmy Cook into DECD because he was related to then-Commissioner Richardson. Although she didn't give me specific details, it sounded like a related by marriage situation. I think it would make for an interesting question at one of the upcoming debates. As for his past relationship with Pat, I think the Editor provided some good details on that.

One of my past co-workers told me that we had to hire Jimmy Cook into DECD because he was related to then-Commissioner Richardson.

Do you know if this is true, or are you just going on what another disgruntled co-worker says?

Although she didn't give me specific details,

And you still ran with it?

How would the issue of Richardson being "related to" a nonrelative be of any interest to anybody, anywhere?

Please tell us why you had to resign?

I have had a number of employees that had to resign, to avoid being dismissed for cause.

Robert, I believe she was telling the truth. Haven't you ever trusted anyone before?

Mid-Coast Mainer, I was forced to resign because of the Baldacci-SEIU forced unionism agreement which has involved fraudulent accounting practices and the Administration did nothing about it.

This "Jimmy Cook" thing is getting silly.

John was born in DC. Steph, his wife was educated in the Midwest. I understand that they met out - of - state. I cannot even begin to understand how anyone would believe that either is related to Jimmy Cook, at least after being informed to the contrary.

Steph was educated in the midwest, and I believe that she was also born there. I understand John and Steph ended up in Maine due to her residency at MMC. I actually interviewed John when applied at then "Richardson and Troubh". My recollection (which might be wrong) is that Steph's residency came first, and John became local and looking for work.

So pony up. Other than unsubstantiated hearsay, what is the SPECIFIC relationship of this Jimmy Cook to EITHER John Richardson or Stephanie Grohs, MD?