By: Diane Benjamin
Update to this story: https://blnnews.com/2017/01/11/next-lawsuit-isu/
I received the email below concerning the ISU denial of the required waiver to hire RC McBride as the General Manager of WGLT:
Attached to this email was:
The previous story spelled out that waivers can only be issued in extraordinary circumstances – note ISU redacted those circumstances!
The waiver is dated in September, McBride’s new job was effective 1/1/17.
No, they can’t legally hide the reasons for issuing this waiver.
I filed one more FOIA request this week. Depending on what I get (or don’t get) with it, I will then decide whether a lawsuit is necessary. If I don’t get an un-redacted copy of this document, it is.
ISU does not have the right to hide why they failed to post the job opening in favor of hiring a member of the Normal Town Council to run their government paid for radio station.
I’d love to hear them explain that to a judge!
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Great work!
Thanks Dan! Scooped you again.
It is difficult to understand why government has such a hard time just doing what is right.
We taught our children from the time they were very small “do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do”. They are all honest, upstanding and successful citizens.
Those who feel that they cannot “win” without cheating will cheat, that’s why.
Any idea what reason “E” is?
I believe it means: “The hiring authority has the opportunity to hire an individual with specific, highly specialized skills, such that a search would be futile.”
How many General Managers are also in government? Makes perfect sense!
Note, the request also says the job starts on 7-1-16. Again, Government doing the paperwork and documentation after it has already happened.
I thought another place it said 1-1-17!
WGLT website says 2017
The “Highly Specialized Skills” for this position appear to be a bachelor’s degree (not typically something acceptable for teaching a university level course a requirement noted in the third bullet point), three years experience (that’s all?), and the final bullet point does not appear that “specialized”. I wonder what the job description looks like? I wonder what the requirements were the last time the position was posted were? I wonder when the position was last posted and a search conducted? I can’t help but notice that the “Date of Most Recent Search” was left blank.