Collateral Damage

I really hope Jim Doyle sticks to his guns and never returns the money he got from Adelman Travel executives. Not because it’ll make any difference politically.

Doyle should keep the money out of respect for Georgia Thompson, the woman he’s never met, but whose life was wrecked for a lousy $20,000 in contributions to his campaign.

The law tells us that Thompson had a duty to resist pressure from her superiors and allow the state travel contract to be awarded to the legitimate winner. But let’s face it, given the atmosphere at Doyle’s Department of Administration, Thompson knew resisting might mean being shuffled off to another position and eventually terminated.

We heard the testimony of Mike Soehner from the Department of Employee Relations that Thompson had all the protection the civil service affords. What we didn’t hear is the names of all those civil servants Team Doyle has buried in the bowels of the bureaucracy or out-sourced as “consultants” to other agencies. Nor did we hear why Thompson’s immediate supervisor was moved out of her position shortly before the travel contract was awarded. Finally, there was no mention of the states’ plan to lay off 47 procurement officers later this year. Perhaps Georgia Thompson, who was hired less than five years ago, had little reason to feel secure.

Regardless of why she neglected her duty, Thompson has been nothing more than a pawn in Jim Doyle and Marc Marotta’s political game. If there was any doubt about that, it evaporated this week in the wake of Thompson’s conviction.

Jim Doyle and DOA Secretary Steve Bablitch took to the main stage declaring the Administration’s complete vindication from any wrongdoing in the Adelman Travel case. They said Georgia Thompson acted alone and must be fired immediately.

The real drama took place backstage at DOA, where the Doyle/Marotta henchmen who led Georgia Thompson into the deep dark forest, did everything in their power to appease her angry co-workers. Ironically Thompson’s co-workers were most upset with DOA management for putting her in front of the WKOW camera last year and then convincing her she would beat the wrap, no sweat.

Crisis counselors were called in to meet with employees in the purchasing section where Georgia Thompson worked. Meanwhile Division Administrator Pat Farley and his Deputy made the rounds to inform DOA employees of all the good deeds they were doing to support Georgia Thompson in her time of need.

Thompson’s immediate supervisors are collecting names of people to write letters asking Judge Randa for leniency at sentencing and coordinating her legal defense fund. A box is also available at DOA for employees to get letters and cards to Thompson.

I am the last person to take issue with people who want to support Georgia Thompson any way they possibly can. But I do take issue with the fact that these efforts are being spear-headed by the very people who helped ruin her life, and in the Administration that does not tolerate ethical lapses.

The real question is this: Is DOA management trying to buy someone’s silence and are they using state time and resources to do it?

If I were Georgia Thompson, I’d hire a different Attorney and find some new friends, because as far as Team Doyle is concerned, she’s just collateral damage.