Whoa—Late Drama at Summer Jobs Hearing!
OK, so LL has been paying only the wispiest attention today to the hearing being held by At-Large Councilmember Carol Schwartz today. Folks like Inspector General Charles Willoughby, D.C. Auditor Deborah Nichols, and City Administrator Dan Tangherlini have been droning on and on about this failure and that---snooze! (Check D.C. Wire if you really care that much.)
But now, as LL watches on Channel 13, nearly 11 hours into the hearing, SURPRISE: Summer Spencer in tha house! The former head of the Department of Employment Services, fired in the wake of the summer jobs scandal, was not included on a list of witnesses provided at the start of the hearing.
Give it to Schwartz, she's got a hell of a sense of drama. (That's a no small part of the reason why she won LL's endorsement for the Republican primary.)
LL is not in the room right now, but Tangherlini, who just finished three hours of testimony himself, can't be too happy about this. Let's she if she rips on Dan Tan or Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, who essentially threw her under the bus in this whole affair by saying she never told him there was any problem with the program before it began. Or will she fall on her sword like a good Fenty soldier? Oh, the suspense!
UPDATE, 9:35 P.M. Well, it's sort of half-and-half. Spencer says she told the mayor's office that DOES would need additional budget resources back in the fall. "We started sounding that alarm last October, November. We wanted to see $13 million added to budget; we only received $7 million [in the December supplemental appropriation]." But as far as the more proximate reasons for the program's failure---contracting problems, technology problems, etc.---Spencer passes the buck. "A lot of the information I was told by my staff is that we had things under control....What I found out later is that there was misinformation that was given to me. I would ask the staff questions and I would hear what I think they wanted me to hear."
UPDATE, 10:10 P.M.: Couple of key moments: Schwartz asked Spencer why she didn't speak up at CapStat meetings, implying the fact that they were televised might have led Spencer to hold her tongue. Spencer didn't address that theory, but she says she told Tangherlini privately "within two hours or so" that she had problems with the contracting process. On that note, Spence also testified that she alerted contracting head Dave Gragen about teh problems in May. "I was very nervous about the contracts already," she said.
Then there's the whole issue of taking all comers to the program, budget be damned. On that note, Spencer says, "There needs to be a budget with some set parameters in place that need to be followed" and "I agree with the philosphy [of taking all comers]. The practical rollout of it...it is challenging."
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5:06 am
Thought it was interesting that she said decisions and new initiatives were made and announced to the public, regarding operation in her agency, that she knew nothing about, but felt compelled to support and make work, even though she had concerns, such as the open enrollment and the decision announced to her and her Youth Programs Director (who also was fired) in late May that summer school students would be included in the program. But overall, she seemed the loyal soldier! She really seemed to get a raw deal in the sense that none of the problems resulted from her decisions, but rather from "a perfect storm", as Tangherlini put it, of events. But despite the Mayor and Tangherlini taking "full responsibility", I guess firing Spencer was the clearest way of showing that the Mayor was taking the debacle seriously.
9:21 am
She was there with her lawyer...Good for Her, she is not going down alone!
12:44 pm
Spencer was way in over her head to begin with. I'm not surprised that it went down this way
10:29 am
LIES, LIES, LIES...Summer Spencer already lost her job and she is still protecting the mayor. She WAS a good person who lived non-profits and knew what doing the "good work" was. Now she is just a mindless drone. I can't stand it when good people lose their way. But I will definitely clarify a lot of this for the public. OYP Staff that have been doing this for years informed new OYP director Yasha Williams during the planning phases in the fall that some of the mayor's new ideas wouldn't work. However Yasha Williams and Summer Spencer threatened termination and write ups if OYP staff did not "go with the Mayor's plan". The "plan" included the new orientation at the Convention Center, changes in pay, change in system (brand new database that was created, introduced, and fully implemented- 1 week prior to kickoff--with little to no staff training).
Just the change in system alone with over 18,000 youth participating and hundreds of employers information that may or may not have been ported over properly is a problem. All of what happened last year was poor planning. Staff was not trained or informed until the day of. Many of the staff were pulled from their own programs (which suffered) such as Out of School, In School, and PLATO and were absolutely clueless to what they needed to do to support the summer team.
I was privy to a meeting the day before the FIRST DAY OF ORIENTATION at the Convention Center where Summer Spencer gave the directive in the conference room to tell the Mayor's people that all was well and that we had everything under control. Following that meeting management left, there was plenty of work to be done. At 9:00 pm there was still work that needed to be done (nametags, cards pulled, participant info entered into system) at 5:00 am there was work to be done. Based on the continued abuse staff refused to volunteer to assist. They were constantly beaten however some staff persisted for the good of the youth such as myself and about 5 others. Came in and didn't falter in their commitment. The reward, for making it work and attempting to make sense out of madness--being forced to work 10 hour shifts without a break, being put out in the sun without water, having 5 different people come and change the plan midway through the day. Not being paid for time worked, and being forced out of positions so that "friends" could take over.
Summer Spencer is a LIAR... and she deserves to be dragged through the mud and to be questioned. I think that the kid gloves need to come off and we need answers NOW. Furthermore there needs to be a hearing to find out what the plan is for this year so that we can avoid the same troubles.
OYP is now being lead by a woman who sat in that same meeting where she seen that things needed to be done, represented the Mayor's office as his assistant and she did and said nothing. She watched the fall of the summer program last year and she had the opportunity to save it. I know because I spoke with her and other members of the Mayor's team to say--"WE NEED HELP". This woman has no clue on how to run an office. She is abusive, unprofessional, and unexperienced. The mayor will destroy DC government offices by appointing his friends and not qualified individuals.
The office of youth programs, at least for the last 5 years has been a haven for youth to come and receive services year round. It is a place where youth can come and be directed to GED and training programs. However the mismanagement of funds has led to the closing of many of those programs. Youth in the community trusted the staff and often sent their friends down to get help. The PLATO program offered a safe place, and a second chance to youth who had given up on school and sparked a new interest in education and at one time housed 40+ youth each day. Teachers from high schools and GED instructors praised the program for motivating and preparing the youth. The weekly orientation got kids off the street and at least helped them explore different career fields. Assisted with getting connected to community organizations and turned lives around for the better. With programs like that closing their doors, its no wonder why the city is in such disarray. When youth have no outlet, they turn to crime. Thanks Jerrianne Anthony for turning your back on the youth that you were appointed to serve.
11:22 am
Wow OYP Whistleblower...your post should be presented for a larger audience to see.
2:49 pm
contrary to popular belief the opy whistleblower isn't me. i may agree with the person on most issues, but i rather like the additional attention that it brings to the crumbling office and i laugh at the phone calls of people who think its me, i play along but thats it (aside from the giggling)... and you know how much i like to giggle.. i think i know who it is but its not me..sorry to break so many hearts....but thanks--- its pretty shady under the date trees.