Friday, March 25, 2016

WI DNR Sec. Cathy Stepp's 14-minute Palinesque speed rap

In a consulting firm's best practices talk posted on YouTube,  DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp whom Scott Walker appointed because she had the "chamber of commerce mentality" he was looking for strings together some observations about all the difficulties that she - - the frustrated "private-sector Cathy," as she calls herself at one point - - has to deal with while running a public agency.

Difficulties like employees with crossed arms - - she demonstrates, you know - - the "curmudgeons" and union employees who do not appreciate her "inspired" boss - -  and employees whom it would take about seven years to fire, she complains.

An agency populated with "us versus them" staffers that date back to...horrors!...Earth Day...and who carry around the mistaken belief that things like clean air and water - - not customers who need servicing by the "permitting" agency she is trying to establish - - pay taxes that fill DNR paychecks, and so on.

[I'd noted earlier that clean air and water do pay taxes if one remembers that Wisconsin is a tourism and recreation state, with fishing, hiking, boating, brewing and other business sectors that rely on clean air and fresh, pure water. which the DNR is actually supposed to respect and protect.]

But ...back to the video:

Stepp assures the audience that she is not a government bureaucrat and touts her belief in private sector holy grail - - management tools, employee surveys, metrics - - as she has done before.

Though in the outside world, she's signed off on budget and staff cuts and eased pollution enforcement while the state and some of its customers citizens continue to face well water contamination - - suggesting that Stepp and best practices are not necessarily a match made in heaven.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

The video makes it sound like she has done something to improve morale. As an employee I have not seen that. What I see is a lot of frustration with an administration that can't make a decision on anything because they simply don't understand the issues. I also see a very angry public that has resulted in increased lawsuits, contested case hearings and open records requests. I see mid-level supervisors who are so afraid of losing their jobs that they don't enforce the law until it has been cleared by appointees. I see permit holders emboldened by the knowledge that if they are out of compliance, no one at DNR is going to make them do anything.

Anonymous said...

Like Scott Walker, if Cathy says anything, no matter how ridiculous, it is automatically supposed to be or become true. She lies and deceives with total impunity. She is the final word on every decision of the DNR , so welcome gigantic polluting CAFOs, good bye wetlands, welcome cwd, clean drinking water...if it works out for profit, stature parks are our "gems", but screws spending money so on. Cathy is an A+ u-know-what.on them, and on?7

Anonymous said...

She used that line about an employee saying the birds and butterflies are our clients again in the video. Stepp's response that they don't pay DNR salaries is one she uses a lot. She just used it again as if it was new. It's probably a lie.

http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/2016/03/dnr-secretary-stepp-unaware-of-clean.html

Anonymous said...

I was a 30+ year DNR employee. I had a performance review every year, and gave them to the good folks that worked for me every years as well. I also attended numerous training sessions for supervisors. What a lying weasel (sorry to give weasels a bad name).

Can't anything be done about such a blatant liar?

Jeff Pieterick said...

How interesting that Stepp complains about the "us vs. them" dynamic she encounters. This from the lady who prefaces her speech by declaring she's "from the private sector, not one of THOSE bureaucrats."

YEAH, she sounds like a real respectful team player, that one ! HaHa!

Anonymous said...

All of the videos have been removed. Did anyone happen to save it?

Anonymous said...

A couple environmental groups downloaded and saved it.