And you thought job corruption was just limited to a few Democratic legislators? Ha!
It’s a way of life in Boston.
Rep. Mar Lombardo (R) is calling for a special investigation of the hiring practices of several government agencies…..wait ’til you read or see the scandal’s details. Once again, tax dollars go to the insiders…
As you can probably guess, Deval and gang will again try to snuff out any look-see…but, just check out our WALL OF SHAME and see all the Democrats who have done time or copped a plea to avoid time (and more on the way…so many days…so many to post….).
Fox Undercover Report:
Hiring a family affair in Mass. government
Posted: May 20, 2013 7:57 AM EDT
Updated: May 20, 2013 8:00 AM EDT
(FOX25 / MyFoxBoston) Mike Beaudet
(FOX25 / MyFoxBoston) Kevin Rothstein, Producer
(MyFoxBoston.com) – The largest state agency is a nest of nepotism where relatives of higher-ups are
routinely hired over more qualified applicants, a state HR insider tells FOX Undercover, a claim that’s backed
up by hiring and payroll records at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
“There’s vast, vast amounts of nepotism, vast amount of crony hiring. And it’s all done by gaming the hiring
process to make it look legit when it is not legit,” the HR insider told FOX Undercover reporter Mike Beaudet.
The whistle blower, who spoke on the condition he not be identified, said “a lot of the resumes will go right in
the garbage” unless they have the right connection to steer them through the hiring process at Health and
Human Services, which employees about 22,000.
“I came into state government to serve the people. And what I found was state employees serving themselves,”
he said.
For example, there’s Donna Shetler, who works for Health and Human Services as a human resources
manager. Her two sons both got jobs in the department for which she provided HR services.
“Can we ask you a couple of quick questions?” Beaudet asked her.
“Nope. Sorry. Got nothing to say to you,” she replied.
“How did both your sons get hired?” Beaudet asked.
“I got nothing to say,” she said.
One of her sons has since left. The other, Christopher Shetler, followed his mother when she moved to another
department, and now he’s also in human resources, working with his mom on the 7th floor of a state office
building at 600 Washington St. in Downtown Crossing.
“We’re actually doing a story about nepotism. How people get their jobs. And I’m just wondering, did you get
your job because of your mom?” Beaudet asked Christopher Shetler.
“No. I got my job because I interviewed for it,” he replied.
“You followed her from one agency to another. Is that just a coincidence?” Beaudet asked.
“I guess so. That’s all I got. That’s it,” he replied.
But our insider says it would be an unbelievable coincidence for one relative to follow another to the same
department.
“The chance of that happening in the HR world, the chance of that happening in a legitimate hiring process, is
the chance of being attacked by a great white shark and Big Foot on the same day. It just doesn’t happen,” he
said.
But they happen all the time in state government, the insider says.
The insider says he says he overheard state human resources personnel officer Kathy Redfern make a phone
call to get her daughter a state job.
“Her exact words were, ‘My daughter is applying for this position, and I would like special consideration given
to her,’” he said.
“What did that mean?” Beaudet asked him.
“Special consideration means hire my kid,” he replied.
Redfern denied helping her daughter get a job with the state.
“No, I did not,” she said.
“How did she get that job?” Beaudet asked.
“She applied for it,” Redfern replied.
Her daughter, Jessica Redfern, was hired as a nursing assistant by the Department of Public Health, which
falls under Health and Human Services, where her mother works.
“Did you ask that special consideration be given to her?” Beaudet asked.
“Nope. Did not,” she replied.
“No funny business going on?” Beaudet asked.
“No,” Redfern replied. “It’s entry level. I mean, she just applied for it.”
Roubina Panian is another child of a state worker to also get a state job. She was hired as a social worker by
the Department of Transitional Assistance, which falls under Health and Human Services, where her mother,
Rita Panian, is a human resources supervisor.
FOX Undercover shared the family connections with the Patrick administration. Spokesman Alec Loftus said
the state had already been tipped off to some of the connections, investigated them and found no wrongdoing.
“Shouldn’t people who work in human resources avoid even the appearance of a conflict?” FOX Undercover
reporter Mike Beaudet said.
“Absolutely, and when we did our review we determined there was no conflict,” Loftus said. “All the proper
procedures were followed and all the proper disclosures were made and all of these candidates met and
exceeded the entry requirements for these positions.”
But the last point about minimum entry requirements is up for debate in the case of job applications filled out by
some other relatives of state workers.
Janice Raposo was hired as a social worker in the Department of Transitional Assistance, a job that pays up to
MEMBER CENTER: Create Account | Log In
Site
Web
79° Search… Fitchburg
Clear
Hiring a family affair in Mass. government – Boston News, Weather, Sports… http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/22295972/2013/05/20/hiring-a-family…
5/21/2013 1:06 PM
$58,000-a-year.
She has three relatives who work for that department, which she noted on her application. She has a
bachelor’s degree in sales and meeting management, and her past jobs include sales management positions at
hotels and work as a registration specialist at the Lahey Clinic.
“Three relatives working for DTA and then she gets a job in DTA with no social work experience? How is that
possible?” Beaudet asked Loftus.
“All of these candidates met the minimum entry requirements of the position, which is a college degree or two
years of relevant experience,” Loftus replied.
Loftus also says Susan Fratus met the requirements to be a social worker in the Department of Transitional
Assistance, where her brother Richard works as an assistant director. She has no college degree and her most
recent job was working for 10 years as store manager at Cardsmart.
“No college degree. No social work experience. That’s the most qualified candidate?” Beaudet asked Loftus.
“We have candidates, like I said, on the list that you sent me that had master’s degrees, were trilingual,” Loftus
replied.
Actually there’s just one person with a master’s degree who’s trilingual. Christopher Fahlbeck is also a social
worker at the Department of Transitional Assistance. He and his brother both got hired at DTA within three
months of each other. Their mom also works for department.
“How is it possible that her two sons get hired in the same agency she works in?” Beaudet said.
“Like I said, we did the review and we determined everything went by the book,” Loftus replied.
But that’s the problem, according to the insider.
“Basically, what they do is they rig the whole process from start to finish to get the people in they want to get
in, but create a paper record to make it all look legit, so if anybody comes asking questions, ‘Here! We just
hired the best candidate.’”
The state denies that resumes of more qualified people are thrown out. But the spokesman did say the
administration will look into the allegation that the HR employee made a phone call and asked for special
consideration to get her daughter hired.
FOX Undercover contacted everyone named in this story. Most didn’t get back to us or declined to comment,
but we did hear from the husband of Judith Fahlbeck, whose two sons work with her. He said his sons are both
qualified for their jobs and he isn’t aware of any influence his wife had over the hiring process.
