Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 18, 1993 TAG: 9312180022
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG SCHNEIDER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Allen notified the bureaucrats Friday that, because Wilder ordered them not to respond to a call for resignations, no one need quit.
"However," Allen cautioned in a second "Dear Public Servant" letter, "if you wish to serve in the new administration . . . you should write to us promptly expressing your interest and enclosing a completed application form."
Allen did not mention a deadline for the workers to respond. Last week, he told the employees that he wanted their resignations by Dec. 20 - next Monday.
"This relieves a lot of pressure, just for this coming weekend," said Joan Dent, director of the Virginia Governmental Employees' Association. "That's wonderful. I think it's real positive for the employees."
A spokesman for Allen insisted that Friday's letter was "absolutely not" a retreat.
"It is really an effort on our part to allay the mass panic and confusion that has been created by Gov. Wilder, [which was] totally unnecessary and uncalled for," said Ken Stroupe, the governor-elect's press secretary.
"Clearly, this whole fiasco was an error in judgment on the part of the transition," Wilder said in a news release. "Their letter today clears up the issue, and I am pleased that all state employees can now have a happy holiday season."
The governor also suggested that the employees don't need to reapply for their jobs, because refusing to resign in itself shows "their desire to stay on their present jobs."
Complicated reasoning aside, state workers saw the new development as a break in the gloom that had shrouded them since Allen called for resignations a week ago.
"The best way to characterize it is relief," said Karen Washabau, director of the Office of Planning and Budget.
Hers was one of the hardest-hit state agencies, with 12 of 75 employees getting requests for resignations. Many of the 12 are veterans; three have served more than 20 years, Washabau said, and one started as an intern under Republican Gov. John Dalton.
When the notices came Dec. 10, the staffers were "stunned and they went through a weekend of denial, where they just refused to believe it was true," Washabau said.
They considered postponing an annual awards luncheon scheduled for Dec. 13, but went ahead with it. "I was the hostess, and it was the hardest thing I've done in my life," Washabau said.
The luncheon ended up being a good idea, she said, because it gave workers a chance to vent their feelings and pledge mutual support. The 12 affected by Allen's call have pooled resources to retain an attorney for advice on how to proceed.
Washabau felt free to talk, because she has already announced she will be leaving when Wilder's term expires Jan 15. But many lower-level employees were fearful of being quoted.
"This doesn't need to get any more confusing," said one staffer in the Department of Corrections.
Part of the confusion comes from the fact that many employees believe they were mistakenly targeted by Allen.
The head of the Capitol Police, Col. Lonnie Craig, said he answers to the General Assembly, not to the governor. Legislators have told him to ignore the request to resign.
But Craig remains so unsure that he has not explained the situation to his daughter, who works in Washington, D.C. "It concerns her, anything that might affect her dad. I just don't want to tell her."
by CNB