Lawmakers suspect appointees are 'burrowing in'

Though almost two years remain in the Clinton administration, there are signs that political appointees are already "burrowing in" to the career Senior Executive Service, lawmakers warn.

Capitol Hill lawmakers have raised concerns that positions in two agencies are being tailored for political appointees, cutting off career senior executives from promotions and calling into question merit system protections. So-called "burrowing in," when a political appointee uses favoritism to secure a stable career federal job, typically accompanies a change in administration, said Carol Bonosaro, president of the Senior Executives Association.

"But if you asked some career executives about it, I'm sure they would say there are some far-sighted folks who are working on burrowing in now," Bonosaro said.

One such example may be occurring at the Energy Department, alleges F. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc., chairman of the House Science Committee. In a March 26 letter to Office of Personnel Management Director Janice Lachance, Sensenbrenner said that DOE employees alerted the committee to a situation that smacks of favoritism.

Sensenbrenner said that a vacancy announcement for the position of director of the office of planning and analysis at DOE originally included a requirement that the applicant hold a Ph.D. degree in a scientific field. But that requirement was removed in a subsequent vacancy announcement, DOE sources told Sensenbrenner.

"Because the incumbent will supervise other senior career civil servants who do hold a Ph.D. in relevant fields, it is especially important that this work not be compromised through the appointment of an unqualified individual," Sensenbrenner wrote Lachance.

Twenty-five people applied for the position. From those candidates, DOE Science Director Martha Krebs selected her former policy advisor, William Valdez, a political appointee. Valdez does not hold a Ph.D.

Lachance responded to Sensenbrenner in an Apr. 2 letter, confirming that DOE requested a certification of Valdez' executive core qualifications from OPM. Under Senior Executive Service hiring rules, OPM staff and a review board of other SESers examine an applicant's qualifications to ensure that merit system principles are followed and that the applicant is qualified for an SES position.

In a statement, DOE said that it is not unusual for a political appointee to apply for a career job.

Meanwhile, Rep. Joe Scarborough, R-Fla., chairman of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on the Civil Service, complained to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner in a March 5 letter about changes in certain vacancy announcements for SES positions at her agency.

Edward J. Lynch, a Civil Service Subcommittee staffer, said the changes appeared to "open the door to political appointees to become eligible for these positions." In a response dated March 25, EPA Assistant Administrator Romulo L. Diaz, Jr., said his agency is only trying to broaden the number of qualified candidates who apply for SES positions.

In the 1996 edition of the "plum book," a congressional publication that details the government's political appointments, the administration reported that 50 political appointees had become career civil servants in the first three and a half years of the Clinton administration.

In a 1997 report (GGD-97-165), the General Accounting Office found that six career appointments of former political employees could "give the appearance that the appointments had received favoritism or preference that increased these individuals' chances of getting the job." In two cases, GAO found that position descriptions appeared to be tailored to the experience possessed by the political appointees who received the jobs. However, in all cases, GAO found that proper hiring rules were followed.

There is no administrative redress for senior executives to follow if they believe burrowing in is occurring. Even if there were, Bonosaro noted that it would be awkward for career executives to complain about the hiring practices of officials who the executives want to hire them.

Lynch said the Civil Service Subcommittee is actively scrutinizing political appointees who appear to be burrowing in. The subcommittee has proposed a waiting period for political appointees who seek to become career civil servants. The Clinton administration opposed a waiting period proposal last year on the grounds that anyone should be able to apply for federal jobs at any time.