It's a dirty job, but someone has to run GSA

The General Services Administration is once again under siege. Unpopular decisions have left its chief isolated, leading to reports of low staff morale. Allegations of abuse of power and a messy investigation by the inspector general have been all but impossible to shake. And a growing drumbeat is calling for the agency head to resign.

Sound familiar? It might resemble the plight of Lurita Alexis Doan, GSA's current administrator, but that description actually refers to the tumultuous two-year reign of GSA Administrator Roger Johnson, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton. A well-respected business executive who once ran a Fortune 500 technology firm, Johnson suffered the negative publicity of an IG investigation as well as a Justice Department probe. He was cleared, but he also struggled with disgruntled employees.

And while the foibles of Doan and Johnson, who died in 2005, garnered the most unflattering headlines, their experiences heading GSA are not unique. In fact, the past five administrators, dating back to 1990, all found themselves under clouds of controversy, either for ethical missteps or decisions that caused political unrest.

Now, with Doan's political future in question after the Office of Special Counsel found she violated the Hatch Act, a growing chorus of procurement experts says it's time to rethink the way GSA administrators are chosen before history repeats itself, again.

Read Robert Brodsky's full story on GSA from the Nov. 1 issue of Government Executive.