comes into power, they have the right to
build their own team. Consequently, in
our agency of 811 people, I think there
are 17 or 18 at-will employees, meaning
they are not protected by civil service,
and there is a purpose for that. The new
governor is allowed to build his team,
and his cabinet secretaries are allowed to
build their teams. I exercised my preroga-
tive to build my own team. I had some-
body I wanted to have that job that I felt
was eminently qualified, and he was on
the job a couple of days after I made the
change. I have been very satisfied with
his performance.
WVE: Tell us about asking the
more than 800 DEP employees to
submit at least one cost-saving idea
in an effort to eliminate waste and
what kind of feedback you received.
AC: There were two things that were
important when I put out that email to ask
for ideas. The first was I wanted people
to understand I am interested in what
they have to say about their agency and
about what goes on in their agency. The
second thing I wanted to get across to them
was that in a time when we have such a
tough economic environment, every penny
counts. A cost-saving idea might not be a
big idea—it might not save $100 million
or save the state—but every dime counts,
just like managing your household budget.
The email resulted in many ideas. For
instance, some employees questioned that
if we regulate the intake side of drinking
water, should we be serving bottled water
at the agency? Somebody said we shouldn’t,
and we decided they were exactly right. So
approximately $25,000 a year was saved.
WVE: Given West Virginia’s dire
budget situation, what role, if any,
do you think the state’s coal, natural
gas and chemical industries can play
in resolving our financial deficit?
AC: I think the proposed legislation
that would scale the severance tax up
and down based on pricing is very solid.
I am a big fan of that adjustment so we
as a state can benefit when the industry
is benefitting. When you have more and
you’re making more, you ought to be
willing to give back more. I’m sure there
are some who are opposed to it, but coal
and natural gas are commodities, and the
prices can fluctuate rapidly.
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