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Thursday, December 06, 2007

'Best job in the world' didn't turn out that way for DGIF director

By Bill Cochran

As a kid growing up on a dairy farm in Amelia County, J. Carlton Courter III, figured that being director of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries “was probably the best job in the world.”

It didn’t turn out that way for the 50-year-old Courter when he was appointed director of the agency in mid-October last year. On Friday, he was fired.

Courter failed to provide the innovative leadership needed to help redirect an agency rattled by controversy that had divided constituents and led to criminal indictments of three former department officials. One of those is previous director William Woodfin.

Woodfin was an autocratic leader who was harsh on subordinates, motivating them with fear and cronyism. Courter was just the opposite, a nice guy who was lackadaisical and disengaged.

Board members have been doing some positive things recently, so we can hope that they will select the right director this time, but you have to wonder if anyone of quality will want the position.

Members thought they had their man in Courter, who was chosen from 78 applicants. The day he was hired, Dr. William Greer Jr., chairman of the search committee and president of Virginia Wesleyan College, had high praise for Courter, saying the appointment “lowered the blood pressure of a lot of people.” John Montgomery Jr., board chairman at the time, used the word “thrilled” to describe how he felt about the hire, adding that the DGIF had not been pressured from outside forces to employ Courter, whose previous job was commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture.

Board members had little to say following the firing of Courter. It was a personnel matter, they declared, and not open to public discussion. Personnel matters are understandably sensitive, but this is a case when a solid explanation is needed.

When newspaper reporters reached Courter at his home in Midlothian, they found some fight. The former director said the board had given him no reason for the dismissal.

“Am I bitter? Yes! I think I was doing my job, pretty much,” Courter was quoted as saying in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Sherry Crumley of Buchanan was one of eight board members who attended the call meeting, all of them voting to immediately terminate Courter’s duties and provide 30 days of severance pay.

“There were absolutely no improprieties,” Crumley told Mark Taylor, outdoor editor of The Roanoke Times. “We just felt that the agency needed to have some new direction.”

James Hazel of Oakton, board chairman, said Courter’s dismissal had nothing to do with the grand jury indictment. Co-workers described him as “squeaky clean.”

Only a few months after Courter’s hire, department insiders were talking about how he fell short when it came to planning, communication and leadership skills. Subordinates said they received little direction from their boss. During public meetings, Courter gave the appearance of being detatched.

Rather than winning back the disgruntled hunting and fishing constituency, the DGIF lost ground when its efforts to resolve hunting dog issues escalated into a quagmire of controversy among hound hunters. This is yet to be resolved.

There may have been a time when the DGIF could have survived without strong leadership. Not now. No longer can it rely on friends to line up when it needs help. On the horizon are mounting influences to change the way the agency has done business for decades. Legislation that would modify the way board members are appointed is expected to be introduced in the 2008 General Assembly.

Look, also, for the strongest effort in 30-plus years to merge the DGIF with the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. Gov. Tim Kaine advocated that the day prior to Courter’s firing. The move could receive big-time help even from some people within the DGIF. Sportsmen would have declared war on the idea a few years ago, but that may no longer be the case.

If you are searching for some good in an otherwise sad situation, there is some. One thing, the DGIF board stood up and did what it felt it had to do concerning Courter. It had dilly-dallied around with Woodfin until much harm was done. For another, it made an excellent choice in appointing Law Enforcement Chief Col. Mike Bise as acting director until a replacement can be found. Bise agreed to stay, diverting his plans to retire in January.

He may not have to stay long. The board is on fast track to name a new director by Feb. 1. That’s pretty amazing when you consider it took 16 months to name Courter.

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