Thursday, August 04, 2005
Bill Cochran's Outdoors: DGIF claims a 'new day'
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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Things are happening fast at the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, and this time they aren’t all bad.
>The game warden staff has been reorganized and new leadership is in place.
>The governor has filled the vacancies on the agency’s 11-member board.
>Seated board members have recaptured their duties and most are working hard on a number of fronts.
>The Game Warden Association has pledged its support in the rebuilding of the agency.
>Board meetings have gone from four per year to one each month.
>A search committee has established a timeline of no later than April 15, 2006 to have a new director in place.
>The concerns of constitutes no longer are falling into a black hole, but are being considered.
> Board members are going to get a publicized email address so constitutes can contact them.
>There is a new openness between staff and board members.
>An anti-retaliation policy has been adopted, one that says staff members can express their opinions and make complaints without fear of reprisal.
>Col. Gerald Massengill, the interim director, is receiving high praise for his firm, fair and fatherly way of advancing change and reform.
>New spending guidelines are in place and a policy manual is being drafted.
>One by one, issues highlighted by the State Internal Auditor are being addressed.
“Today is a new day at DGIF,” stated Sherry Crumley during a board meeting in Richmond last week. From Botetourt County, she is chair of the board.
It was a new day for Crumley as well.
The jury had been out as to whether she would be reappointed to the board. The audit report called for current board members to be replaced. Gov. Warner overrode the recommendation, appointing Crumely to a new four-year term and giving no evidence of replacing other board members.
The governor appointed three new members to fill vacancies from resignations and term expirations. They are:
>William T. Greer, Jr. of Norfolk, president of Virginia Wesleyan College and a member of Ducks Unlimited who is described as an avid hunter and angler. He replaced Daniel Hoffler of Eastville, former board chairman who resigned amid controversy over an agency-endorsed safari to Zimbabwe.
>C.T. Hill of Midlothian, chairman, president and CEO of SunTrust Bank Mid-Atlantic, a life sponsor of Ducks Unlimited and member of the Virginia Deer Hunters Association and Quail Unlimited. He replaced Jack Shoosmith of Chester who resigned just before his term expired.
>Thomas Stroup of Fairfax, chairman and CEO of Group Serve, Inc., a member of the NRA and Ducks Unlimited. He replaced Cecil Campbell of Warrenton, whose term expired.
The governor has sought people who have a strong background in business and upper-level management with at least some ties to traditional outdoor sports. None is a household name among hunters, fishermen, boaters and wildlife watchers. Of the three newcomers, only Stroup appears to be a heavy financial supporter of Gov. Warner.
The most refreshing part of the “new day” is the growing openness of the agency, which is replacing the autocratic style inflicted by former executive director Bill Woodfin and a handful of his cronies.
The most recent Woodfin holdover to leave is Col. Terry Bradberry, head of the agency’s law enforcement division. Bradberry retirement was announced last week.
Another Woodfin strong arm, Maj. Michael Caison, is on extended leave and his future with the agency is uncertain. If he chooses to remain he will be reassigned to new duties under strict supervision, Massengill reported.
A process is under way to select a new colonel to head the law enforcement division, Massengill said. Until that occurs, two majors, Gary Bise and Steve Pike, with ties to Southwest Virginia, will assume leadership duties and Col. Jeff Uerz will be the training officer. All three officers received high praise from Massengill, who spent 37 years with the Virginia State Police, retiring in 2003 as superintendent.
Most telling of all is the demise of the gag rule under Woodfin, which was aimed at restricting board members from conferring with staff members without permission. That is gone, along with threats of retaliation for staffers who speaks their mind.
Having to resend these two dictatorial policies in public was yet another reminder of how low the agency fell under Woodfin’s leadership and, hopefully, how determined the current leadership is to set things right.
