I had an interesting conversation this morning with a friend of mine from the Office, who we'll call "KB" (since I'm really starting to enjoy assigning pseudonyms to people) about what we thought would the personnel shifts would be under a Bradford and/or Lykos Administration.
Of course, at this point, it is pretty much all random speculation when it comes to either candidate.
Bradford reached out to those ADAs who would be willing to talk to him some time ago. This week, all the ADAs received a letter from Pat Lykos, saying that their jobs were safe for "those who believe in the rule of law, and understand our solemn duty to ensure justice and protect our citizens". I think we all realize that there won't be a wholesale purging of the Office. There just wouldn't be enough people to replace them.
I do imagine that several who have placed themselves "out there" a little more aggressively than others (like say, a certain Blogger, for instance) wouldn't expect to be keeping their post depending on the Administration, but, trust me, they knew that going into the game.
But what is to certainly be expected is for whoever wins the election to replace the "Upper Echelons" with their own people. This, of course, begs two questions:
1. What qualifies as the "Upper Echelons"?; and
2. Who do you replace them with?
The answer to Question #1 is most certainly the First Assistant and the Bureau Chiefs. It's about a 50-50 shot over whether or not it includes Division Chiefs as well.
The answer to Question #2 is more interesting. Does the victor of the election just pull up loyalists from within the Office, or do they recruit from outside?
It was the idea of replacing the "higher ups" with outsiders that made up most of my conversation with K.B. this morning (and it also explains the title of this post).
If a person is brought in from outside the Office, they could theoretically be the new First Assistant and still be on "probationary" status with the county. In other words, they could be the second in command, but still be limited to only two weeks of vacation a year for their first five years there. They also wouldn't even get put on the insurance for the first several months. The lure of that just wouldn't seem all that appealing to me if I was in private practice.
What do you think?
2 comments:
If it were me, "Upper Echelons" would definitely include the division chiefs, but no lower. It's critical for the new DA to have their own people in, not folks from the past administration who will undermine the new administration. (And before you ask why would they undermine it, revisit some of the rumormongering and campaign-era vitriol on this blog.)
In Dallas, Craig Watkins brought in his own people while Sheriff Lupe Valdez tried to woo the leftovers from the old administration. He's been much more focused on his agenda, while she's constantly tamping down rebellions from below. The Harris DA doesn't need that. Everybody would be better off IMO if the next DA just appoints their own people. It would just reduce the drama all the way around.
Having been through regime change recently, the best advice is hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Don't buy a new car or a new house. Strongly consider whether to accept a promotion to section or division or bureau chief. Start saving up some cash. Make sure your resume is up to date. Be ready to patiently explain yourself to persons who do not have institutional or factual knowledge about things you have done or are doing.
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