| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| 3 Texas military commanders removed for double dipping |
| 2009-03-07 |
| Three Texas military commanders are being removed from top positions following allegations that they received paychecks from the state and federal government for work done at the same time, according to a report by KHOU-TV in Houston. Gov. Rick Perry is removing Gens. John Furlow, commander of the Texas Army National Guard, and Allen Dehnert, who commands the Texas Air National Guard, the television station reported Thursday. The top commander of the Texas Military Forces, Adjutant Gen. Charles Rodriguez, is also being replaced. Perry's spokeswoman, Allison Castle, said the removals were not related to the double-dipping of pay. "The governor routinely appoints new leadership," Castle said, noting that Rodriguez's two-year term expired in February. He was appointed in 2005 and was reappointed in 2007. However, all three came under scrutiny because they allegedly collected paychecks from the state while simultaneously performing work for the federal government, the television station reported. Rodriguez, Furlow and Dehnert did not go on "state leave" when they performed work for the federal government but instead took "emergency leave," allowing them to continue to be paid by Texas. Chief Gonda Moncada of the Texas Air National Guard said Friday that the allegations stem from a busy period late last summer in which the officers were assisting with multiple hurricanes that threatened the state. She said in such a situation Guard members are most concerned with helping during the disaster and that administrative paperwork is secondary. "Nobody would have done something like this purposely," she said. Perry announced last week he would replace Rodriguez, currently the top military officer in Texas. The adjutant general oversees the Texas military's three branches - the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard and the Texas State Guard. Rodriguez, who also worked sometimes for the federal government, is to be replaced by Gen. Jose Mayorga, pending confirmation by the Texas Senate. Rodriguez told KHOU he was in the process of repaying $53,000 and had paid nearly a third of it. "I have every obligation to pay off the rest," he said. Dehnert will be replaced by Col. John F. Nichols, who will receive a promotion to brigadier general, and Furlow will be replaced by Brig. Gen. Joyce Stevens. Castle confirmed that Furlow and Dehner were double-paid but the amount they owed has not been disclosed. In a Jan. 14 memo, the governor' chief of staff, Jay Kimbrough, wrote to Rodriguez telling him to establish a new policy that prohibits the practice for all state employees. Castle referred questions about how much money Dehnert and Furlow owe the state to the Guard. The Guard's internal audit director, Mike Garner, said he provided Rodriguez in October 2008 with estimates of how much is owed. The Guard would not release the amounts noted in those estimates, KHOU reported. Meanwhile, a group of senior women officers in the Texas Air National Guard has filed a joint congressional complaint alleging sexual discrimination against the wing commander at Ellington Field. Their allegations were substantiated by Brig. Gen. Thomas Haynes, an independent investigator appointed from outside Texas to look into the matter, KHOU reported. Castle said some of the findings remain under review. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #1 I hope who ever is doing the reporting is checking relevant federal and state statutes concerning pay. In some cases ANG positions are indeed partially paid by both the state and federal government. It all revolves around the specific position, personnel slotting, and particular 'status' of that position at a specific time when duty is split between the two jurisdictions. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-03-07 21:46 |