Former Gov. Bill Owens said today that he was not involved in a decision that promised state jobs to senior managers in his administration after he left office.
As reported earlier by the Denver Post, at least 23 appointed senior managers in the Owens administration signed contracts that said they could return to other state management positions at the highest-possible salaries for those jobs. That contract language appears to violate state personnel rules by guaranteeing jobs to senior political appointees, and Gov. Bill Ritter’s administration has said they do not have to honor the job-protection provision.
In a written statement, Owens said that he “was not involved in daily personnel decisions” and “had no contact with the individuals or with anyone involved in making those contract decisions.”
Jeff Wells, former executive director of the Department of Personnel and Administration for Owens, told the Post that the contract language was crafted to reassure senior managers that they wouldn’t lose their jobs when a new governor took office.
Earlier this month, the Post disclosed that Owens rewarded executive directors who stayed on the job through the end of 2006 with two-week bonus checks.
The complete text of Owens statement reads as follows:
“Colorado has tens of thousands of employees and as governor I was not involved in daily personnel decisions, including contracts for senior executives. In fact, I personally don’t know the vast majority of those individuals who have such contracts and the insinuation that I offered them special treatment is simply false The change in the contract was administered by the state’s personnel department and the various executive directors and I was not involved in any way in that process. I had no contact with the individuals or with anyone involved in making those contract decisions.
“It is my understanding that those employees with contracts were selected for their jobs through a competitive process and are not political appointees. They typically have long tenure with the state as civil servants, predating the Owens’ administration.
“I have always felt that governors and their executive directors should have the maximum flexibility in whom they select for key management positions. I believe it is proper for Governor Ritter and his cabinet to review these contracts and evaluate the performance of each individual.”
