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Trouble
In the spring of 1977, I obtained an unfavorable federal audit of our Food Stamp program and I made sure all the newspapers got a copy. Articles appeared in the Detroit Free Press on April 16 and June 19. An article titled “Killing the Golden Goose: How Your Tax Dollars Were Lost” appeared in the July/August 1977 issue of Lansing Magazine.
In addition to the newspapers, I gave a copy of the Food Stamp audit to the state Attorney General. I have notes I took of an April 14 call I got from John Wilson of the AG’s office. He said “Hoffman” (I don’t remember who that was) asked him to look at the audit. He asked why I brought it to the AG’s attention. I said I thought there may be criminal negligence. Wilson asked if I would get into trouble if it were known I gave the audit to the AG and I told him it would be frowned upon. He asked, he said, because he needed to know if he should avoid revealing his source to people at DSS.
Soon after we got the go-ahead on collecting the heat and utilities information for the automated standards increase (see $6 Million), I told my supervisor, Don Czinder, that I no longer wanted to supervise the Systems Analysis Section. I don’t remember what was going on with me, but I must have been upset about something, because I offered to take a demotion and “give up my luxurious office.” It really was a nice office. It was on the 14th floor of the Commerce Center, which is now the Cooley Law School building on the southwest corner of Capitol Avenue and Lenawee. It was roomy and it had a big window overlooking Capital Avenue. I’ve had nothing like it since.
On June 21, state senator John Otterbacher wrote Dempsey a letter listing allegations made in the newspaper articles. He added a list of his own questions, and asked Dempsey to respond.
I gave reporter Gene Weingarten of the Free Press a lot of material besides the audits. I kept a list of the documents I gave him in 1977-78, and there are 27 items on it. The purpose of the list, I think, was to keep from giving him multiple copies of the same material. He was already getting more stuff than he cared to read. I loaded him up because the Free Press’ Lansing offices were only 3 blocks from the Commerce Center, on the 8th floor of the Washington Square Building. One item that really did grab his interest was the last in a list of 28 in a June 17, 1977 weekly report Jerry Brockmyre wrote to his boss, Lois Lamont:
A few days later, an item titled “A Leak About Those Leaks” appeared:
Gene now writes a humor column for the Washington Post. He is author of the book A Hypochondriac’s Guide to Life. And Death.
On July 19, I told Don that I no longer wanted to resign as supervisor of the Systems Analysis Section.
On July 29, Jerry Brockmyre called me into his office and said he was not accepting my resignation withdrawal. He thought working on projects would be better for both me and the Department. He had checked with Personnel and was told that he could hold me to my resignation. The paperwork had started already, and he was talking to a possible replacement. He said he had talked about this to Lois Lamont, but not Dempsey. I asked him to give me something in writing so I could start my grievance.
On August 8, two days after the Lois Matheson story hit the newspapers, Dempsey called me into his office. I had asked to meet with him quite a few days earlier. He apologized for the delay. He said he had talked to Brockmyre and decided not to intervene in the matter of my resignation. I thanked him for checking into it and told him I understood his reluctance.
On October 13, Brockmyre called Don Czinder and me to his office to accuse me of delivering some memos to Nancy Joley. I denied having anything to do with it, and I was telling the truth. This was something I actually wasn’t guilty of. I don’t think I ever learned what the memos were about or why it was a bad thing to deliver them to Nancy Joley. I don’t even remember Nancy Joley. On October 26, Brockmyre sent me a memo informing me that the matter was still under investigation. Nothing ever came of it.
On May 9, 1978, I submitted my resignation effective May 26. This time I was quitting Social Services entirely, not just stepping down as supervisor of the Systems Analysis Section. (I don’t remember whether or not they were still trying to hold me to that earlier resignation.) I had made things difficult for myself, and was feeling a lot of stress. I had developed a facial tic. I thought that with my considerable accomplishments at Social Services, I’d have little trouble finding a job in the private sector. I was wrong about that, as I admitted in a 3/30/79 letter pleading to be considered for a Social Services opening.
Even as I was leaving, stories were hitting the newspapers. An article about the Day Care program appeared in the Detroit News on 6/8/78 and another on Food Stamps appeared 6/25/78. Reporter John Nehman of the Detroit News sent me a thank-you note. |
