PHILADELPHIA — Morale at the Federal Election Commission has nose-dived due to criticism leveled against the elections police office by commissioners, like former Chairwoman Ann Ravel who called it “worse than dysfunctional.”
An inspector general report found that 83 percent of FEC employees felt the nasty comments from commissioners like Ravel “have a negative effect on agency’s work and mission.”
.@asmith83 @campaignlegalmm btw – this in my office as a reminder of the need for change at the FEC. #FixCampFinance pic.twitter.com/yanA0sU6XC
— Ann Ravel (@AnnMRavel) June 29, 2016
The IG also found that growing partisanship on the FEC between the three Democrats and three Republicans hurts morale. Commissioner Ellen Weintraub tweeted a picture of the opening night of the Democratic National Convention here. Both she and Ravel snooped around the Republican Convention for election law violations, even at t-shirt stands.
The lack of supporting comments from commissioners was the biggest driver of bad morale, said the IG.
“Most employees told us that the morale is poor in the part of the organization where they work. When we asked why, we frequently heard that the commissioners were to blame. Actions and statements commissioners make to each other are perceived by employees as signs of a partisan culture that is too often negative, unpleasant, and adversarial. This negative tone, in turn, affects how employees feel about their own jobs,” said the report.
In the last two years, Republicans on the FEC have pushed back at what they see as Democratic efforts to regulate and punish conservative candidates and media while protecting liberal candidates and media.
Full house in Philly pic.twitter.com/COmq6adBA7
— Ellen L Weintraub (@EllenLWeintraub) July 26, 2016
It resulted in a backlash from Democrats like Ravel who told the New York Times a year ago that the agency had become “dysfunctional” because she feels Republicans won’t join Democrats.
She also told the Daily Show, “The likelihood of enforcement in major cases this election cycle is slim.” She added, “there are things that are done that have some value, just like men’s nipples.”
The Republicans have used less colorful language, but challenged Democratic actions. For example, former Chairman Lee Goodman, still a member on the FEC, warned of efforts by Democrats to regulate conservative media. In a 2015 interview with Secrets, he said, “The picking and choosing has started to occur…there are some in this building that think we can actually regulate” media.
The IG found that FEC staffers feel “like pawns in a larger battle between the commissioners.”
Other concerns:
— Employees feel there isn’t enough communication with top managers.
— Key positions go unfilled for too long.
— There is a lack of diversity, especially a lack of blacks in upper management.
— Managers prefer to hire young lawyers over developing and promoting from inside the FEC.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
