Cindy Archer Gets Another New Job

A couple of days ago, my Brother in Blogging, Jeff Simpson, pointed out that Cindy Archer, long time aide to Scott Walker, just got a new job.  Not only did she get a new job but she got the job without applying for it, interviewing it or being among the finalists for the job.  And not only did she have this job handed to her, she also got a huge raise, 31% higher than what her predecessor got paid.

However, Jeff did make one mistake and omitted a few things.  Jeff titled his post "Cindy Archer - Part Deux."  He should have named it "Cindy Archer - Part Quattro."

When her boss was able to con the majority of the people of Wisconsin into voting for him, Walker took Archer along with him to Madison, making her a deputy secretary in the Department of Administration.  Her pay was $124,000 in this position.

Not only did Archer land this high-paying, cushy job, but she was instrumental in many facets of Walker's early days.  Not only was she instrumental in the dropping of the Act 10 bomb, but was also ironically named to the fraud commission.  (There are no reports that she turned herself or Walker into the commission for their fraud and waste.)

Archer suddenly left her job for reported medical reasons.  But there were no worries for her.

She came back to a guaranteed job in the Department of Children and Families.  And yes, even though it was less money than she had been making in the Department of Administration, it was unbelievably higher than that of her predecessor in that job:

Now, documents provided by the state show she actually was already hired a day earlier on Aug. 18 to a $99,449-a-year job in the Department of Children and Families, as the department's legislative liaison, according to a letter released Friday from Eloise Anderson, who heads the department. Her appointment to the new job was effective Aug. 20. Anderson's letter says Archer would be "performing duties as prescribed by this office."

Whether she's drawing it yet or not, Archer's new salary is about 61% more than the last person to hold the position. Kimberly L. Collins, who held the same liaison job until May, was paid $61,859 in 2010, according to state figures.

Last summer, Archer jumped jobs again, this time going to the Public Defender's Office, where she was again making six figures:

Cindy Archer, a key cabinet member on Walker's county staff, is set to start a new six-figure job with the state on Monday.

Archer — who has bounced around the Walker administration for the past 21/2 years — beat out more than two dozen other candidates to be named an administrative services director at the state Public Defender's Office. She will be paid $101,510 a year.

And now, less than one year later, she was literally given this new job.with its hefty pay hike.  I guess Walker just couldn't wait until he demolished the civil service code before he started trouncing all over it.

Walker is trying to claim that Archer got the job on merit and her knowledge of the arcane computer system.  Critics are decrying the move as Walker's typical cronyism.  Some have said that it is pay off to buy Archer's continued silence in the Walkergate investigations.

All three arguments have their merits.

Walker's blatant cronyism is well documented.

Archer's home had been raided in the original Walkergate investigation and her name appears all over the emails sent via the secret router, including giving Kelly Rindfleisch directions to check it frequently during the day to keep the campaign humming.

As I noted when Archer first moved over to the Public Defender's Office:

But I can't help but notice the irony of the fact that Archer is getting paid richly for working for the Public Defender's Office, the one area of the state that she should be a client, not in the hierarchy.

But when translates Walker's explanation for the move, that makes perfect sense.   Obviously he would want someone intimately familiar with the illegal politicking Walker has done and continues to do to be high up int he Public Defender's Office.

When people start getting charged with crimes related to all of this politicking, it would not be surprising that they will end up spending all their money on their legal defense and eventually ending up needing a public defender.  That is exactly what happened to Tim Russell.  (And not everyone is fortunate enough to have millionaire and billionaire donors to their legal defense cooperation fund.)

Regardless of the reason Walker chose to violate civil service laws and hand this job to Archer over the two finalists, along with the exorbitant raise, it should be enough to give pause to most people that Walker is not fit for any kind of position that has even the most minute iota of responsibility or authority.