Unplugged: Wisconsin Brain Drain

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It should come as no surprise that not only have Wisconsin college grads been overlooked for top positions in local government, but other Wisconsinites have as well. At this level, I don’t buy the idea that we must be in competition with other states and cities in order to acquire smart, competent people. If a manager or superintendent hops from one city to another simply because of signing perks and more money, by all means let em’ go. Their loyalties can be bought. No one is an island, everyone is expendable, there are no guarantees.

Unfortunately this ill-advised hiring mindset is pervasive throughout society as explained by one anonymous caller to the Janesville Gazette.

JG excerpt:
It seems too convenient that Rock County Sheriff-elect Bob Spoden appointed Cmdr. Barb Tillman to chief deputy. How extensive was the search? The Janesville Police Department searched nationwide for its new chief of police, and he seems to be working out just fine.-- anonymous

Got something against promoting a Wisconsinite who passed through the state's educational system and happens to be a 24 year department veteran? Too bad. Barb Tillman has also completed the Criminal Justice Executive Development Institute Program at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin. In retrospect, appointing a Wisconsinite from within is the best first decision from Sheriff-elect Spoden. In addition, she toughed it out in what still is viewed as a man's world in the law enforcement environment and deserves to be congratulated for her hard work. Tillman's promotion will likely usher in more advancements of hard working deputies at the lower levels to fill the voids. The snowball effect from this one appointment would not exist had Spoden chosen an outsider. To the contrary, Sheriff-elect Spoden should be commended for his smart choice.

The anonymous comment also implied that the best candidate for a top job can only be found through nationwide searches which of course is not necessarily true or economically feasible.

The Janeville Police Department did a nationwide search for a new police chief and plucked Neil Mahan from Bakersfield, California.

Before that, the city chose a graduate from the University of Iowa who worked as a manager in Concord, Massachusetts and Salem, Illinois to be the new city manager. A seemingly bright individual with plenty of experience, he is still with us today, his name is Steve Sheiffer.

This same direction continues today in Janesville's search for a new director at the Hedberg library, a position which pays upwards to $90,000 a year. In 2005, they appointed Dennis Wilson, who previously worked at libraries in Arkansas, Kansas and Colorado. He was a product of the Missouri University System. His commitment here fizzled out quickly. Afterwards, the board considered one of two applicants from Illinois. The most recent applicant from River Forest, Ilinois, also turned them down.

I am only using them as examples so don’t mistake my comments here as a personal slap against either official or as blind pride at any costs. They all are respectable and committed individuals. My target here more or less is the peculiar set of priorities established by the policy makers doing the hiring. If other Wisconsin municipalities are doing the same, it is no wonder why our graduates refuse to remain here after they graduate.

I can’t blame the state to begin grasping at desperate measures when our graduates are faced with slanted hiring practices. However, the latest proposal of offering free college tuition in exchange for staying in Wisconsin for 10 years after they graduate runs counter to the very idea of what graduates strive for while achieving their education. Not to mention the estimated billions in cost to the taxpayer, if the jobs are not there to begin with, we are just spinning our wheels.

Sure, those promoting national searches for local leadership will claim the importance of fresh eyes and ears, but aside from a completely corrupted and degraded chain of command, it is a poor excuse to use. And aside from the obvious needs of giant cities like New York or Chicago, if other states are doing this perpetual outsourcing as standard procedure for acquiring competent individuals for top positions, they are merely trading apples for apples.

But I also offer an idea here. The state should first encourage all local and city governments to make hiring a Wisconsin graduate or a Wisconsinite one and two on their list of priorities for the best candidate for a top position. The state could accomplish this using sticks and carrots. This could apply to all permanent structural arms of public utilities as well. The state will need to legislate new rules governing the distribution of grants and other state funds regularly earmarked for various needs of each community. For instance, cutting off a $75,000 grant for new street lights if an out-of-stater is hired for a top public post. Of course this is just a rough idea and the state would have to play hardball here, but this is nowhere near the Big Bang proposal being kicked around now. Secondly, the state needs to involve corporations in the education and training of their future employees by cleaning up and enforcing the state tax on corporations and rededicating those funds in a split towards education and healthcare.

As long as communities like Janesville continue to fuel the exodus with their hiring procedures and policies, Wisconsin graduates will have no recourse but to leave Wisconsin, no matter how much money the state throws at the issue.

If encouraging Wisconsin graduates to remain in Wisconsin is the goal, you have to start hiring them here first. That is the bottom line.