By Bill Diamond

By now, I am sure you have all heard about the governor’s comments regarding mid-level managers in state government. As a former Secretary of State, I have worked closely with many of these “mid-level” professionals and can speak from firsthand experience how valuable and dedicated these employees are to our state.

The governor was quoted as saying that midlevel managers are “as corrupt as you can be.” Regardless of the intent of the word corrupt, it doesn’t describe in any way, the vast majority of these workers. They are people, like the leaders in the State Police Computer Crime Unit, who spend their working days tracking down sexual predators and protecting our children. These professionals are exposed to some of the darkest and most horrific acts committed by predators on a daily basis.

Other examples of midlevel managers are the engineers in the Department of Transportation that not only design our roads and bridges to make sure they are safe, but also go to evening meetings with local citizens to explain the projects to the people that will be impacted. They are the people who worked for me when I was Secretary of State — people working long hours to make sure our elections are run smoothly and without problems. They are workers who make sure legal documents are filed for all of the 40,000 Maine businesses, thus allowing them to do business in the state and they are people in the Bureau of Motor Vehicles who quietly and with great skill keep our drivers licenses and registration documents in order. There are many invisible yet critical services performed by these mid-level managers on a daily basis — services that are depended on by Maine citizens. These are only a few examples of this valuable and dependable group of employees.

It is easy to make general statements about various groups of people, however, this particular group of state employees have provided over the years the glue that keeps state government together and running year in and year out as different administrations come and go. These dedicated men and women, even after this troublesome accusation, have stayed focused and continued to do their job without complaint. If there are a small percentage of these managers who aren’t meeting their responsibilities then let’s address that problem, but casting a generalized condemnation of hundreds of committed men and women is not appropriate or justified.

If there is anything I can do for you in Augusta, or if you need any help with state government, you can always call my office at the State House at 287-1515 or visit my website, www.mainesenate.org/diamond to send me an e-mail.
Senator Bill Diamond is a resident of Windham, and serves the District 12 communities of Casco, Frye Island, Raymond, Standish, Windham and Hollis.