Top heavy management?

All right. Let's read a few examples of "top heavy" management in the media:

1. The Walker administration just proved there are still plenty of places to cut waste in state government.

If an unqualified, 27-year-old repeat drunken driver without a college degree can be paid $81,500 a year as an environmental and regulatory services administrator in the state Department of Commerce, then the job must not be essential.

Let's get rid of this position and others like it — including the $64,728-a-year job of bureau director of board services in the Department of Regulation and Licensing.

Both of these jobs have one thing in common: Brian Deschane, the son of a prominent lobbyist at the heart of a state government hiring flap this week.

Deschane had little experience before rapidly climbing the state government job ladder. He had worked for the Wisconsin Builders Association, where his father, Jerry Deschane, is an executive vice president who lobbies state government on construction codes and tax issues.

Jerry Deschane's group donated or helped funnel more than $100,000 to Walker's successful campaign for governor.

Brian Deschane also had worked in the state Capitol offices of two former Republican lawmakers.

But that doesn't make him qualified to supervise 76 employees and oversee storage tank regulations and environmental cleanups for the Department of Commerce. The previous person who held the job had a degree in chemical engineering and decades of experience.

Gov. Scott Walker demoted Deschane back to his Department of Regulation job on Tuesday after controversy over Deschane's new job and generous salary at Commerce erupted. Deschane then resigned from the lower-level job, which he had held for only a month before his big promotion.

The governor's spokesman said this week Walker "directed his administration to move in another direction" after learning the details about Deschane's hiring.

Walker should go further than that. The Republican governor should get rid of both of the positions Deschane held. If just about anyone is capable of filling these posts, then they won't be missed much.

Walker should comb state government for more top-heavy, expendable positions to help fix the giant state budget deficit. Walker also should drop his dubious plan to hire even more political appointees than he already has.

- Purge state of top-heavy waste, Wisconsin State Journal, April 8, 2011.