Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Bob Correia's Hiring Practices - UPDATED

If you care to suspend your disbelief and trust Bob Correia when he said, “I’ve known him (CDA Director Robert Laughlin) for over 45 years, but I haven’t had any direct interchange with him for the last 40,” it would really make you question his hiring thought process and procedures (or clear lack thereof). Hypothetically, why the &*%# would a newly elected mayor put someone whom he hadn't spoken to in 40 years in charge of his transition team (and then give a position as CDA director)?! Either Bob is lying and he had "direct interchange" with Robert Laughlin, the man he trusted enough to appoint coordinator of his mayoral transition team OR Mayor Correia isn't a liar and he is just haphazard with his hiring practices.

Correia recently appointed Shannon Lyonnais to the position of City Collector because he "heard she was bright and aggressive in her work ethic." Flattering compliment but what are her qualifications for this $69,130-$84,170 per year position? (A position/department that I personally know, needs extreme improvement) According to a Herald News article she has an Associates (2 year) degree from American International University, Chicago.

Where is American International University, Chicago? I am not ruling out the possibility that this a Herald News typo....but if it isn't, after extensive google searching, the college does not appear to exist.

So what are Bob's hiring practices?
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UPDATE:
Not surprisingly, the Herald News was wrong about the name of the college Ms. Lyonnais "attended." The name of the school was actually "American Intercontinental University Chicago, IL" according the the press release on the city website. American Intercontinental University, appears to be a predominantly internet based school where you can, "earn a degree fast." The Chicago location is the physical location for AIU's internet college programs.

Owned by the same business that started Gibbs College, AIU has been under scrutiny from the securities and exhange commission for their practices and programs. One anonymous professor stated: "If you can breathe and walk, you can get into the school." See more controversy on wikipedia.

13 comments:

Puck said...

I'd love to see Lyonnais' full resume including details about the so-called university where she earned her 2-year degree. Couldn't King Bob find someone with a bachelor's degree at the very least (let alone a master's)? Lyonnais may be competent, but does 7 years in "banking" (was she in finance, management, or was she a teller?...it makes a difference)and 5 years at Gibbs College in a "finance supervisory" position really qualify her to be a department head in a city whose financial management is in shambles? Also, the HN article mentions that she has 3 pages of improvements she's made since taking the interim job. Really? 3 full pages? Could we see this list? The improvements listed in the article sound grand but those don't add up to even 1 page. And exactly how did she relieve the long waiting lines of folks trying to pay their bills at lunchtime? Is the staff no longer allowed to take lunch breaks, perhaps? (King Bobby would love that!) I'm all for promoting from within, but your blog questions Bob's hiring practices with good reason based on his past history. EVERYTHING he does needs to be called into question. I believe he is a manipulative liar, and not a very good one. A good liar will keep track of his lies and not make easily disproved statements like "I haven't had any direct interchange with [Laughlin] in the last 40 [years]." Therefore none of his actions or motives can ever be trusted and must always be challenged. NOTHING he does is ever in the best interests of the city, but in the best interests of Bob! Unfortunately, even people who may be qualified to handle the jobs King Bob bestows upon them must be called into question as well. These people, like Lyonnais, are automatically tainted simply by their association with our oily mayor.

Tom Paine said...

Remember, all of Bob's experience on Beacon Hill was not in leadership, but was in followership.

He does not know about management, as a matter of fact we have not voted for someone for mayor with management experience for quite some time.

Several years ago I attended a State Public Safety Committee meeting that was held at Durfee high school. The Public Safety Committee was traveling the state to get input on the newly passed gun law. As a law abiding gun owner I attended the meeting to voice my opinion on the poorly worded law. (Side bar - the law does more to punish law abiding gun owners than it does criminals)

The local reps, Rodrigues, Sullivan and Correia were present. A man in the crowd stood up and asked Correia how could he vote for the gun law.

Correia answered this way:

It is a bad law, but I am in leadership and on the leadership team, and when you are on leadership team you have to vote with leadership.

Of course this is a paraphrase, but it is extremely close to what he said, especially the part when you are part of leadership, you have to vote with leadership.

Now I ask you, is that true leadership?

NO!

So right at that point I discovered the true Bob, an old tired follower, no true leader there!

Anonymous said...

Lyonnais got the job because she's the one that was harrassed by Laughlin.

Her silence is being purchased by this promotion.

shamrock said...

That thought certainly had crossed my mind. Do you have any proof? I would LOVE to expose Bob's lie.

Anonymous said...

Do I have to provide the cover-up on a platter to you?

Sorry...that's the best I can do.

shamrock said...

An accusation posted anonymously on a blog is far from providing a cover-up on a platter. I was just looking for something more to go on than an accusation without any proof....other than the obvious - promotion, big raise, little more than a high school diploma, etc - that could just as easily prove that she donated to Bob's campaign.

Anonymous said...

I know... I was just kidding.

Really I don't know for sure if this is the employee, but a credible source at a recent political event told me the "complainant" had her silence bought with the promise of a promotion.

The next day I pick up the paper in the morning and I see two females being promoted.

A bell goes off and says one of these two were the complainants.

Anonymous said...

Will the truth come out when bob is booted out of office and she loses her job because she is not qualified??

Anonymous said...

Also , Lying on an application is usually grounds for dismisal maybe you should check further into her
claims of college

shamrock said...

In this administration it actually appears that lying is grounds for promotion rather than dismissal.

Anonymous said...

Shamrock, you crack me up!

Anonymous said...

Great, she has an Associates Degree from an online diploma mill, that's worth 84k right? Is it time to vote this Mayor out yet?

shamrock said...

An online diploma mill that is under scrutiny by the securities exchange commission for allowing high school dropouts to attend(........the city press release never mentioned a high school)

To answer your question - 446 days and 1 hour to vote him out.