Shirley Sherrod's USDA Job Offer: Deputy Director of the Office of Advocacy and Outreach

[sabra]

Source: CBS News

Shirley Sherrod, who was forced to resign from the Department of Agriculture after an out-of-context video of remarks she made were published on a conservative website, is still considering the formal job offer she received from the USDA, she tells CBS News Producer Daniel Steinberger.

The department has offered Sherrod a position titled Deputy Director of the office of advocacy and outreach at the USDA, she says. The offer was delivered in a draft that puts into writing what Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack offered her on the phone last week.

Sherrod said she sat down to read through the offer for the first time this morning, but has not read it in its entirety yet. She still has many questions about the offer before coming to any decision, she said, such as who is the director of the department and whether and how much money is appropriated for the work that should be accomplished in the position.

"I need to have a conversation with someone," Sherrod said, though she was not sure whether she would speak with Vilsack directly.

Sherrod said she hopes to reach a decision by next week.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20011765-503544.html?tag=stack

[mike r]

1. Don't forget to sue Breitbart

[cbdo2007]

2. This sounds like a fake position they created just for her to make her the new watch dog.

Why not just give her her old job back? Rather than create a fake job. These fake jobs are always the first ones cut when budget time rolls around in 6 more months.

[xultar]

5. I don't thing that they will be cutting her from the rolls so quickly though. Sounds like a job

She would be excellent in. Budget is huge because it determines whether or not she woul actually get to help people.

She needs a budget for a pretty sizable staff. I doubt she'll get more than enough for 2 positions and that won't do shit.

Yes they may have created it for her but she can use it for the greater good.

[msanthrope]

19. Was created in 2008 farm Bill.....

http://www.ocio.usda.gov/directives/doc/SM1064-001.htm

[DURHAM D]

7. Sure does and Shirley knows it.

In one of her interviews last week she basically said she wouldn't be a show pony.

She did, however, phrase it more artfully than I just did.

[msanthrope]

16. This isn't a fake job--look at the 2008 farm Bill.

http://www.ocio.usda.gov/directives/doc/SM1064-001.htm

[frylock]

9. yep

[msanthrope]

13. It's not a fake and it is a PROMOTION. It was established under the 2008 Farm Bill.

http://www.ocio.usda.gov/directives/doc/SM1064-001.htm

[24601]

20. I didn't see the promotion part - would it elevate her to the Senior

Executive Service? I was surprised to hear that her old position was only a GS-15. There are also pay scale differences, DC area is near the top but cost of living eats it up quickly.

I'm a civil servant in the middle of a move and it's a LOT of work. We are going from DC to Florida - so I'm getting a pay cut of about 7.5% - the elimination of state income tax doesn't quite make up for it - but gets us close to breaking even.

[msanthrope]

24. Did you read the act? It answers your questions. nt

[24601]

25. I read the Secretary's memo - but didn't see anything defining the

grade - my eyes are blurred at this point. What paragraph is it in?

To be a promotion, the deputy's job should be defined as either Senior Executive Service/SES (no more steps, just a salary range from $119,554 to $179,700) or the Executive Scale - EL 5 (lowest at $147,500) to 1 (highest at $199,700). While the Executive Scale goes higher, they aren't tenured positions and serve at the pleasure of the President. The SES has both career and political appointee jobs.

[msanthrope]

26. I'm sorry you don't understand that a deputy director position is a promotion.

I'm even sorrier, that having been given the proper PL cite, you aren't able to use 'the Internets' to find the information you seek.

[24601]

27. I accept your apology - but reparations would be even better. n/t

[msanthrope]

17. It is NOT a fake position--Read the ACT establishing it--as of 2009/2008 Farm Bill.

http://www.ocio.usda.gov/directives/doc/SM1064-001.htm

[msanthrope]

18. Self delete

[DefenseLawyer]

3. Great question.

How much of a budget does this job you just made up for me to cover your ass actually have?

[xultar]

4. +1

[msanthrope]

14. Lie! Job established under the 2008 farm Bill....

http://www.ocio.usda.gov/directives/doc/SM1064-001.htm

[katandmoon]

6. If they really regretted what they did to her they'd offer her her OLD job back.

Instead they offered her a different job she didn't ask for, with their fingers crossed that she won't take it, so they can forget the whole thing happened while still getting undeserved credit for trying to fix it.

Disgusting.

[unblock]

8. she's in a position to do much more now because she's in the spotlight.

i'm not privvy to the details of the job offer, so i don't know if it's a fluff job or a serious promotion.

i do know that her political capital and media access has dramatically increased because of this incident, and that could be put to good use. the usda would be wise to keep her on in a position where she can very visibly do significant good.

her old job made her largely invisible.

[katandmoon]

10. She deserves and should be offered her OLD job back, if that's what she wants.

It was taken from her based on trumped up evidence. The USDA should have instantly restored it. Why didn't they? Are you really so naive to think the USDA wants to draw attention to what it did to Shirley Sherrod by putting her in a visible position now?

There is nothing less visible in the Federal government than a "deputy" position.

[unblock]

11. she will likely have a bit of media attention no matter what happens

and if she asks for her old job back, i'd be VERY surprised if they didn't give it to her.

they would NOT want her going to the media saying "all i wanted was my old job back but they said blah blah blah so i'm writing a tell-all book instead."

and while i agree that "deputy" positions are not the most visible in general, this is a bit of an unusual case and besides, we have to compare this to her old position, in which she was completely invisible.

the media will be focused on her no matter what, so the usda wouldn't be "drawing attention" to her. the attention is already there.

[katandmoon]

12. She was hardly "invisible" in her previous position.

[msanthrope]

15. This is a Promotion!!!

http://www.ocio.usda.gov/directives/doc/SM1064-001.htm

[DURHAM D]

21. good grief

calm down

If Shirley has questions about the position (salary, staff, location) then I have questions.

[katandmoon]

22. Maybe you aren't familiar with the typical "kick 'em upstairs" govt. promotion - but I've seen

plenty of them in my long govt. career. A deputy position is the typical choice for a "promotion" of an employee who needs to be gotten out of the way for whatever reason, but whom it would be political suicide to fire for whatever reason (not uncommonly, because the employee is female, a minority, or both). Trust me - a government deputy position looks MUCH better on paper than it really is. Deputies have ZERO autonomy, they exist solely to take boring meetings for the boss, travel to hell holes the boss doesn't want to travel to, referee employee disputes, etc. - in short, it's a crap job for somebody like Shirley Sherrod, who was previously a director and who no doubt had a deputy director of her own.

[msanthrope]

23. So, you aren't a deputy, or anywhere near it.

In your "long government career," you've failed to score even a 'kick 'em upstairs' promotion.

What does that say for you?