PEER determined that with the exception of the Board chairman, Mary Lawrence Gervin did not inform any other State Personnel Board members of her intended resignation until the board’s January 16, 1989, meeting. At that same meeting, the board appointed Dr. Max H. McDaniel as State Personnel Director. Although the board followed the letter of the state personnel law in appointing Dr. McDaniel, it failed to “represent the public interest in the improvement of personnel administration in the state departments” by making a noncompetitive appointment. The board’s use of an open and competitive process to select a new State Personnel Director would have set a good example for other state agencies to follow.
For a paper copy of this report, contact PEER by telephone at 601-359-1226 or by e-mail at reports@peer.ms.gov.