Case of laid off exempts gets curiouser and curiouser

Because I'm a nosy reporter, I took the time earlier this week to compare the list of exempt employees who were given a pink slip to a list of exempt employees who were hired last year that I received as part of a records request.

Were any of the recent exempt hires fired within months of landing work, I wondered?

Indeed, several of the titles of people hired in the second half of 2009 match the titles of people the Governor's Office said were let go as part of an effort to reduce state spending. But were the people hired between July and December of last year the same people who were laid off?

Good question, you might say.

Keeping in mind that some of the people on the list could have quit instead of being laid off, I sent this query to Governor's Office.

Several of the titles listed on the information sent to us Friday match titles of exempt people who were hired in the last part of 2009. 

I'd like to know if: 
-- the two part time racing stewards hired at the State Racing Commission are the same two racing stewards who were laid off? 

-- the special assistant III at DCA is the same special assistant III at DCA who was laid off? 

-- the division director II at the HED was the same division director II at the HED who was laid off? 

-- the capital projects director at DFA is the same capital projects director at DFA who was laid off? 

-- the executive director at the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is the same executive director at the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing who was laid off? 

-- the staff assistant at the Governor's Office is the same staff assistant at the Governor's Office who was laid off? 

 

I was told that the Governor's Office doesn't have a list of the names of the people who were laid off and thus couldn't answer my question. When I asked whether anyone in the administration could answer the question, I received no reply. 

It looks like more questions than answers remain.