The former executive administrator of the State Health Plan, who was abruptly fired last week, challenged his removal in a letter released today.
George C. Stokes said the two legislative leaders who effectively fired him gave "invalid, inaccurate and misleading" about the plan's finances, and failed to follow proper procedure in removing him from the position, Dan Kane reports.
"I know for certain that the State Health Plan was in no jeopardy whatsoever and there was absolutely no need for the precipitous action they took," Stokes said in the letter, which was released by his attorney, James E. Ferguson II of Charlotte.
Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand and House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman caused Stokes to be fired after sending a letter to state Insurance Commissioner Jim Long seeking Stokes' removal. The two leaders said that they had received information showing that the plan's finances had swung from $50 million in the black to $65 million in the red.
They said the change in the plan's fortunes could mean higher premiums for those on the plan next year. They also said that legislative staff had a difficult time getting information about the plan's finances.
More after the jump.
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Long called Stokes and fired him. A spokeswoman for Long said he had little choice under the law governing the plan's operations.
The plan serves nearly 650,000 state employees, teachers, retirees and their dependents. Stokes, 61, had been the executive administrator for three years and made $167,872 a year.
Stokes said in the letter that Long's call was the first Stokes had learned anything was considered awry, and his firing left him "shocked and appalled."
"I could not believe that after three years in my position, where I had operated within my General Assembly budgetary allocation every biennium, I was being notified that I was being removed," he said. "I felt then, as I feel now, that I was being dealt with in a high-handed, unprofessional, unfair and inappropriate fashion."
He also said his firing violated state law. He said Long could only remove him after receiving advice from the executive committee of the Committee on Employee Hospital Medical Benefits. "To my knowledge, no such executive committee has existed and functioned during my tenure," Stokes said.
He said his lawyer is working with Long to try to rectify "the wrongs that have been done without going through the costly and cumbersome process of litigation."
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ElectriCities CEO Jesse Tilton Under Fire
http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/local/content/news/stories/2008/07/13/electricities.html
Here is the story but there is MORE
Too Bad Rand and Holliman cannot make this call.
WE NEED TO SEE SENIOR MANAGEMENT OUTRAGEOUS SALARY INCREASES NOW.
We are people with small business who want leadership and accountability. No CEO screws up like this and sits around screwing up more.
What are the staff salaries and the timing of big raises so we can see if Tilton was jacking their salary up so he could get his jacked up. The top management makes a couple million dollars. Clay Norris got 60% in increases over 5 years. People rolled in from Progress Energy and got big raises when Progress Energy let them go. Current staff have provided documentation on this - did you get the records on the millions for staff salary and increases?
Have any legislators turned in their PAC money? Seems like that would be a no brainer because of the stigma of taking money from this place now.
We need the communications with the rating agencies too. What did ElectriCities tell them and the Board and the power agency and when? The story has changed constantly. The bonds were rated ok because of the fact that ElectriCities said 9-10% increase but then suddenly 14%.
Anyone actually able to cite hospitals or airports who did this refinancing that is as screwed up as this one? Seems everyone is hiding behind the excuse “everyone did it” so we are not alone. Pretty flaky argument to tell people in cities.
I will gladly save 2% on the 14% if that is the REAL number, with someone who knows how to refinance properly and keeps the public informed. What is the issue here - these people act as if this is not the business of the people.