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Board Powerless to Aid Employes, Pritchard Charges Some hearings held by the bu reau of personnel on appeals of state employes who have been dismissed are “a mockery” be cause the board “evidently has no power to do anything about it.” Assemblyman John Pritchard (R. Eau Claire) charged at a legis lative committee hearing Thurs day. Pritchard’s statement came as the joint legislative committee in vestigating dismissals and demo tions at the Industrial School for Girls met with personnel board members and Personnel Director A. J. Opstedal. The committee is investigating charges that Director Frank Klode of the department of public wel fare took retribution on employes at the girls’ school who testified against him during a legislative investigation in 1941. Grace Thomson, girls’ school principal, was demoted and resigned, and Gertrude Thurber, a teacher, was dismissed. Klode’s action in regard to both employes was sustained by the personnel board. ‘Our Power Limited’ “Our power is limited in cases like this,” Bjarne Mjelde, Stough ton, personnel board member, said. ‘We could consider only whether just cause existed. Mr. Klode de termined that a male principal would be preferable at Oregon school and consequently demoted Miss Thomson, who was then serv ing as principal. “Because Miss Thomson stepped down, Mrs. Thurber was released. The school had fewer inmates and the department of public welfare decided that she could most easily be spared.” No charges of incompetence were filed against Miss Thom son, Mjelde admitted, and R. O. Wipperman, also a member of the personnel board, said that public welfare officials had praised her competency. “If your board has no jurisdic tion in cases like this, what is the good of civil service?” Pritchard demanded. “There was no evi dence that Miss Thomson was in competent, and yet you approved her demotion. These hearings are just a mockery if you can’t give the employe any help.” Statute Cited “I don’t want to appear imperti nent,” Mijelde retorted, “but I'd like to point out that the state assures nobody of a job. Perhaps the 400 or 500 persons who were let out in 1939 can assure you of that.” Mjelde and Wipperman pointed out that under the civil service statute the board of personnel can reverse a dismissal or demotion only if it has proof of political or religious prejudice, or that there is no “just cause.” It cannot ques tion the wisdom of policies decid ed upon by the administrators of any departments, they emphasized. “It is true that most people with appeals are disappointed because we don’t have the power they think we have,” Mjelde said. “The determination as to what course is for the best interests of the state rests with department heads and boards. That appeared to us to be the issue in these cases.” Sen. Helmer Lewis (R-Bosco bel), investigating committee chairman, said that “it appears that we have met with the wrong committee.” The legislators soon are expected to seek information from members of the board of pub lic welfare and from Klode.
Newspaper Details
Madison Wisconsin State Journal
Madison, Wisconsin, US
Fri, May 07, 1943
Page 24
Full Page
Clipped by
Brigid O.
USA 13 Oct 2025
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