Niki Kelly, writing for the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette has an article on BMV bad boy, Joel Silverman as part of the Journal Gazette’s ongoing series about changes in state government under the Daniels administration.
To say he is a political newbie is an understatement. At one luncheon near the beginning of Daniels’ term, Silverman had to ask what several lawmakers meant when they were discussing the Lincoln Day dinner circuit – a staple of Republican politics.
Besides closures, some of the most notable changes implemented by Silverman include removing clocks from the branches, aligning chairs so they face each other, instituting uniforms and putting real-time cameras in about 25 branches, with more to come.
The cameras help keep an eye on how busy the branches are as well as provide an incentive for employees to behave. Since they have been added at a cost of about $200 each, several cameras have caught instances of fraud.
Silverman has also removed the fee for performing transactions online and instituted reviews for employees. He is now embarking on an education campaign to let people know they should avoid the branches on Tuesdays, which have 50 percent more business than other days.
I got a wonkish chuckle when the article mentioned that despite all the heat he has been willing to take, Silverman didn’t want any part of the license plate debate.
By closing branches around the Fort Wayne area, I spent 3 1/2 hours waiting and processing for plates. Taking clocks out doesn’t work, people do have watches and cell phones. Setting across from people and listening to them talk for 3 hours is enough to start a riot. Who cares about camera’s and what the employees are doing just get the job done in less than 1hour. Get over yourselves and treat us with respect. Most of us have real jobs and don’t have 2-3 hours to spend setting around starring at other people.