Mitch Roob, who you might remember from such public sector cautionary tales as “Privatizing Welfare Eligibility Determinations” and “Phantom Economic Development Jobs,” and “Indiana Doesn’t Do Studies, It Does Deals (Just Not Very Well)” is, at long last, leaving Indiana state government for the private sector. His long tenure in the Daniels administration raised questions about what video he might have of live boys or dead girls. Now, the world may never know.
Roob is leaving to cash in (one presumes) with “WoundVision” which is either a healthcare company or a producer of snuff films.
I dreamed I saw Mitch Roob last night,
In private business like you or me
Says I, “But Mitch, you’re seven years in the government,”
“I never was,” says he.
“I never was,” says he.“In Indianapolis, Mitch,” says I to him,
Him standing by my bed,
“They said you were workin’ for the FSSA,”
Says Mitch, “But I ain’t a public servant,”
Says Mitch, “But I ain’t a public servant.”“The Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Mitch,
They paid you, Mitch,” says I.
“Takes more than a government paycheck to buy a man,”
Says Mitch, “I didn’t serve,”
Says Mitch, “I didn’t serve.”And standing there as big as life
And smiling with his eyes
Says Mitch, “What they forgot to buy
Went on to privatize,
Went on to privatize.”
How Mitch Roob continually was awarded high level positions in state governent is one of the biggest mysteries ever.
No doubt it was loyalty, the governor’s number one requirement.
Paul is correct– hence the theory doug references about his possession of “glossies.”
Doug–great post!
Mitch Roob and Mitch Daniels are like two peas in a pod. Roob was willing to be rude, pushy, obnoxious, arrogant, etc., to get privatization of several FSSA services “accomplished.” It doesn’t matter that the privatization was a disaster, the results of which may end up costing Hoosiers millions. Daniels and Roob could simply say that their mess was better than the one the agency was in before.
Roob’s position at IEDC was a move to get the heat off him from the FSSA debacle. Should he have simply resigned from state goverment altogether once the FSSA project failed? Yup, but why do that when there was a job at IEDC that apparently required little actual work yet had a salary in the low six figures? If you’re the sort of person who wants a job with decent pay but not too much hard work, just get yourself appointed to head a state agency under the Daniels administration. You can eff up royally, be a complete jackass, and drive around town in an Escalade. To top it off, when you finally do decide to leave–or when you get quietly pushed out before the next scandal breaks–the governor will call you a patriot. Nice work, if you can get it.
Additionally, I think that the nature of Roob’s relationship with Daniels should be fairly obvious.