More on Pa game commission / Carl Roe $220,000 Scandal

An agreement between the Pennsylvania Game Commission and its former executive director hastened the director's departure from the wildlife agency by as many as 14 months, according to a document that the eight commission members signed.
The document proposed a $220,000 payment to former director Carl Roe of Carlisle.
The agency called it a “settlement agreement” to avoid litigation, but Gov. Tom Corbett's lawyers said it is an “improper severance agreement.” The June document, obtained by the Tribune-Review, is titled “Agreement and Release.”
Roe could not be reached.
“Although Roe's original plan was to serve until April 2015, in consideration of current circumstances, Roe agrees to retire from the Pennsylvania Game Commission no later than Jan. 31, 2014,” the document reads.
Roe retired on Jan. 17. The document does not detail the “circumstances.”
It doesn't matter what it's called, said Mark Schwartz, a Bryn Mawr lawyer, when asked for his opinion of the document.
“The key words are mutual agreement. It's an agreement. Clearly, they (commissioners) want him out. He's willing to go out for a price,” said Schwartz, former aide to the late House Speaker K. Leroy Irvis, D-Oakland.
“The language is simply window dressing. People don't pay money — let alone double six figures — for no reason.”
Schwartz wondered “why should there be confidentiality? It's public money. Is this a police state?”
Some lawmakers reacted angrily to the Trib's first report of the payout on Friday.
“Outraged at PA Game Commission's attempt to divert funds from sportsmen for secret payment to failed Exec. Director,” Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson County, tweeted on Monday.
“Everybody was saying, ‘What the heck? How did this happen?' ” said Stephen Miskin, House Republican spokesman. “It's emblematic of how the commission has operated the past few years.”
One lawmaker who said the proposed payout “made my blood boil” is filing legislation to cut hunting license fees.
Rep. Brad Roae's message to the commission: Don't ask for a license fee increase, though the last one was 15 years ago. An adult hunting license costs $20.70.
“All the money from the first 10,638 adult hunting licenses sold this season will be needed to pay the $220,000 severance payment,” said Roae, a Republican who lives near Meadville. The bill for which he's gathering co-sponsors would cut license fees by $1.
The Attorney General's Office approved the payment to Roe last year, but the state comptroller “flagged” it, Corbett's office said. The attorney general asked for clarification from the commission.
Brad Bechtel, the Game Commission's chief counsel, said he was not authorized to discuss the document.
“This is just further evidence the commission and its leadership have total disregard for the public trust and the sportsmen they serve,” said Jay Pagni, Corbett's press secretary.
The Game Commission on Friday released a Dec. 26 letter Bechtel sent to the Corbett administration that said the payment to Roe would be a “settlement agreement in lieu of litigation” because Roe threatened legal action. The letter called for communications between the board and Roe to remain “confidential.”

Read more: http://triblive.com/state/pennsylvania/5739861-74/commission-roe-agreement#ixzz2vehLqWYO
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How many of these same politicians are OK with 700,000 being diverted to coyote bounties? Just saying....

Anyways, the more info that comes to light the better for all of us. There are serious changers being levied towards both the ED and certain commissioners. However it plays out, the license buying sportsmen off the state deserve to know the specifics.

"How many of these same politicians are OK with 700,000 being diverted to coyote bounties? Just saying.... "
 
You can "just say" all you want, a coyote bounty doesn't financially pad the pockets of a state agency employee, its not corruption, and its actually intended to do "good" towards our resources.   I happen to support the idea, although even if I didn't, I wouldn't try to draw correlations between the two, as the two issues have zero in common.  I think those wanting a coyote bounty believe its for betterment of management,whether they are right or wrong is debatable.
 
   A "failed" exec director walking off with 220 grand just cant be sugar coated  no matter how one holds their mouth when they say it.

"Anyways, the more info that comes to light the better for all of us. There are serious changers being levied towards both the ED and certain commissioners. "
 
Oh it goes deeper than that friend.  More involved here than just the ED and "certain commissioners".  And those looking into the issues know the process and hierarchy, they aren't idiots. 
 
I have read what some of the pfsc types have said on this.  And if it is determined aside from the obvious ethical disaster here, if there is actual legal wrongdoing, anyone thinking that there is just going to be a few commissioners that some have it in for because they support things that pfsc don't and don't support other things that they do are going to be removed and then everyone will call it a day.... they are completely and totally clueless.  Pgc has made statements trying to distance themselves from the situation, placing any blame, if there is any to be had on the boc and its totally laughable.  The boc were instructed on the course of action by pgc.
 
At any rate, the best thing that could happen at this point would be for the att. generals office to nullify the payment to Roe, making it void due to it not being likely Roe would've ever had a case.  Then if he wants to try to sue, let him have at it. 

wayne c
 
I also don't see where he said anything about the commissioners in that piece.  He spoke of "PA Game Commission's attempt to divert funds."   Very wisely chosen words, as there is no proof of exactly who is most to blame here, and quite possibly some levels of blame to go 'round multiple positions.

 
The commissioners signed the agreement. 

 
"The commissioners signed the agreement. "
 
Absolutely.  But only after being legally coached, "every single step of the way" was the words I was directly quoted straight from a horses mouth.  Though forgive me if I don't divulge which "horse" lol.

Pgcs in house legal counsel was the only thing the board had to rely on to make such a decision.   And they are supposed to be "experts".    Some legal issue mis-steps could potentially cost millions of dollars or even bankrupt the agency.   Its not left up to commissioners to go it alone, who have no knowledge of pgc legal expertise.
 
Kinda like a doctor giving you pills that are know to react with the other medications you are on and cause you a heart attack.   Is the professional doctor to blame?  Or would you be to blame because you decided to take the pills?
 
IF it comes out that the payment is not warranted to avoid litigation, because Roe had no legal recourse for his firing, then pgc themselves are the only ones that can be PROVEN to deserve blame here because the legal team should have known this.  And either they did and gave bad advice, or they didn't know but should have and are guilty of flat out ineptitude.
 
As for commissioners,  I could say I didn't like the commissioners not letting it go to trial anyway, and wanted to see them ignore legal counsel, and offer no payment in leiu of litigation, and that's what I would have liked to have seen occur but that is very debatable as to what truly would be the WISEST course of action for the agency financially.  It would be hard for me to say whether the board themselves did or didn't do the "right" thing.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Well, IMO, it is very hypocritical for a politician to support 700,000 for a coyote bounty that has been proven to not do anything for our wildlife resources then turn around and complain about 220,000 for a legal settlement signed off by the same commissioners that some of these same politicians were championing not too long ago. 

Why is Roe being left go?
Been out of the loop.  Or, is he just getting the blame for the segment of disgruntled hunters out there.
 
Was he under a contract for his term?

I sure hope some of you guys  do NOT think that the commissioners are so hunter friendly....
they have to "answer" to more than just the hunters.... remember who is responsible for the final say on who sits on the board and who doesn't   !!!!    ====   politicians !!!!!

Roe claims to also have evidence of gross wrong doing from some sitting commissioners. 
 
 

wayne c
As deceitful as roe was during his tenure, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could toss'm without real hard evidence.   I would be very curious to hear what he would have to say though, in all fairness.

 
In the interest of fairness, I hope that we find out much more from all of those that have levied accusations about others within the agency. 
 
Not sure how true this is but supposedly some commissioners were pressuring Roe greatly to do their dirty work on doe allocations. Pressure was put on Roe to push staff to recommend lower allocations instead of the commissioners stepping up to the plate and slashing the recommended allocations that were proposed.
 
Question is, if this is true,  why didn't the commissioners that wanted much lower allocations just ammend the recommended allocations to their liking at the BOC meeting. Not enough votes to succeed? Figured that if it was staff making the lower recommendations the other commissioners would go along with it? 
 
Who knows. But I know one thing, this is ugly and getting uglier by the day!

wayne c
Allocations may be a part.   And Im sure it would be more convenient for the boc if suggestions by staff were lowered, so they didn't have to take the heat from environmentalists, farm bureau dcnr etc.  But Im not buying that that's all there was to it.

 
I think there is more to it as well. That was one thing floating around. If it is true it is pathetic instead of standing up and making your case and proposing your ammendments. 
 

It wouldn't explain why all 8 commissioners signed off on getting rid of, and paying Roe 220k?

 
It wouldn't. I tend to believe that all 8 signed under the advise of counsel. Hopefully they did understand the potential affects of what they were signing.
 
 
 

here's the latest from my local senator ==
 
http://www.senatorscarnati.com/statement-on-letter-sent-to-the-pa-game-commission/

Yeah, I see several articles on this today.
 
Governor apparently told the commissioners not to pay the money to roe, and also not to appoint cappoiullez (sp?), and if they had a problem with it, one or all eight of the commissioners should resign their position.
 
Deer hearing tomorrow.    PGC biggest meeting of year in a few weeks.   Still an exec director to be appointed I guess?   Or will they wait and see if Corbett gets voted out and appoint Bill Cap Then?   All kinds of goings ons and questions to be answered.
 
Schlemmer commented that he believed all of this has given the pgc a black eye.   Id say that's the understatement of the year.  The agencies credibility wasn't exactly stellar even long before these latest events.
 

Dr. Trout
Finally getting to see the real BOC now .. a bunch of businessmen and lawyers.... not sportsmen...

As opposed to the legislature who is a bunch of lawyers and businessmen, right?

Who did you think the BOC was?

let's see if I have this right Wayne....
 
 
a lawyer recommends to our club that we stop selling refreshments...
 
we have a vote and everyone decides to do just that stop selling beverages..
 
then some folks complain...
 
according to you it's the lawyers fault.. even though WE voted on it ?????
 
REALLY ???
 

Roe also was to blame.   He was all too willing to accept dirty money.  And given his history at the agency, Im not surprised by it at all.   He was also fired for his failure at the position,

 
I think we have another example of things Wayne makes up.... LOL...
 
who and when was he FIRED !!!!
 
I thought/read  he retired ????  LOL