Interesting People mailing list archives

Small resigns from Smithsonian


From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:06:58 -0400



Begin forwarded message:

From: John Adams <jadams01 () sprynet com>
Date: March 26, 2007 5:55:56 PM EDT
To: dave () farber net
Subject: For IP: Small resigns from Smithsonian

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2637728120070326

Smithsonian head quits after salary, expenses flap
Mon Mar 26, 2007 4:56PM EDT

By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum and research body, resigned after criticism of his "champagne lifestyle" threatened its funding, board members said on Monday.

Lawrence Small offered his resignation over the weekend, days after the U.S. Senate voted to freeze a $17 million budget increase for the organization unless the board slashed his salary to $400,000, the amount earned by the president of the United States.

<snip>

On top of a steadily escalating salary that reached $885,000 last year, Small has claimed more than $2 million in expenses, according to an internal review made public by the Washington Post.

Among those expenses: $160,000 in office renovations, $273,000 for housekeeping at his Washington home, $2,500 to clean a chandelier at his house and $12,000 to maintain his swimming pool.

Small also claimed $5,700 to fix his house's roof and walls at a time when leaking roofs threatened several Smithsonian museums and one was shuttered due to poor condition, according to the Post.

<snip>

The Washington Post article is also interesting: http:// www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/26/ AR2007032600643.html

Here's the last paragraph, for any poor deluded soul out there who thinks government should be run like business:

Last year, a federal investigation into Fannie Mae's questionable business practices found that Small was prominent among executives who encouraged employees to hit profit targets above all else so that managers, including Small, would receive larger annual bonuses. Regulators say Small advocated tactics that violated generally accepted accounting rules and misled investors.

All the best,

        John A

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