I've been reconsidering the Schwangate story recently. I stated earlier I thought the outrage at Munson was overblown and unwarranted, but I've been reconsidering some of the arguments out there, especially by Belfrage. He stated earlier that I had "entirely missed the point" in Randell Beck's column on Schwangate:
Beck's complaint is that the Munson Kool-aid Krowd (those who steadfastly support Munson in the face of overwhelming proof of mismanagement) are among those complaining the most loudly over Schwan's appointment. They seem to be surprised by the whole fiasco. Beck is not defending the appointment, nor does he say the story has been blown out of proportion.
After rethinking what has happened (I know I'm waffling here), I'm finding myself in agreement with Belfrage. What stood out to me in Beck's column, and thus generated my comment, was his argument that Schwan was receiving a salary below what your average CEO would make. To me this suggested that the outrage of $98,000 a year for her position was hardly worth the animosity towards the mayor.
But, Belfrage's earlier post also argued something I hadn't considered: that Schwan's qualifications didn't warrent her chief of staff appointment or salary. Excerpt:
Munson has said the city cannot draw good people without paying an adequate salary. No argument there. However, Schwan was already in the market and working for considerably less. Broadcasters with Schwan's level of experience generally make about $30,000. There just wasn't a compelling need for Munson to offer her such a high salary. Her experience certainly doesn't warrant it. Unfortunately, Schwan wouldn't have merited the position even had she been offered the base minimum of $72,000.
I had been thinking about this fiasco in the entirely wrong way. I had felt that, on the basis of comparative salaries, Munson had a "compelling need" to offer Schwan $98K a year. Unfortunately for myself, I hadn't considered all the angles of Schwangate before I voiced an opinion on it. As an outside observer to this story, I don't have to live with Munson's decisions; the people of Sioux Falls do. If I were in their position, with Munson's past track record and this current controversy, I would certainly see reason enough to criticize Munson's decision.
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