PA Fish and Boat Commission Search Within Agency

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
16 July 2009
By Deborah Weisberg

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is scrambling to name an interim replacement for executive director Doug Austen, who unexpectedly was demoted Tuesday at the agency's quarterly board meeting.

Austen was removed from the commission's day-to-day operations and reassigned to a job handling federal programming -- a position that didn't exist until Monday. He will retain the title and salary of executive director, at least for the time being, said board president Tom Shetterly of Charleroi.

"This will let him retain his pension and benefits until he finds a new job or we see if this works out," he said.

A hiring freeze is in effect at the commission, with staff in several departments doubling up on work. Shetterly indicated someone within the agency would be named interim "point person," possibly legislative liaison Gary Moore, law enforcement chief Tom Kemerzel or deputy director Brian Barner.

Austen, who joined the commission in 2004 as a former administrator with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said that while he expects to have an impact in his new capacity, he also will be looking for a job outside the commission. An agency source said his yearly salary is in excess of $100,000.

Austen said the commissioners "didn't tell me much" about the reason for the reassignment, but Shetterly, speaking Tuesday night, indicated that Austen wouldn't take direction from the board.

"Obviously, the commissioners want to transition to a new director," said Austen, who called the reassignment a surprise despite repeated clashes with the board the past 18 months and at least one occasion when he came close to being fired until Gov. Ed Rendell intervened.

"If there's a good way to do a transition, this is it," said Austen.

Robb Miller, the governor's advisor on Hunting, Fishing and the Outdoors, expressed "shock and disappointment" about the board's action and said it surprised the governor's staff.

"There was no notice," Miller said. "The board just decided we're doing this and moved immediately to take action. The governor's office felt it had moved toward a collaborative relationship ... and it wasn't being reciprocated. The board wasn't keeping us posted as to their dissatisfaction with Doug."

Although it will be up to the board to select a new executive director, the governor sets the salary, Miller said, praising Austen's communications skills and his approachability.

"My sense is that he will be missed on the Hill, and there's going to be a rather large gap to fill out there," he said. "If the board isn't thinking how they'll proceed, they ought to be."

With an annual operating budget of about $60 million, the Fish and Boat Commission oversees aquatic and reptilian wildlife management and boating in Pennsylvania. Fishing and boating in the state have an estimated economic impact of $3.4 billion annually.