Governor’s Aide Named To Replace Ousted DEC Commissioner

“DEC accounts for approximately 2.5 percent of the New York State workforce subject to executive control,” and yet, “DEC's layoffs will comprise more than 10 percent of the 2,000 positions that the governor plans to eliminate.” - Memo from DEC Commissioner Alexander B. Grannis to Gov. David A. Paterson. The memo says laying off another 209 employees is unfair and disproportionate. Mr. Grannis was fired by the governor’s top aide, Larry Schwartz, after the memo was leaked.

Albany

Gov. David A. Paterson is replacing a Pete with a Peter. On Thursday he announced that his deputy secretary for the environment, Peter M. Iwanowicz, was taking over as acting commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation after the dismissal of Alexander B. Grannis, better known as Pete, according to the New York Times.

Judy SandersPeter M. Iwanowicz

Mr. Iwanowicz, 43, will remain in his current post and hold both positions.

He first joined state government in 2007, when Mr. Grannis named him director of the state Climate Change Office.

Last week, Governor Paterson fired Mr. Grannis after the leaking of a memo warning of dire consequences from the administration’s budget cuts to the department. Mr. Grannis denied he had anything to do with the release of the memo and complained that he was dismissed by Lawrence Schwartz, the governor’s secretary, without ever getting a chance to talk to the governor.

As the governor’s deputy secretary for the environment, a position he assumed in March, Mr. Iwanowicz is responsible for environmental policy matters.

As the first director of the New York State Office of Climate Change, he oversaw the state’s participation in the cap-and-trade program among Northeastern states known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI, pronounced “Reggie.”)

Before joining state government, Mr. Iwanowicz was vice president of the American Lung Association of New York State and also worked for the Albany-based Environmental Advocates of New York.

Alexander B. Grannis in his Albany office in April. He was fired on Thursday October 21, after a memo about cuts in his staff was leaked. (Photo:Mike Groll/Associated Press)

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Governor’s Aide Steps In for Ousted Environment Chief

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DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis Fired Over Leaked Critical Memo

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Internal DEC Memo Warns Governor Against Further Agency Cuts

A Walk In The Park - October 20, 2010

DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis Fired Over Leaked Critical Memo

According the Albany Times Union, the governor’s top aide, Larry Schwartz, called DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis to demand his resignation over a DEC internal memo made public. The leaked memo highlighted consequences of further cuts as a result of Governor Paterson's proposed reductions to an all ready understaffed agency.

”Here I am being called on the carpet for doing what we were supposed to do, for being asked to tell the administration what the cuts they want meant,” Grannis said. “Apparently facts don’t sit well with this administration.”

Paterson spokesperson Morgan Hook confirmed to A Walk In The Park that Mr. Grannis was dismissed and that any other details as to why is a "personal matter and we are not going to get into why we made the decisions that we made. "

Mr. Hook said he expects a replacement to be officially named by the beginning of next week.

This is the second official to leave a top New York State environmental position recently, on September 23, Carol Ash, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) resigned after being appointed in 2007 by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer. Her resignation is effective this month. – Geoffrey Croft

Albany

Pete Grannis, the commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation since 2007, was fired Thursday by Gov. David Paterson. A state source said it was due to “poor performance and insubordination,” according to Capital Confidential.

A front-page story in Tuesday’s Times Union described one likely cause: the leak of a memo sent by DEC to the Budget Division that laid out in stark terms the possible consequences of the planned layoffs of more than 200 agency employees.


Alexander B. Grannis in his Albany office in April. He was fired on Thursday, after a memo about cuts in his staff was leaked. (Photo:Mike Groll/Associated Press)

The unsigned, undated memo warned that fewer polluted sites would be cleaned up, fewer regulators would be available to oversee the potential natural gas drilling boom in the Marcellus Shale, and stocking of game fish could halt.

In order to avoid cuts to programs that protect human health or address immediate environmental damage, the memo suggests the most logical places for deep cuts would be outdoor recreation and sports — including skiing, fishing, hunting, camping and hiking.

“Many of our programs are hanging by a thread. The public would be shocked to learn how thin we are in many areas,” the memo stated. “DEC is in the weakest position that it has been since it was created 40 years ago.”

Paterson spokesman Morgan Hook confirmed the dismissal but would not comment. DEC spokesman Yancey Roy also declined comment.

A long-serving former Assembly member from Manhattan, Grannis was appointed to the top job in DEC by former Gov. Eliot Spitzer in 2007. Grannis’ bio on the DEC’s website notes that he began his career in public service at the agency in the early 1970s, when he worked as a compliance counsel.

Update: In an interview Thursday night with TU environmental reporter Brian Nearing — who wrote the article on the leaked memo — Grannis said that Larry Schwartz, the governor’s top aide, called him about 4 p.m. Wednesday to demand his resignation over the memo becoming public.

”Here I am being called on the carpet for doing what we were supposed to do, for being asked to tell the administration what the cuts they want meant,” Grannis said. “Apparently facts don’t sit well with this administration.”

Read More:

DEC commissioner Pete Grannis fired (updated)
Capitol Confidential - October 21, 2010 - By Casey Seiler

DEC Internal Memo Warns Governor Against Further Cuts
A Walk In The Park - October 20, 2010