How do you become a political appointee?
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Anonymous
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I work in an office where there are a few, but I'm low-level enough (and fairly new) that I don't know how this works. Are they people who volunteered on the campaign and then someone shops their resume around for jobs they qualify for? Is there an interview process, or are they just slotted for a job? Is it just assumed that those who work on a campaign want these positions, or do they have to let someone know that they want a job?
I'm asking about both higher level (but not high enough to need a Congressional appointment) and very junior positions. I'm career, but I'm just curious about the process and how these people seem to pop up. They all do seem qualified for their jobs; I have no issues with them - just curious. Also, once they are appointees (or maybe before?) are they expected to give money and to campaign? I heard a rumor that they need to resign after each presidential election, even if their party wins, and then they will be reappointed, as appropriate - true? |
Anonymous
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When I worked at a federal agency here, there was a book known as the "Plum Book" which was stuffed with resumes of people seeking political appointments. Of the people who were appointed, some were well-connected, some were well-qualified (having worked in the private sector at high level positions in that particular field), and some had raised a lot of money for the campaign. In generally, the better-qualified people got the Assistant Secretary and Under Secretary jobs. The money-raisers got the Deputy Assistant Secretary jobs.
We also got a "speech writer" who was connected to a big deal in Congress, except he couldn't write his way out of a paper bag so us staff ended up doing the speeches for him. There are also the Special Assistant jobs, generally GS-15s but by appointment not promotion. These tend to be younger folks, in their late 20s and 30s, without a long career record, who often seemed well-connected. And I will refrain from mentioning the details about one special assistant who, it was rumored, had slept with a key campaign person.... |
Anonymous
| How much are political appointees paid? Aren't they out of the GS scale? |
Anonymous
Special Assistants, which are pretty much the lowest form of political appointee, are generally GS-15 (and I can say this because I was a Special Assistant although I came up as a career fed). The higher ones, starting at DAS in our agency, are paid on a different scale, I don't believe it was SES, but it wasn't all that much money. |
Anonymous
Wow, didn't know this. The lowest-level equivalent appointees are GS-15 equivalent? Even in agencies like Education and Labor? That's very good money for those fields. |
Anonymous
| No, not all "Schedule C" positions are GS-15. There are some at low GS levels. Some agencies have none of these positions, some have some. |
Anonymous
| My DH was an appointee about 10 years ago. Was already working in the goverent and went to an agency. Was SES but took a slight pay cut for the job. He did not give or raise money but did work on the transition team. |
Anonymous
| There is a reason they say that these people "serve". You don't take these jobs for the money. Often they can be stepping stones to the big money jobs though. |
Anonymous
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Read the plum book, there are many low level schedule c that get paid gs-11 equivalent. We have a few in my office, usually college grads who worked on the campaign or kids or someone important.
My favorite schedule c from the plum book is Kerri Strug. I think she works at the Department of Justice now. |
Anonymous
| I met a woman once whose job was managing the State Department's art collection used to decorate embassies. She of course had to travel extensively to "evaluate needs." I did not ask her who she slept with to get this job. |
Anonymous
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The 2008 Plum Book:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-PLUMBOOK-2008/content-detail.html Seems like the new one should come out soon. |