UPDATE: Lottery exec comp time draws rebuke from panel
Director survives dismissal vote
By The Associated Press
This article was originally published September 8, 2010 at 3:23 p.m. Updated September 8, 2010 at 4:32 p.m.
PHOTO BY STEPHEN B. THORNTON
Ernie Passailaigue, executive director of the Arkansas lottery, addresses commissioners Wednesday afternoon during a meeting in Little Rock.
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The Arkansas Lottery Commission voted down a motion to get rid of lottery director Ernie Passailaigue after taking him to task for awarding compensatory time to top executives without the panel’s knowledge.
Panel Chairman Dianne Lamberth told Passailaigue on Wednesday he was “arrogant” to have made the comp-time awards to employees who were exempt from receiving overtime pay.
Commissioners noted that they were criticized during the lottery startup for setting high salaries, a move they justified by citing the time that top-paid workers would spend on the job.
One employee logged 500 hours of comp time, though Passailaigue said she wouldn’t get that much.
In an open meeting before gathering in a private session, the commission agreed to ask the state personnel office to help the lottery bring its employee policies more into line with other state agencies.
Back in open session, Ben Pickard of Searcy moved to terminate Passailaigue and Joe White of Conway provided a second. Pickard and White voted for the motion, but they were the only members to do so and Passailaigue kept his job.
Pickard didn’t give any specific reasons for his motion, saying it speaks for itself.
Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more details.
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quiet4us2 says... September 8, 2010 at 5:13 p.m.
Were y'all aware that some of y'alls president comrade Obozo for the 2nd year in a row will not visit ground zero ? And his excuse is that he hasn't got time. Unbelievable. He had time to visit the Olympics. He had time to fly overseas to try and sway the Olympic committee to bring them to his adopted hometown. (his real hometown is in Kenya). He takes his female to New York quite often for dinner. But he can't take the time to visit or even reconigze over 3000 deaths caused by his friend william jefferson cliton? This clown is a sad sad excuse for a man. November can't get her fast enough for me. And November in 2012 will be even better. We can finally start this year to take our once great and feared country back. God (not allah) bless America.
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