Joyce Wood

Joyce Wood, Secretary PO Box 667 Alfred, ME 04002-0667 alfselectmen@adelphia.net

Wood: Where it goes from here is up to the legislature, governor
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,t presume we have the ultimate answer to all the problems," said commission member Joyce Wood of Bonne Terre. political debate will occur on the things we suggested.
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Wood said that requiring a budget every other year instead of annually would conserve state resources and encourage long-term planning.

are working on last year#039,s budget, next year's budget and the current year," said Wood, a certified public accountant. ount of time finalizing the annual budget.#8221,

Wood said she was favorably impressed with the quality of employees who worked with the commission, but she doesn't believe the current merit system ensures that the best employees keep their jobs during budget cuts.A system called 'bumping' gives directors very little control over personnel when there are mandated cuts, she said.

,s say you have a 'superstar' who has only been there a year and a (comparable) position is eliminated in another department," Wood explained. ion is cut has more seniority, that person can bump the superstar out of the job.

#8220The merit system works in a lot of ways, and it#039,s better than patronage, but they need to go back and restructure it."

The commission held public meetings during the summer, then met to discuss concerns and suggestions raised at those gatherings.Wood said that state employees from different departments attended nearly every hearing and provided suggestions to improve service.However, focusing on service is difficult when dealing with budget restraints, and politics compounds that difficulty, Wood pointed out.

y to impose management science on state government, you can#039,t rule out the politics of government," she said. nd the political test.#8221,

With the filing of the report, the commission has fulfilled its mandate.Wood said she enjoyed serving on the commission.

I feel very fortunate to have had,#8221, she said. ,ll see if some of the areas get changed for the better."

"There's a finite resource here, and it's a matter of how you allocate it," said commission member Joyce Wood, a retiree who lives in Bonne Terre, south of St. Louis.