Plot Thickens-WI Sen's Mistress replaced an intern!

[kpete]

http://addins.wkow.com/blogs/scoop/2011/03/state-officials-justify-workers-35-salary-boost
Mon Mar 21, 2011 at 10:03 PM EDT
Plot Thickens-WI Sen's Mistress replaced an intern!

by Rock Strongo
the lead on this story from the start is the Madison, WI ABC affiliate WKOW. They have a new posting tonight:

State officials said a state worker’s expanded duties and her past experience accounted for her thirty five percent salary increase over the pay of the employee who previously held her position.

Officials said Valerie Cass, 26, who sources identified as a woman involved in a relationship with Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac), was hired Feb. 7 by the department of regulation and licensing to a limited term, communciations specialist position at an hourly rate of $20.35. The hourly rate is equivalent to an annual salary of $42,328. Officials said the position was vacated by Robyn Lockett on Jan. 19. Officials said Lockett’s hourly rate was $15.00, equivalent to an annual salary of $31,200.

“Mrs. Cass’s compensation was set based on her professional experience in communications, her degree in journalism and the expansion of job duties to include policy research and analysis,” DRL spokesperson David Carlson wrote in a statement. http://addins.wkow.com/blogs/scoop/2011/03/state-officials-justify-workers-35-salary-boost

But here is the thing that may cause a problem for the Walker administration. It took me two miutes of googling the name Robyn Lockett to discover that she was never an employee at the Department of Regulation and Licensing, but rather she was an intern!

Here is Ms. Lockett's personal web page:
http://robynrlockett.weebly.com/about-me.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/03/21/958822/-Plot-Thickens-WI-Sens-Mistress-replaced-an-intern!

[SpiralHawk]

1. Republicon Family Values. As usual.

Ptoooooey.

[madrchsod]

2. well that is very interesting on many levels....

and that`s all i`ll say about that.

[unc70]

3. "Mrs. Cass"??? Is Valerie Cass also married?

I haven't been following this very closely. This just caught my eye.

A minor point, but if Cass were married, that marriage would have been on the rocks almost immediately. Curious.

[pacalo]

4. I'm not sure I understand. Interns aren't usually paid, yet the Walker admin says that Lockett's

salary was $31k? I'd bet she was paid $0 as an intern & the admin is lying, that in order to make room for Cass, they created this job for her & added $41k to the state budget. They thought no one would notice.