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This letter pertains to recent news regarding the letter of no confidence involving Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS) employees versus its director, Bobbi Johnson.
In reply to the Press Herald’s article on Dec. 19, 2024, among other reports, it’s very disturbing that no progress or meaningful headway seemingly occurred for addressing this department’s many chronic failures, ills, etc. These recurring bureaucratic failures are neither OK nor acceptable. Unfortunately, it’s obvious to me that recurring problems aren’t being adequately addressed nor resolved. It’s alarming that this continues unabated. Why is there an apparent lack of concern by this administration?
Additionally, why have the Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee (GOC) and Health and Human Services Committee seemingly not made substantive progress and taken meaningful action? Additionally, why wasn’t this addressed by our state representatives? Legislative leadership seems to be part of the problem.
Going forward, it’s absolutely imperative that meaningful progress occurs by the GOC, including by Sen. Craig Hickman and Rep. Anne-Marie Mastraccio, co-chairs of the GOC, to address and resolve this department’s many programmatic failures and shortcomings. Further, Mainers’ taxpayer funds shouldn’t ever be wasted, including for recurring departmental issues. Also, let’s not continue to put our vulnerable children at risk from any further harm.
Lastly, it’s absolutely 100 percent imperative that the Maine Legislature, its Government Oversight Committee (GOC) and Health and Human Services Committee get very serious in addressing and resolving this department’s many chronic shortcomings and recurring systemic failures. Let’s get after it to fix this in this new year. Think about it.
David Hall
Cornish
