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September 18, 2003
Departing G&F director's story unravels
By MIKE STARK, Gazette Wyoming Bureau And Associated Press
The transition between two high-profile jobs turned suddenly awkward for the director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, who abruptly resigned Wednesday, two weeks earlier than expected.
Brent Manning, the department's director for the last six months, announced Tuesday that he would leave his post at the end of the month to take the director's job at the DuPage County Forest Preserve District in suburban Chicago.
But media reports in Chicago questioned Manning's intentions when he took the Wyoming job.
The reports said Manning had accepted the position three weeks ago -- even though he had told Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal he was still thinking about the offer until this week.
The reports also said Manning, who last worked as the head of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, never completely moved his family from Illinois to Wyoming when Freudenthal appointed him in March.
The governor's office made some telephone calls Wednesday morning "to determine the veracity of the press accounts," according to Lara Azar, the governor's press secretary.
"We determined there was reason to ask for an immediate meeting with Brent," she said.
The two met behind closed doors for about 15 minutes. When it was over, Manning had agreed to resign immediately.
"If the press accounts do relate the way it happened, then the governor is disappointed and angry," Azar said.
Manning could not be reached for comment Wednesday. He had cleared out of his office by the afternoon.
In his announcement Tuesday, Manning said the primary factor in taking the job in Illinois was the health of his parents who live there.
"It's a decision that has been extremely difficult for me," he said in a statement. "My parents have significant health concerns and that is the largest single factor in my decision to go back to Illinois."
In an interview earlier this week, Manning said he had intended on staying at the Wyoming job until he retired. Freudenthal said Tuesday that he never had any inclination that Manning's stay in Wyoming would be temporary.
Freudenthal said he was angry when he heard about the media reports later in the day.
"We have tried to conduct ourselves in a professional manner and respond to what we thought was a family problem," Freudenthal told the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle on Tuesday night. "I'm both angry and disappointed. But I don't intend to waste any more time on him.
"All I can do is control the way I conduct myself. If it's true, I'm glad he's gone. I'm moving on and I suggest we all do that."
Manning's clumsy departure from Wyoming caps weeks of speculation and reports about his future in the state.
In late August, word leaked out that Manning had been offered the DuPage County job and that his name was to be kept secret until the forest district's commission voted on his contract Tuesday.
After press reports and inquiries, Manning told employees on Aug. 28 that he was still undecided about the job offer but that he expected to make a decision within a couple weeks.
But in a Chicago Daily Herald report today, the forest district's president said Manning became a finalist for the job in July and signed a contract with the district three weeks ago. Manning, according to the district president, asked the district to keep his hiring a secret until he told Freudenthal, the newspaper reported.
The DuPage job will give Manning a significant salary boost, jumping from the $90,000 a year salary in Wyoming to about $150,000 per year. He was also reportedly given a $5,000 stipend to relocate his family from Springfield, Ill.
Freudenthal is expected to appoint an interim director of the Game and Fish Department in the coming weeks. State officials will then begin the process of finding a permanent replacement for Manning.
Despite his short tenure at his job in Wyoming, Manning's new employer expects him to stick around.
"He wants to stay with us," Dewey Pierotti, the DuPage forest president, told the Chicago newspaper. "He will be here until retirement. We asked him very specifically about that."
Departing G&F director's story unravels
By MIKE STARK, Gazette Wyoming Bureau And Associated Press
The transition between two high-profile jobs turned suddenly awkward for the director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, who abruptly resigned Wednesday, two weeks earlier than expected.
Brent Manning, the department's director for the last six months, announced Tuesday that he would leave his post at the end of the month to take the director's job at the DuPage County Forest Preserve District in suburban Chicago.
But media reports in Chicago questioned Manning's intentions when he took the Wyoming job.
The reports said Manning had accepted the position three weeks ago -- even though he had told Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal he was still thinking about the offer until this week.
The reports also said Manning, who last worked as the head of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, never completely moved his family from Illinois to Wyoming when Freudenthal appointed him in March.
The governor's office made some telephone calls Wednesday morning "to determine the veracity of the press accounts," according to Lara Azar, the governor's press secretary.
"We determined there was reason to ask for an immediate meeting with Brent," she said.
The two met behind closed doors for about 15 minutes. When it was over, Manning had agreed to resign immediately.
"If the press accounts do relate the way it happened, then the governor is disappointed and angry," Azar said.
Manning could not be reached for comment Wednesday. He had cleared out of his office by the afternoon.
In his announcement Tuesday, Manning said the primary factor in taking the job in Illinois was the health of his parents who live there.
"It's a decision that has been extremely difficult for me," he said in a statement. "My parents have significant health concerns and that is the largest single factor in my decision to go back to Illinois."
In an interview earlier this week, Manning said he had intended on staying at the Wyoming job until he retired. Freudenthal said Tuesday that he never had any inclination that Manning's stay in Wyoming would be temporary.
Freudenthal said he was angry when he heard about the media reports later in the day.
"We have tried to conduct ourselves in a professional manner and respond to what we thought was a family problem," Freudenthal told the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle on Tuesday night. "I'm both angry and disappointed. But I don't intend to waste any more time on him.
"All I can do is control the way I conduct myself. If it's true, I'm glad he's gone. I'm moving on and I suggest we all do that."
Manning's clumsy departure from Wyoming caps weeks of speculation and reports about his future in the state.
In late August, word leaked out that Manning had been offered the DuPage County job and that his name was to be kept secret until the forest district's commission voted on his contract Tuesday.
After press reports and inquiries, Manning told employees on Aug. 28 that he was still undecided about the job offer but that he expected to make a decision within a couple weeks.
But in a Chicago Daily Herald report today, the forest district's president said Manning became a finalist for the job in July and signed a contract with the district three weeks ago. Manning, according to the district president, asked the district to keep his hiring a secret until he told Freudenthal, the newspaper reported.
The DuPage job will give Manning a significant salary boost, jumping from the $90,000 a year salary in Wyoming to about $150,000 per year. He was also reportedly given a $5,000 stipend to relocate his family from Springfield, Ill.
Freudenthal is expected to appoint an interim director of the Game and Fish Department in the coming weeks. State officials will then begin the process of finding a permanent replacement for Manning.
Despite his short tenure at his job in Wyoming, Manning's new employer expects him to stick around.
"He wants to stay with us," Dewey Pierotti, the DuPage forest president, told the Chicago newspaper. "He will be here until retirement. We asked him very specifically about that."
