Worst Week in Raleigh: Angie Sligh

by | May 15, 2015 | Carolina Strategic Analysis, DHHS, Features | 7 comments

This week’s Worst Week in Raleigh award goes to Angie Sligh, a former manager at the state Department of Health and Human Services who is the subject of an audit described in terms like “withering” and “scathing”. The audit, released Wednesday, depicted Sligh as wasting almost $2 million in taxpayer money by giving temporary jobs to unqualified applicants whom she knew personally, and then paying them far too much.

Among the people she hired: four people who attended her church, her daughter, her ex-husband, and her ex-husband’s current wife. Connections to Sligh also resulted in the hiring of her hairdresser’s sister and her neighbor’s daughter. Stuff like this is a clear indication that the “good ‘ol boy” (or girl) network has yet to be dismantled. In addition, Sligh received over 2,000 hours in compensatory time to which she was not entitled, allowing her to inflate her retirement benefits

Waste, nepotism, fraud. Despite this, don’t expect the hammer to come down on Ms. Sligh, whose sly maneuvers to circumvent state law was signed off by superiors. Unethical? Yes. A violation of the public trust? Absolutely. Illegal? No.

The silver lining is that such abuse will hopefully lead to reform across all levels of state government. Let’s hope that comes sooner rather than later. After all, this is our money we’re talking about here.

Angie Sligh, for having to endure a rough week in the spotlight after auditors finally clamped down on your gross fiscal mismanagement, you’re the winner of the Worst Week in Raleigh award. But hey – State Auditor Beth Wood says you’re probably going to be left alone to a peaceful retirement with full benefits. One week of bad publicity, followed by a comfortable retirement. Sounds like a pretty good deal in my book. Congrats, or something.

7 Comments

  1. Homey1

    She is a DEMOCRAT and was appointed by Easley!

  2. orionphotography

    How can I find out if she is going to be indicted?

  3. JC Honeycutt

    Gee, ya think? McCrony has demonstrated over and over again that qualifications don’t matter to him when weighed against past (and presumably future) favors rendered. His appointees have demonstrated a level of incompetence, arrogance and venality that I haven’t seen since I was old enough to take a North Carolina history class, and so far as I can see he hasn’t turned a hair: I guess it’s really hard to fire someone if you have to take your hands out of their pockets first.

  4. Not Surprised

    It’s good to see our Governor doing what he said he would do.
    The time frame for the “waste” and “incompetence” 2011 to 2013 would fall under Bev’s watch.

    • Sally Sue (@SallySueIam)

      A previous audit, released in 2013, found Sligh was one of a dozen DHHS employees who improperly collected nearly $600,000 in overtime while working on NCTracks. On her own, the audit found, Sligh collected about 41 percent of that improper overtime.

      Despite that 2013 report, auditors found DHHS “failed to take steps to prevent and detect abuse and waste of state resources” at the Office of Medicaid Management Information Systems Services, or OMMISS.

      Read more at http://www.wral.com/audit-says-former-nc-tracks-director-wasted-1-6m-hired-family-members/14642559/#TzCXHedHjL5OU1Ui.99

      She didn’t retire until February of this year! DHHS Secretary Aldona Wos knew and didn’t make any changes. She is incompetent and should be terminated.

  5. Randolph Voller

    I concur with “disgusted”. The GOP and our Governor made a lot of hay in the media and ran on cleaning up the proverbial stables yet we see another clear example of “waste” and “incompetence” from the administration.

  6. Groooooovy

    Her ex’s new wife? WTF?

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