October 06, 2005

Is Stewart Simonson qualified to lead our pandemic response?

In the case of a pandemic, the person directly responsible for the response would appear to be Stewart Simonson. He's the Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness in the Department of Health and Human Services.

From his bio:

From 2001-2003, he was the HHS Deputy General Counsel and provided legal advice and counsel to the Secretary on public health preparedness matters. Prior to joining HHS, Simonson served as corporate secretary and counsel for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK).

From 1995-1999, Simonson was Legal Counsel to Wisconsin Governor Tommy G. Thompson. In the Governor's Office, Simonson also directed policy development for crime and corrections and coordinated the state's public safety agencies.

Simonson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1986 and Juris Doctor degree in 1994. He is a member of the bar in Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

He's obviously qualified if we have an outbreak of litigation. But, other than the supposed coordination of "public safety agencies", he doesn't sound like a medically-focused wonk to me.

More in "Unqualified Crony in Charge of Pandemic Response".

Someone should start taking a look at all the people in important posts and determine whether they're really qualified for the jobs they hold.

Posted to Politics at October 6, 2005 05:54 AM

Comments

It should be clear by now that there are jobs and then there are positions -- figureheads. Most of the 'jobs' you hear about in Washington are positions -- more PR and delegation than actual work requiring specific expertise.

Posted by: eh at October 6, 2005 07:52 AM