Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

McDermid for Secretary of Administration

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by

James A. Bacon
in

Lyn McDermid

The latest Glenn Youngkin appointment: Lyn McDermid as Secretary of Administration. Ordinarily, that is a low-key position. But, according to the press release, Youngkin is entrusting her with several high-profile tasks: revamping Virginia’s cyber-security system, fixing the Department of Motor Vehicles, repairing the Virginia Employment Commission, and the old chestnut, “root[ing] out waste, fraud and abuse.”

McDermid has IT credentials out the wazoo — most notably, she served as chief information officer for the Federal Reserve Bank between 2013 and 2020 — and she is highly respected in the Richmond business community.

There is one small but telling detail in the press release, which lists McDermid’s many affiliations by name, and mentions that she had served as chief information officer at an unnamed “Richmond based Fortune 500 company.” That company was Dominion Energy. Is Team Youngkin trying to distance itself from the company, which was the architect behind the Virginia Clean Economy Act and its goal of a zero-carbon electric grid? Stay tuned.

— JAB

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25 responses to “McDermid for Secretary of Administration”

  1. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    Last time I checked, DMV was under the Secretary of Transportation. And what about DMV is “broken” that needs fixing?

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      yeah, I think if the idea is that she is going to revamp those agencies under someone else’s cabinet head authority… sounds dicey…

      To the extent that Youngkin might want to have a more business-orientation in how the State operates, I like that but I dunno about having a wild-card person traipsing through other Cabinets hierarchies – although the common thread seems to be to get them modernized with respect to internet working.

      And I agree with Dick on DMV. I’m not sure what is really “broke” – they are far more advanced in computerization and networking that many other state agencies…. and though I abhor taking a number and sitting in a chair waiting to be called, I dunno that , that is the same problem that VEC is having.

      Maybe he can have her go and tell VDOT how to not have I-95 problems like they had the other day?

      😉

    2. VaPragamtist Avatar
      VaPragamtist

      You’ll have to forgive the transition team. The campaign-turned-transition consultants are apparently still learning the basics of Virginia government.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        well, basic government. Normally, you appoint a cabinet head and then that person has purview over that agency and answers directly to the Gov.

        You don’t have some employees in your agency being directed by someone outside that agency unless you want chaos.

        We have to wait a bit to see if this really is how Youngkin thinks things actually work.

    3. vicnicholls Avatar
      vicnicholls

      You don’t know? Wow.

  2. VaPragamtist Avatar
    VaPragamtist

    Of the 14 appointees announced, 13 are white, only 1 is a minority. 9 are men, while 5 are women. Most come from the private sector, nearly all from either northern Virginia or out-of-state.

    I only mention this because an easy, early attack from opponents will inevitably be a lack of diversity in the administration. When Governor Youngkin has his weekly cabinet meetings, will he have the value of varying perspectives representing the diverse demographics, regions, and backgrounds of Virginia?

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      well, yes…. started off good with the AG and LtGov… 😉

      1. how_it_works Avatar
        how_it_works

        I see that your power is finally back on.

        1. LarrytheG Avatar
          LarrytheG

          yes.. and lucky, still more than 40,000 without power in my region – blame it on Northam and VDOT I guess… 😉

          https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/14808fcd212a921d637f59a239814997a03507f6d40f3cc17e54b051c4cc7b63.jpg

    2. vicnicholls Avatar
      vicnicholls

      When white liberals presume to know how the minorities live, rather than living with them, presumptuous don’t you think?

    3. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Thnaks for the ammo.

  3. Stephen Haner Avatar
    Stephen Haner

    Well, if ties to Dominion were a disqualification, would Richard Cullen from McGuire Woods be named as the Governor’s legal counsel? So far a fascinating mix of Richmond Main Street and outsiders with limited Virginia experience….

    DMV and VEC are customer service disasters. Perhaps the solutions are better IT, and the IT at VEC clearly collapsed, but IMHO step one is restore and emphasis simple customer service as Job One.

    1. Nancy Naive Avatar
      Nancy Naive

      Look what better IT has done for banks, brokers, etc. There is NOTHING that is done at DMV that cannot be done on an iPhone with AirPrint — for receipts, 30-day tags, and temporary licenses until FedEx delivers the permanent one.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        re: “nothing”… in theory, yes. In practice, I’ll give an example. The IRS says you can now access a lot more taxpayer information by creating an account. But getting validated as THE taxpayer is challenging. It uses an Experian ID “proofing” which is fairly rigorous (and needs to be IMHO).

        So, take that REAL ID – in theory can do online, but:

        ” In order to get the Real ID, here’s what you have to have:

        “a birth certificate or unexpired passport
        your Social Security card or a W-2 form that will have your Social Security number on it
        two things that can establish residency, such as:
        an existing driver’s license
        a voter ID
        utility bill
        mortgage or leasing agreement
        As far as the most common mistake the DMV sees people committing, Brubaker says name changes are causing problems.

        “If you’re bringing your birth certificate and you’ve been married, your birth certificate probably has your maiden name on it where your current legal name is your married name, so you need to show how your name has changed to your current legal name, so you’ll need to bring your marriage certificate with you,” she said.”

        https://www.wtkr.com/2019/07/26/heres-what-you-need-to-get-a-real-id-in-virginia/

        How would you “present” these documents online and who on the other end would validate them as legitimate and not forged?

        https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/drivers/#real_id.asp

        1. Nancy Naive Avatar
          Nancy Naive

          I should hope a birth certificate has the maiden name… but this is Virginia and wouldn’t surprise me if maiden and married names were the same.

          I opened our SSA and IRS accounts online. For me, everything went like clockwork, but we had to go to the SSA office for the spousal unit. Waited 45 minutes for 3 minutes window time.

          And YES, you have access to a whole world of tax info, but I still file by paper. I refuse to divulge info to H&R Block and ilk just for online filing. Besides, I always like to put a smiley face sticer on the envelope.

          1. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            Well.. Block and company are not the only ones that have your private data unless you don’ bank or credit card either! ;-)…. that’s the problem the IRS and SSA have… once someone else hacks into a commercial computer system and ‘harvests” the acct info. Even OPM had a breach! No?

          2. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            My wife, daughter, and my data were breached at OPM when they got my data.

          3. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            and mine also…. and again at places like Home Depot and others…

            Big issue at IRS is identity theft and use of stolen SS numbers… More and more people are being issued Identity Theft pins that (I think) lets the IRS verify a correct identity when filing….

            Taxpayers are advised to file even if they do not have to – to protect their SSN from being used by others.

            Cyber-security is a big burgeoning industry these days – for those kids who are stuck in SW Va or just don’t know what they want to do when they grow up!

          4. Nancy Naive Avatar
            Nancy Naive

            Another 10 years and all the immigration laws will be moot since anyone showing up at the border will have a complete set of authentic US documents.

    2. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
      Dick Hall-Sizemore

      I disagree that DMV is a “customer service disaster.” It was the first DMV agency in the country to allow on-line transactions. It was the first agency in the country to set up a system in which customers were able to sit in chairs and wait for their number to be called. (Would you rather be standing in line?) It handles all sorts of transactions for residents of Virginia–
      hunting and fishing licenses; E-ZPass transponders for toll collection; copies of birth certificates, death certificates, marriage and divorce records; allowing students at many schools to take their knowledge
      driving tests remotely; and voter registration.

      It enables customers to access about 60 different transactions on-line. Its response time to on-line transactions is not quite as quick as Amazon’s, but it is close. Whenever I use it, I usually receive my license tag renewal, or whatever, in a few days. Even when I renewed my driver’s license in person during the pandemic, the wait was short and the procedure smooth. (I had to do it in person because I was upgrading to the new secure license that I can use to board airplanes. Otherwise, I could have done it on-line, like my wife did.)

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        Ditto for me also… Perhaps those who say it is a disaster should give examples?

      2. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        I do have one overall complaint and that is for the things we cannot do online – the closes DMV to me under “normal” conditions is at least an hour wait, sometimes longer, but they do tell you this and I often turn around if it’s too long.

        It impresses me (not in a good way) that they have to have security officers present ….. there always seems to be a few who require that need.

        I’ve been told by a friend who deals in vehicles that the “secret” is to go to a more rural DMV service site and the wait time is often non-existent…..

        We also have once or twice a year – a DMV mobile unit that comes to the county and I have used them for something I could not do online… I think it was to get my Real ID paperwork vetted.

  4. Nancy Naive Avatar
    Nancy Naive

    “Is Team Youngkin trying to distance itself from the company, which was the architect behind the Virginia Clean Economy Act and its goal of a zero-carbon electric grid? Stay tuned.”

    Not mentioning them by name is NOT distancing themselves.

    Not hiring from them is distancing themselves.

    Hiring from them and not mentioning them by name is called subterfuge.

  5. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
    Dick Hall-Sizemore

    The Secretary of Administration indeed used to be a low-key position. The secretariat includes agencies that did not seem to fit anywhere else in the Cabinet structure and usually had a low public profile.

    The largest agency used to be the Dept. of General Services. It is responsible for the procurement policy of the Commonwealth, oversees the capital construction process, runs the state’s Consolidated Lab, among various other tasks.

    Also included in the secretariat is the Compensation Board, which dispenses money to the local constitutional officers.

    The Department of Elections, another agency in the secretariat, used to be a quiet agency, but now is a lightning rod for controversy.

    Of course, the Virginia Employment Commission’s recent troubles provide a challenge to the new secretary. That also used to be a quiet agency, out of the headlines.

    Much to D.J. Rippert’s dismay, an action taken during the last administration and session of the General Assembly has provided this secretariat with its highest profile agency. The position of Secretary of Technology was abolished and the Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA), the agency responsible for the state”s enterprise IT system, was moved under the Secretary of Administration. Cyber security is on everyone’s mind and this is the primary agency responsible for protecting the security of the state’s IT system.

    With her background and experience, she seems to be the best and most appropriate Cabinet selection by Youngkin so far.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      Thanks for the information about the agencies … did not know much of it.

      In terms of a person in charge of overall information technology – i.e. treating it like we would fundamental infrastructure that needs overall policies and centralized standards and implementation – yes – need to do that.

      Having each agency operate it’s “own” IT these days is a proven problem, especially when hackers can attack the weakest agency IT-wise and then infiltrate other agency computer systems, even those with better IT security. Once an attacker is “behind the wall” , other Virginia agencies that are “connected” are at risk.

      In this regard , IT security is similar to physical security with the notable difference that IT for the state is “connected” and risk not only from outside attacks but inside attacks from other agencies that might have been compromised.

      So if that is what this is about – I totally support it. We just had a good example of what happens when the IT security policy for the state is vulnerable to ransomware.

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