Career OPM officials will review all political conversions

The number of political appointees converting-or burrowing-into career positions is minute, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

In 2008, OPM says it reviewed 58 conversions and found only two of them required further evaluation.

This is out of more than 1,600 political positions. The minority staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee reported in 2005 that the Bush administration said 1,640 positions were political appointees.

"This is not a serious problem," says Jeff Sumberg, OPM's deputy associate director for the Center for Merit Systems Accountability. "In the overwhelming majority of requests, we don't find any problems and we don't expect to. Agencies understand what the rules are and understand what the law requires."

Then why did OPM director John Berry issue a memo Nov. 5 strengthening the rules around political conversions?

Sumberg says it's a combination of reasons.

Specifically, Sumberg says the change follows the Obama administration's goal of open and transparent government.

"Director Berry says it's not enough just look at conversion cases only during presidential election year. We need to focus on merit principles all the time," Sumberg says.

"The policy in government regarding looking at hiring of political appointees extends back to President Carter's years. It's about safeguarding the hiring process and paying particular attention when politicals or former politicals appointees try to get jobs."

The new policy makes two major changes. The first is how often OPM will review proposed conversions and the second is which positions the agency will review.

Sumberg says OPM will review proposals for competitive and excepted service jobs. In the past, OPM focused only on excepted or Senior Executive Service positions.

He emphasizes that OPM did not change the fact the rule applies to not only current political positions, but anyone who has served as a political appointee in the last five years.

This requirement has been around for many years, he says.

"What we are cautioning agencies against is creating a job specifically for a political appointee because of their background or politics," Sumberg says. "As you would imagine it's done rarely."

The memo comes at an interesting time so early in the administration. Some could wonder if this is a favor to the federal employee unions.

Sumberg says that is far from the case. In fact, he says, the employee unions didn't play any role in the development or writing of this memo.

The employee unions are in favor of the new rules, however.

Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, says she was pleased by OPM's memo.

"The federal government's merit system is of the utmost importance," Kelley says. "To maintain credibility and attract talented and skilled applicants, the federal hiring system must be above reproach and this announcement by OPM maintains the merit system's integrity."

Starting Jan. 1, OPM will review all agencies proposed hires when there is a current or former political appointee involved.

"When they are proposing to hire someone, they will send us some of the background information such as the .job announcement, the application from the candidates, the description of the job itself and other supporting documents," Sumberg says.

"We can review it and make a determination whether the competition for the job was free and open, and free from any improper influence."

The evaluations, Sumberg says, only will be done by career staff in his office.

"Political appointees are not involved in any of the reviews or decisions," he says.

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On the Web:

Chief Human Capital Officers Council -- OPM memo on political appointees becoming career civil servants

FederalNewsRadio -- OPM sets new policy to make 'burrowing' harder

FederalNewsRadio -- Burrowing Trouble

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