Is the Youngkin Administration Unraveling? Three State Agencies Implode in One Day

Is the Youngkin Administration Unraveling? Three State Agencies Implode in One Day

Gov. Youngkin Calls Into Question His Ability To Run State Government As Three Essential Agencies Fall Apart 

Alcohol, Rage, Workplace Misconduct, Inappropriate Sexual Remarks Fall at the Center of Youngkin Administration

Richmond, VA – Three major state agencies in Governor Youngkin’s administration imploded at once yesterday, making a mockery of another one of the Governor’s key campaign promises. Alcohol, rage, workplace misconduct, inappropriate sexual remarks, staff disgruntlement, and the mishandling of confidential records are at the center of three scandals rocking the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, the Virginia Employment Commission, and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency.

The Youngkin administration was forced to rescind its new hire to lead the Department of Motor Vehicles after a report detailed his appalling history of inappropriate behavior at an agency in Indiana. Peter Lacy resigned from the Indiana agency just last month, the day after appearing intoxicated during an executive meeting with 30 top officials where he reportedly “slurred his words, seemed confused” and made inappropriate sexual remarks to a female staffer — part of a pattern of inappropriate behavior that included crude sexual remarks to women, fits of rage, berating employees and throwing things. Despite his campaign promise to improve the DMV, Youngkin overlooked Lacy’s misconduct and recent resignation; now the DMV has no permanent leader.

The Virginia Employment Commission instructed employees to handle records while at home that contain people’s sensitive and personal information. The documents include social security numbers, birth dates, home addresses, workplaces, salaries, online passwords and other personal information. This is the second data privacy scandal at VEC in less than a week, following an incident where Gov. Youngkin’s VEC head “repeatedly dodged” questions from the press about the agency’s recent leaks of more personal information. The VEC has fallen apart since Youngkin took office, an especially embarrassing failure following his empty promises from the campaign to fix the VEC.

A third agency, the Virginia Information Technologies Agency, lost its third high-level manager since Gov. Glenn Youngkin replaced its top executive in January. The fallout began when the agency’s COO resigned in response to Gov. Youngkin replacing the agency head. The new head resigned just one month later, and the new COO resigned yesterday. The loss of one of Virginia’s top Black leaders of a state agency comes at a time when the Youngkin administration is dismantling the role of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and failing to promote diversity in government and beyond.

“Yesterday’s three-in-one mismanagement scandal is another galling display of Governor Youngkin’s incompetence,” said DPVA spokesperson Gianni Snidle. “The former co-CEO was completely unprepared to lead and manage Virginia’s state government. On the campaign trail Youngkin promised Virginians he would improve the DMV and the VEC, but clearly the agencies have only unraveled in the four months since he took office. Democrats will continue holding the Governor accountable for his broken promises and his failure to provide the quality of government that Virginians expect and deserve.”