A top New York City education official has been fired after unlawfully using his connections to create a job for his inexperienced wife, according toNY Daily News. Investigators found that Angel Namnum, the executive director with the Division of Finance at the Education Department, convinced an employee to fabricate a position that he could later offer his wife, who barely spoke English and did not know how to operate basic office functions such as email.
The $190,000-a-year executive was involved in a similar case in 2008 when he was fined for helping his brother get a job as a principal. Chancellor Dennis Walcott announced that Namnum was fired Tuesday, after 25 years of service in education where he began his career as a substitute teacher in city schools.
"It is obvious to me that Mr. Namnum abused his responsibility and privileges to secure a job for his wife, who was clearly unqualified, " said Walcott in a statement.
Namnum had allegedly told a senior grants officer in the Bronx department that "there was going to be a position created for someone politically connected," despite a hiring freeze. Namnum's wife, who used her maiden name Rosa Castillo, was eventually hired for a position that paid $52,000 per year.
However, the grants officer, Maite Villanueva, quickly realized that Namnum's wife could not perform the job.
"Castillo barely spoke English, although command of the English language was required for her position because she dealt with school personnel and issued permits," the report said. "Castillo did not understand e-mail and was unable to respond to internal or external messages."
Source:IBTimes
