Hiring freeze sought

Morning Sentinel, March 8, 2007

(excerpt) A bill sponsored by a Republican legislator sends this message: Don't fill vacant state jobs while the Legislature is trying to balance the budget -- and maybe not even after.

Rep. Sawin Millett of Waterford wants to save money in state government by placing a hiring freeze on open state positions.

A member of the Appropriations Committee, Millett said freezing positions that are already open will save money without hurting current state workers.

"My overall goal is to reduce the size of state government," he said. "It won't be popular, but we do carry 500-800 vacancies at any one time."

The state employs about 14,000 workers. As of Wednesday, the legislative branch had two open positions; the executive branch, which includes state departments, had 788; and the judicial branch had about 10, according to information provided by each branch.