Opinion ID: 2264014
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Division's Failure To Offer Peterson A Lateral Transfer Or Select Him For A Full-Time Forester Position

Text: In September 2004 the Division received legislative approval to hire a full-time forester for the Kenai-Kodiak area. After a competitive recruitment process, a woman named Ashley Reed was hired for the position. In August 2005 Reed left the position to pursue other opportunities. According to the Division's forest stewardship coordinator, the opening created by Reed's departure was not advertised for competitive recruitment until October 2006 because of a decline in federal funding. Beginning in October 2006 the Division held a competitive recruitment for the full-time forester position in the Kenai-Kodiak area. Nine applicants, including Reed and Peterson, were interviewed by the hiring committee. DNR provided affidavits from two of the three committee members explaining the evaluation process and stating that Reed had been unanimously selected for the position. When Reed declined the position, another applicant was selected to fill the position in October 2007 on the basis of her overall qualifications. Peterson claimed in his briefs and at oral argument that he also twice requested transfer to a full time position in both 2004 and 2006, but there is little in the record to support this claim. The collective bargaining agreement that Peterson was subject to authorized such a transfer to be made without recruitment or application, if the State so chooses. A non-competitive lateral transfer was not provided to Peterson. In 2007 the Division held another competitive recruitment for an operations forester position in the Kenai-Kodiak area. Five applicants with the requisite qualifications were interviewed, including Peterson and John Winters. The committee unanimously selected Winters for the position based on work experience, references, attitude, ability to accept supervision, level of trust and confidence we could place in the employee, and performance in the interview.