ROBERT TREVINO

  • ROBERT TREVINO

Robert Trevino is stepping down as commissioner of Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, an agency that was the subject earlier today of a scathing audit for a laundry list of sloppy financial practices. The citations ranged from $20,000 overpayment to an employee on unpaid leave to failure to take bids on furniture and other items to sloppy travel and expense reimbursement practices.

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Bill Walker, who leads the state department of which the division is a part, said in a news release that Trevino would move to a lesser position of associate director so that he’d have more time to care for his wife, who has been ill. Walker praised Trevino’s service.

The news release didn’t reveal a change in pay, if any and I’ve been unable to reach any agency officials since getting a tip on the impending change right around state government quitting time, 4:30 p.m. As commissioner, Trevino makes just under $110,000.

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UPDATE: In an e-mail, Trevino said the job change would mean a “significant” reduction in pay. He didn’t specify the new figure. Asked if the change had any relationship to today’s audit, he said, “No sir.”

Trevino has been commissioner of ARS since 2005. Before that, he worked as an advisor on the staff of Gov. Mike Huckabee. He’s a former leader of the League of United Latin American Citizens, but was voted out of that position in a contentious organization split.

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Trevino headed the agency where an unqualified person was hired as an interpreter for the deaf at the instigation of Bill Walker, director of the Arkansas Department of Career Services, which includes Trevindecisive soon. Under heat of KATV reporting, legislative inquiry and pressure from the governor, Walker took responsibility for the decision and transferred the woman, with whom he’d been associated in the funeral home business, to another job in the same agency for the same amount of money.

The news release on Trevino’s job change follows. It takes effect Oct. 15

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UPDATE: See jump for a memo Trevino sent to staff on the change. Also, Gov. Beebe’s office said he’d have no comment on the change in the agency because that was an internal personnel issue. But as for the morning audit’s finding, said Matt DeCample, “He finds the audit results despicable, and will be watching closely to see what changes are made.”