President Donald Trump nominated Barry Lee Myers to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The nomination became controversial because critics said Myers was not qualified because he did not have a science degree — though he reportedly once watched an episode of Bill Nye: The Science Guy.
Trump himself lacked the basic credentials to become president and we all know how well that turned out.
Bad example.
Let’s stick to Myers.
All other recent NOAA directors had science degrees.
https://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-myers-noaa-20190501-story.html
There were other criticisms beyond the silly criticism that he lacked science credentials to chair a science agency.
For instance, there was the conflict-of-interest thing.
Myers was the former chief executive of AccuWeather, a competitor of the National Weather Service, which is run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
This wasn’t itself bad, but Myers had tried to put the National Weather Service out of business.
A Los Angeles Times editorial said that Myers had tried to restrict the National Weather Service by urging U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum to introduce legislation that would bar the NWS from any weather forecasts that could be issued by private businesses.
https://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-myers-noaa-20190501-story.html
(Please go back and read the previous paragraph again.)
Myers divested himself of company ownership of AccuWeather.
But that didn’t result in his confirmation.
The Department of Labor reported that sexual harassment at AccuWeather was “so severe and pervasive, that some female employees resigned,” U.S. News and World Report reported.
The department’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs began its investigation in March 2017 after receiving allegations of a hostile work environment.
“Over two dozen witnesses spanning many different departments and in positions ranging from administrative support to senior management described unlawful sexual harassment that occurred at the company,” the investigation found.
None of the complaints were directed at Myers, who was then the company’s chief executive.
Myers’s nomination advanced from Senate committee three times but never received a vote from the full Senate.
Myers later withdrew his name from consideration because of health concerns.
https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-nominee-lead-noaa-withdraws-citing-medical-issues
Translated: Myers was sick of being ridiculed and criticized for being unqualified for a position he should never have been considered for.
