In the past, when a postmaster general left, that person went into retirement or found other work but had no further involvement in the Postal Service. Most would say that’s how it should be – but the departure of Louis DeJoy has been different.
Having been moved out his role unceremoniously and definitely not on his schedule, some people might have thought he would issue an indignant response, then simply return to political activity or get back into trucking. However, it appears that quite the opposite has happened. While he’s not still sitting in his tenth floor office at USPS HQ, his involvement in running the Postal Service may be far from over.
Changing hats
The ink on his resignation letter was barely dry before he reappeared in a new position. The next day, through a process that was curiously speedy, DeJoy was back as a “senior executive advisor” to the Executive Leadership Team, again present in HQ and personally “advising” Doug Tulino, his former part-time deputy hastily redesignated as acting PMG.
DeJoy’s overnight resurrection into simply another job raised a lot of eyebrows, as did his continued role in running the USPS. Reportedly, after a week of this, he was no longer conspicuously in the building, but that should not be taken to mean his involvement was over.
During his 57-month tenure, DeJoy built and cultivated a circle of loyalists – associates from his old company and postal executives keen to advance their careers – while driving out many senior executives who chose to not drink the Kool-Aid. Now, though DeJoy is no longer PMG, he still can rely upon his cabal to continue executing his 10-Year Plan and be receptive to his “advising,” albeit remotely.
Intrigue
Aside from the irregularity of a former CEO persisting in an official behind-the-scenes leadership role, that DeJoy is still around raises questions.
One would be whether his dismissal should be interpreted at face value, i.e., had dissatisfaction with him, his performance, or the condition of the USPS reached a level where it could no longer be tolerated? Did he not take the hint to leave and therefore had to be pushed?
Or was his departure simply part of a script, a bit of symbolic theater to be viewed by unsuspecting observers? “We have to do this, Louis, to make it appear we’re taking decisive action, but don’t worry, you can stay in control.” His quick return to USPS HQ does suggest there was a plan already in place to bring him back somehow if he had to resign.
If that theory is correct, it would have required a level of duplicity outstanding by even today’s standard of political ethics. As the only people who can fire a PMG – or demand his resignation – the governors had to be either in the dark about the larger plan or aware of and cooperating with it.
Former Board chair Roman Martinez IV is a known supporter of DeJoy, and remains a key vote on the shorthanded panel. Many observers believe that, while he was chairman, he ensured the governors didn’t interfere with DeJoy and his 10-Year Plan, so for him and his political allies to construct a way to keep DeJoy around, other than as PMG, is not too far-fetched.
Conversely, if DeJoy’s forced departure was genuine, i.e., that the governors got the word to get him out and did as they were told, under what arrangement was he able to get back so quickly? Was this agreed upon as part of the governors’ action? Either answer is concerning.
First, if the governors believed his continued participation in leading the USPS was so indispensably critical that a path to that end was needed, their facilitation of it would seem to be contrary to the desires and expectations of those who ordered DeJoy out in the first place. Presumably, unless that was approved in advance (see above), that also would seem to put the governors crossways with the powers-that-be who wanted DeJoy to leave, not simply switch offices.
Second, if there was no overt re-employment deal in place between DeJoy and the governors, that would suggest that senior postal executives took action on their own to bring DeJoy back – in which case they would have been in defiance of both the governors and whomever instructed them to oust DeJoy. Moreover, if that were the case, it puts the governors in a very unfavorable position: either they were complicit in the plan or they were ignored.
The latter, in turn, begs the question: if they really wanted DeJoy gone, why do those who went behind the Board’s back to keep him around still have their jobs?
Puppetmaster
Aside from all the questions about how the last month’s events unfolded, the issue remains that Louis DeJoy’s physical absence doesn’t mean he’s not still pulling the strings.
As noted above, the Board is still influenced by DeJoy’s ally, Martinez, and the other governors either can’t (by their numbers) or won’t (by their ineffectiveness) move away from the faithful implementation of DeJoy’s Plan – the recent price filing would be an example.
Beyond that, there are dozens of VPs, executive directors, and other senior HQ staff who were chosen or promoted by DeJoy for showing their zealous loyalty to him and his Plan. Even with him no longer in the PMG’s job, their allegiance to the DeJoy cult remains and continues to drive them to carry his Plan forward.
As for DeJoy’s involvement, the simple answer is that he doesn’t need to be physically present. The benefit of cellphones, texts, and emails is that they can be used to send instructions from anyone anywhere. Moreover, with basic technology, communication can be kept away from prying eyes – and ears – so that, in this situation, DeJoy can be “advising” his acolytes from afar without anyone outside the circle being any the wiser.
If a new PMG is chosen who’s not a DeJoy apostle, or required to continue The Plan as a pre-condition, that person’s greatest challenges will be rooting our the scores of DeJoy loyalists who continue to serve him, and setting the USPS on a path independent of Louis DeJoy and his 10-Year Plan.
If you're on this page, it's likely because you have challenges to find solutions for or a question to answer. Fortunately, you've come to the right place. Click below to download our 2023 Services brochure to learn just how much we have to offer. Leave your name and email if you'd like us to stay in touch.
The brochure is a PDF that will open in a new browser window. Download, read, share, and let us know if you have questions.