Dec 12, 2016 2 min read

An editorial opinion from the Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown:

Many of us have been told that honesty is the best policy and the truth will set you free.

Michael Stuban applied those tenets to his exit survey when he retired from his midlevel manager position with the Pennsylvania Turnpike after 35 years of service.

He noted that he liked his job, but the turnpike commission was run by “out of touch” executives, which resulted in low morale among workers.

“Jobs/promotions are filled by the politicians, (and) it’s who you know, not what you know,” Stuban wrote. “Positions (are) created for people who are not qualified.”

His comments, which he emailed not only to the human resources department but to more than 2,000 colleagues when he hit the “reply all” button, attracted the wrath of Turnpike Commission Chairman Sean Logan, a former state senator.

Logan wrote back, also hitting the “reply all” button, that he was glad he never made the acquaintance of Stuban.

“He did miss the point,” Stuban said. “If it was an effective company and someone told you there are problems and no morale, you don’t have to believe me, but maybe someone should check into it.”

Some may say Stuban crossed the line with his “reply all” response. Others may praise him for his brutal honesty.

Perhaps now that word of low morale among the employees has gotten out, Logan may want to look into the claim and explore options to fix that problem and the other allegations.

In the future, the turnpike commission might want to conduct exit interviews face to face.