Staff Phoebus fired includes employee planning a wedding

It was the letter from the boss that everyone dreads:

"Your services are no longer required.  Your position is hereby terminated, effective immediately."  (Gail Phoebus to her employees)

And coming just days before the holidays, it was exceptionally painful.

Happy Thanksgiving!  Merry Christmas!

Assemblyperson Gail Phoebus sent terse, one paragraph letters to the career civil servants at her legislative office staff and fired them all.  In their place, she is hiring personal friends with no legislative qualifications and questionable backgrounds in the skills needed to handle constituent services.

Before spending her holidays at her 2 million square foot ranch in Colorado, Phoebus ruined the holidays of an employee who is about to get married.  We haven't seen this kind of indifference to the humanity of employees since Leona Helmsley -- the Queen of Mean! 

The actions of Gail Phoebus give the GOP a bad name.  When people talk about "Country Club Republicans" they think Phoebus -- a millionaire who actually owns a country club and a golf course with it! 

This is yet another flip-flop or lie by Phoebus.  When Alison Littell McHose announced that she would not be seeking re-election in 2015, Phoebus personally solicited the support of legislative staff members with the promise that their jobs were safe with Phoebus as their new boss.  Apparently that promise wasn't worth very much, as it has now been broken.

Phoebus refused to meet with her employees before firing them, did not provide a reason for their firing, and did not give them notice face-to-face.  The firings did not provide for the customary two-week notice.  When asked about it, Phoebus claimed that she didn't know her employee's last name.

One source described Phoebus' actions as a "cruel and undiplomatic way of thanking loyal employees."  Another noted that Phoebus' friends need and want the money and the taxpayer-funded benefits (health care and pension), so she's put them before the needs of her constituents. 

Either way, Assemblyperson Gail Phoebus has made for a miserable holiday season for her employees' families.  That's not the face we want for the Sussex County GOP.