I predict that Kelly will be the best DHS secretary we have had. In comparison to "an empty suit," former governors, and a judge, we finally have someone who has been, not a politician, but a leader all his adult life. He is not looking to set himself up for a big consulting practice following this gig, he is a servant leader.
I predict that morale among the 240,000 members of DHS will go up under his tenure — due to his leadership. The numbers will be the true story, and don't look for him to try to cook the books to make it happen.
All of the above is illustrated by a personal story I'll share here. Earlier I blogged about how the DHS Secretary had visited my parent organization, the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) What I didn't share in my earlier blog post was that during that visit there was a discussion about the validity of Washington state's Enhanced Driver's License meeting the requirements of Real ID staff accompanying the secretary claimed that the enhanced driver's license did not meet the requirements of Real ID. While we (PNWER), and I'd add the regional CBP representative in the room, were confident that it did. The discussion ended with no final resolution.
Then, two weeks later, this past Monday, my executive director, Matt Morrison gets a personal call from Secretary Kelly himself. He was calling Matt to tell him that he had followed up, and he and his staff had been misinformed about the Washington state enhanced license and that it is Real ID qualified. He apologized for being misinformed. So, if you have the leader of a 240,000 member workforce calling the guy who has nine staff and letting him know that he had been wrong, it shows the character of the leader that Kelly is.
I predict good things from John Kelly!
