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The National Museum of Industrial History, under the leadership of Stephen Donches, spent $19 million and 17 years to unveil… a fiasco.

Donches was paid more than $2.4 million between 2002 and 2012 in salary, benefits, pension and healthcare.

What appears to have been a retirement fund for corporate suits has resulted in a shit load (that’s laborer-speak for “a lot”) of industrial equipment laying around without a permanent home, large paychecks for board members, and a non-existent museum that is nearly broke. It doesn’t have enough money to fulfill its promise made so many years ago.

This isn’t news. Channel 69, local papers, and blogs reported on this back in February.

I’m just venting because the Board that runs the museum insults the public’s intelligence once again.

Their action in correcting Donches’ mismanagement and waste of money was to spank him with a pay cut, rather than fire him and scrub the slime trail from his desk to the door.

He’s been removed as president, CEO and museum director. It was reported that he resigned, but instead of showing him the door, his Board Buddies have kept him on as an “employee.”

He has gone from receiving a salary of $180,000 /yr to only $90,000 /yr.

Well, that will certainly teach the next guy what will happen if you suck at being a leader, but excel at wasting money and lining your pocket with it.

The new CEO of the National Museum of Industrial History said he is keeping Donches on because of his knowledge and his experience. He is also looking for a new investor for the museum, so that it can be completed.

Good luck with that, but who knows?There may be another CEO out there in the corporate world somewhere who wastes money as well as Donches did.